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What Maisie Knew

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What Maisie Knew

By: Henry James
Narrated by: Maureen O' Brien
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About this listen

Maisie is an innocent six year-old, torn between her divorced parents, pathetically isolated yet tragically involved. The only emotional constant in Maisie's life is Mrs. Wix, a motherly old governess.

©2010 AudioGO Ltd (P)2014 Audible, Inc. Classics

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All stars
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I almost think that despite the narration being no doubt excellent I would have enjoyed, sympathised with the tale better in print. This is because Mrs Wix was spoken in a rough, unattractive, almost illiterate, dangerously bigoted way. Which made Maisie’s attachment to her more inexplicable. The rows and scenes are exhausting to follow, too.

Wonderful vocabulary, complicated story

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Unfortunately I had to stop listening to this as there is some soft interference as if a pot of porridge is coming plopping to the boil next to the lips of the performer. Henry James may have been working something out about his childless state and what he might get out of knowing a child. But to modern ears there are queasy moments when Sir Claude is told he can do what he likes with the child etc. Also ghastly is the emotional devastation of the child's psyche detailed which we see as socially acceptable.

Sound interference

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A lot of the story is Maisie thinking about the adults around her, and it might have been easier to flip back and forth in a physical book instead of listening in the car. But I like studies of people and relationships...

Maisie is the object of a tug of war

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Definitely the best James novel that I’ve read so far. Performance was not bad either however whoever edited this performance didn’t do a very good job as 3 or 4 chapters are repeated at chapter 20. This artificially increases the length of the audio book so if you’re looking for an 11 hour+ read look elsewhere.

Best Henry James novel so far.

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Having read the book several times I can definitively say that this brilliantly read version adds wonderfully to the drama and the breathtaking cruelty of this terrible story. Enthralling.

Brilliantly dramatic

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A book so ahead of it’s time. The characters are all so real and challenging, and the prose so deft. Maisie is one of the great perspectives a book is written from, and the audiobook narrator gets her voice perfectly:

Exquisite

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This is a period, high society Victorian drama about a child Maisie who is pushed about initially by self seeking and neglectful parents and subsequently manipulated and betrayed by step-parents and governesses. It’s a story of a coming of age, choice of morality and exercise of independence. That Maisie remains resilient is a testament to her own character and partly the (confused) love she does receive.
This is exemplary and articulate writing but the plot is focused around a small group of characters and a sparse environment and I became bored and needed to persevere to finish.
I can’t help recognising that Maisie is really the object of abuse and neglect. And it was difficult to ignore this outrage, not only upon Maisie but children like her, across generations, in the same predicament.

I’m going to have to try another Henry James… !

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I found the story repetitive and didn’t know what to make of it at the end. But Henry James has to be taken seriously so I’m glad I persisted. The reader was good.

A Curious read

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A long and painful story, worth persisting with. An array of convincing characters. Look out for a Jamesian ending.

Superlative performance

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A very wonderful piece of writing about the journey from innocence to knowing. Characters are complex, compelling and so well drawn. The story of negligence and selfishness of adults, and the resilience and wisdom of a child is still relevant today.

Funny and poignant

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