213. The Turn of the Screw

The Turn of the Screw
Henry James
1898
Around 200 pages

Ah, a good Henry James story, the likes of which we haven't seen since Portrait of a Young Lady. I wonder if it caused him physical pain to only write 200 pages.  Miraculously, the short length of the novel forced him to create something remarkably fast-paced, especially compared to his other works.

A young governess is hired to take care of a little boy and a girl, as their uncle (their legal guardian) has no interest in taking care of them. The governess is charmed by the children but soon believes that the house is haunted.

This is actually a fun novel to debate. Is the governess crazy or are the ghosts real? I won't get into my theory, which would contain spoilers, but I love it when authors are respectful enough of readers to not spoon-feed us everything (of course, if they go too far in the other direction, that's annoying too).

So this novel proves Henry James can be very interesting when he wants to be. Unfortunately, the mood strikes him very rarely.

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

The upcoming movie The Turning is a modern take on this ghost story.

Henry James loved ghost stories, but tried to stay away from the stereotypical apparitions found in previous literature.

UP NEXT: The Awakening by Kate Chopin. Another story I am familiar with, so expect another review up shortly!

212. The War of the Worlds

The War of the Worlds
H.G. Wells
1898
Around 250 pages

I didn't have much to say about the last Wells novel on the List. Obviously the premises are ridiculous, but they are a lot of fun so who cares. It will be awhile before we get another Wells novel on the List and I will miss these somewhat silly interruptions.

Earth is being invaded by Martians. For a full summary, see the published works of Mr. Tom Cruise and Ms. Dakota Fanning.

So once again a fun premise, with somewhat clumsy execution. I never feel like Wells does romance very well.  The women are always just inaccessible things in the background written to give the main male character some sort of purpose. I think Wells even forgot about the female character halfway through this one, that's how insignificant she was.

For the most part, he is a sound storyteller and is good at tapping into the little boy in all of us, if I can say that without being creepy.

RATING: ***-

Interesting Facts:

Adapted in a 1938 radio broadcast by Orson Welles, although the accounts of people panicking and taking it seriously were greatly exaggerated.

Part of the invasion genre, which was popular at the time. I wonder why...

UP NEXT: The Turn of the Screw by Henry James. Actually enjoyed this Henry James, which is a refreshing change of pace.

211. The Fruits of the Earth

The Fruits of the Earth
Andre Gide
1897
Around 50 pages

Reading this prose poem made me grateful that I am done with college. I can just picture this showing up on the syllabus of some philosophy class and having to analyze it for weeks, or more accurately, listen to the one loudmouth alpha male analyze it for weeks. We would probably have to take turns leading discussions about it, and it would be an option to write about for the final paper. God, just the thought of it gives me shudders.

Okay, so basically this is a novel in the loosest sense of the word. The narrator is speaking to someone named Nathanael. The general thesis of the book is "Live!"  But he admitted to being a pedophile, so I don't really have much of an interest in his opinion on how I should live my life. I'm sorry, how Nathanael should live his life.

This one was easy to knock out because of its length, but dull, dull, dull. As for the ideas he is pushing forth, you'll have to wait to hear my thoughts until my presentation in class. My turn's Tuesday.

RATING: **---

Interesting Facts:

Referenced in Roger Martin du Gard's The Thibaults.

UP NEXT: The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells. We are hitting a cluster of novels that I have already read, so expect reviews up shortly!

210. The Invisible Man

The Invisible Man
H.G. Wells
1897
Around 120 pages

Wells isn't the first author to come up with the "mad scientist's experiment goes horribly wrong" story. Nor is he the best by any means. Still, he is a fun diversion from some of the tougher works on the List. And we've got a prose poem coming soon, so buckle up.

A stranger has a hard time keeping his invisibility under wraps (New Years Resolution for 2020: use less puns that alienate me from my peers). Basically, you'll understand what happens if you've read Plato's Republic, or much more importantly, seen the Buffy episode "Out of Mind, Out of Sight."

I don't have much to say about this one. It was a fun little story that I don't think had anything too profound to say, but not every novel does, or even needs to. I don't mean to sound condescending, this List just spoils you a bit. So the Veruca Salt in me wants to say, "that's it?"

But the Charlie Bucket in me had a fun time chilling with his grandpa.

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

Inspired by Plato's Republic.

UP NEXT: Fruits of the Earth by Andre Gide.