What Maisie Knew
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- $5.99
Publisher Description
Henry James (1843-1916) was an American writer who moved to England at the age thirty. These circumstances had a major effect on his literary works, and the central theme of his works was the straightforwardness and sincerity of the people of the New World who face the decadence and craftiness of the Old World. During his leterary career James Henry wrote 20 novels, 112 stories and 12 plays.
The story tells us about the Faranges family consisting of Beal and Ida Farange and her daughter Maisie. One day the happy family life comes to the end and they get divorced. They receive joint custody of her and makes the girl a weapon in their conflict.
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Young Maisie Farange finds herself the unwitting pawn in her parents' divorce, as her mother and father use her as a tool for personal attacks. As both parents find new romantic partners, Maisie, who is mature beyond her age, is thrust even further into an adult world of betrayal and sexual gamesmanship. In this audio edition, Maureen O'Brien delivers a standout performance of James's classic novella. Even for audiences who might not enjoy James's prose, O'Brien's narration is both gripping and suitably melancholy. She captures the boiling anger of the adult world, as well as Maisie's sadness and confusion. Maisie's relationship with her governess Mrs. Wix, the sole point of emotional consistency in the young girl's life, is particularly poignant, thanks to O'Brien's reading. Though there's relatively little dialogue in James's work most of the action takes place through narration, filtered through Maisie's point of view O'Brien excels at creating unique personalities for the different characters. Her Maisie, in particular, sounds like a child intelligent but also extremely vulnerable.
