I love books out of time. For Henry James, The Turn of the Screw was contemporary fiction. For us, it's something of the classic, with an accurately historic tone in terms of voice and presentation.

Where the book measures up is in creating a sense of ambiguous dread as we wonder whether the protagonist is noble in protecting two children under her care or simply losing her mind. Where it doesn't work, at least by today's telling, is James doesn't necessarily capture that sense of suspense to make it a page-turner. Instead, he is content with the delivery of an unreliable narrator.

For the period, however, it's impossible to deny its place in history. James does what many do with the strange and unusual at the time — use it to break apart all those Victorian taboos. But you must understand this about the book to appreciate it. It's a story about a woman who is single and educated, sharing her personal desires at a level uncharacteristic for the era. And although it bares the moniker of a spook story, it isn't really a story about spooks as much as what spooks the protagonist and manifests around her. 

That is a funny thing about some books. When you read other reviews that express their disappointment, it's almost always tied to their expectations. For me, I didn't expect a horror story as much as something out of time, so it hit more mid. But, overall, it's a worthwhile read if you know this beforehand.