I had little choice but to read this book as it was one of the set texts for my course. However, if it wasn't such, the likeliness of me reading the whole book is almost equal to none.
Allow me to tell you why through the medium of a review.
The synopsis/blurb on this book includes the words "Widely recognised as one of literature's most gripping ghost stories". Those words couldn't have been more wrong, to put it modestly.
As I read through this book I found myself startng to daydream, updating my Facebook statuses and reading just one chapter at a time. The characters were boring, the ghosts non-existent and the events worth paying attention to far and inbetween.
The story was slow and the presence of any ghosts was rare. When I read the blurb I expected to read something which would be quite stereotypical yet interesting i.e. Scary ghosts and haunted castles with secret passageways. Maybe something similar to Bram Stoker's Dracula. Instead I found myself reading some very dull dialogue and prose which told of a semi-well dressed ghost standing at the window.
As I think back to what I've just finished reading I can't think of anyone I would recommend this book to. Gripping ghost story? More like the literary equivalent to 'The Amazing Spiderman'.
Will I read another Henry James story in the future? It's possible, but after this, I may have to admit being put off from doing so anytime soon. I can sense it having potential to be a really good tale, but in all honesty, it just doesn't cut it.
Overall rating: 2/5
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