Author(s): Henry James

Classics

This is a tie-in edition of Henry James' classic novel to accompany the highly anticipated new film starring Julianne Moore, Alexander Skarsgard and Steve Coogan. After her parents' bitter divorce, young Maisie finds herself shuttled between her selfish mother and vain father, who value her only as a means for provoking each other. When both take lovers and remarry, Maisie - solitary, observant and wise beyond her years - is drawn into an increasingly entangled adult world of intrigue and sexual betrayal, until she is finally compelled to choose her own future. What Maisie Knew is a subtle yet devastating portrayal of an innocent adrift in a corrupt society. Henry James was born on 15th April 1843 in New York and spent a great deal of his life in Europe, especially England. He is best known for his cosmopolitan and often haunting portraits of European and American life. His most famous fictional works include The Portrait of a Lady (1881), What Maisie Knew (1897), The Turn of the Screw (1898), The Wings of the Dove (1902), The Ambassadors (1903) and The Golden Bowl (1904). He also wrote literary criticism, most famously The Art of the Fiction (1884). He died on 28th February 1916. "Maisie embodies everything that James excelled at in fiction". (Paul Theroux).