Author: Henry James
Year of Publication: 17th September, 1897
PLOT: 3.2/5
CHARACTERS: 3.8/5
WRITING: 3.2/5
CLIMAX: 3.8/5
ENTERTAINMENT: 3.5/5
Plot: What Maisie Knew is a classic novel written by Henry James. It was first published in 1897 in the Chap-Book as a serial and later in the New Review. Post this it was published as a book later that same year. This book is all about the struggles that a child has to go through if her parents get a divorce. The little girl here is Masie who has awful parents. While her parents separate she has no clue on what’s going on, she is a confused baby trying to make sense out of things.
Soon her parents remarry different people who are comparatively better. But still,throughout te story she is being shuttled by her parents. She spends 6 months with her father and another six months with her mother. While classics by Dickenson and many others have given us examples of bad parents but if there is a trophy for bad parents of the decade- I think that should really go out to Masies parents.
Divorce of her parents has really made that child a lot wiser. In the story she was seen to be drawned to Sir Claude and Mrs Wix. Mrs Wix was a nice women and proved out to be a good guardian to the child. Sir Claude was also good with the child and ultimately I think was turned into a father figure in the girls life.
What I liked about the book? I liked the innocence of a child portrayed in the story. I liked how despite having a disturbed childhood, she always had the hope of good days and in her small ways she always worked towards it. She always believed in people around her and trusted them at face value, which is quality known in children only. I liked how she saw goodness in everybody and was optimistic about things changing in her life for good.
What I did not like?
The starting of the novel really holds you well. I was glued to this one for the initial 120 pages and then somewhere in the middle, I lost it. It turned out a drag for me in the middle almost ~ 30 pages. I didn’t have up and continued and was again back in the story.
Who should read this book?
Everyone should read this book, if you love to read classics. If you are just beginning to inculcate the habit of reading, I think you can pass this one.
What did I learn from this book?
Few things that I learnt from this book is that we should trust people more. It can be difficult in todays time to trust people, the best we can do here is maintain the trust of other people on us.
I also liked the optimism and hope of a better future in Masie despite being in a messy environment.
Final Verdict
If you love to read classics or are beginning to read one, please go ahead and read this amazing work of art. If you are new into inculcating the reading habit, please pass this for now, as you might feel lost midway. If you are interested in buying this book, please use the link mentioned below:
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