What Maisie Knew (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. A Victorian Child Custody Drama of Innocence, Divorce, and Moral CorruptionBy Henry James
Length12h 17m
About this audiobook
Henry James's What Maisie Knew (1897) is a searching study of childhood consciousness amid adult corruption, tracing the young Maisie Farange as she is passed between divorced, self-absorbed parents and their successive partners. Written in James's late, psychologically intricate style, the novel filters social scandal through limited perception, making innocence both a moral vantage point and a formal experiment. Its compressed domestic world reflects fin-de-siècle anxieties about divorce, sexuality, guardianship, and the fragility of family structures. Henry James, an American-born writer long resident in Europe, was uniquely attuned to the subtleties of manners, power, and moral ambiguity. His transatlantic life sharpened his interest in social codes and the hidden violence beneath civility. In this novel, his fascination with point of view reaches remarkable intensity: Maisie's partial understanding allows James to expose adult egotism without crude denunciation, transforming a custody drama into a profound inquiry into knowledge and experience. This book is highly recommended to readers interested in psychological fiction, narrative technique, and the ethics of perception. Demanding yet rewarding, it offers one of James's most original portraits of innocence surviving in a compromised world.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes.
- The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.
- A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing.
- An Author Biography reveals milestones in the author's life, illuminating the personal insights behind the text.
- A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.
- Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
- Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
Audiobook details
Rating★★★ 3.4 (7.2K)
Includes Goodreads
GenreLiterary Classics, General Fiction
Length12 hrs 17 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateMar 29, 2018
LanguageEnglish
The Time Traveler's Bookshelf: Eight Unforgettable BooksHenry James, Fritz Leiber, Murray Leinster, Robert F. Young, Andre Norton, Philip K. Dick, Clifford D. Simak, Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman32h 27m$1.99 · $0.00
Daisy MillerHenry James2h 45m$1.99 · $0.00
El Retrato de una DamaHenry James28h 11m$1.99 · $0.00
Gesammelte WerkeHenry James118h 13m4.3 (12)$1.50 · $0.00
10 Iconic Gilded Age NovelsHenry James, Theodore Dreiser, Mark Twain, Edith Wharton, Robert Barr, Louisa May Alcott140h 49m$1.99
Los papeles de AspernHenry James8h 40m$1.99 · $0.00
20 Must Read Ghost NovelsHenry James, Horace Walpole, Gaston Leroux, Francis Marion Crawford, Emily Brontë, Ann Ward Radcliffe, Frederick Marryat, H. P. Lovecraft, Frederic Henry Balfour, Emma Dorothy Eliza Nevitte Southworth, William De Morgan, John Meade Falkner, Wilkie Collins, Charles Willing Beale, Duchess, Paul Dickey, Charles Goddard, Eliza Parsons, Richard Marsh, William Hope Hodgson207h 8m4.0 (19)$1.99
The Turn of the Screw (Annotated)Henry James6h 27m3.4 (185.5K)$2 · $0.00
The Wings of the Dove + The Ambassadors + What Maisie Knew + The Turn of the Screw (Annotated)Henry James55h 13m4.5 (24)$2 · $0.00
Poor Richard (Annotated)Henry James4h 20m3.9 (590)$2 · $0.00
The Bostonians (Annotated)Henry James19h 25m$2 · $0.00
The Ambassadors (The Unabridged Edition) (Annotated)Henry James20h 11m3.8 (31K)$2 · $0.00
Love, Lust & Heartbreak: 50 Romance Classics in One Collection (Annotated)Henry James, Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë, Emily Brontë, Anne Brontë, William Shakespeare, Fanny Burney, Stendhal, R.D. Blackmore, Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, Nathaniel Hawthorne, George Eliot, Leo Tolstoy, Thomas Hardy, Elizabeth Gaskell, Edith Wharton, Louisa May Alcott, Alexandre Dumas, Meredith Nicholson, Charles Dickens, Gaston Leroux, E. M. Forster, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Theodore Dreiser, H. G. Wells, Grace Livingston Hill, Earl Derr Biggers, Walter Scott, Virginia Woolf, Burton Egbert Stevenson, P.G. Wodehouse, Georgette Heyer, Madeleine L'Engle, O. Douglas, Kate Chopin763h 22m$2 · $0.00
The Wings of the Dove (Annotated)Henry James22h 33m3.9 (30.5K)$2 · $0.00
The Complete Works of Henry James (Illustrated Edition) (Annotated)Henry James691h 13m4.4 (425)$2 · $0.00
The Complete Novels of Henry James (Annotated)Henry James320h 25m4.5 (537)$2 · $0.00
The Tragic Muse (Annotated)Henry James26h 4m4.3 (12)$2 · $0.00
Colección de Henry James (Anotado)Henry James72h 19m4.1 (22)$1.99 · $0.00
HARVARD CLASSICS - All 20 Volumes in one Edition (Annotated)Henry James, George Eliot, Henry Fielding, Laurence Sterne, Jane Austen, Walter Scott, William Makepeace Thackeray, Charles Dickens, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Washington Irving, Edgar Allan Poe, Francis Bret Harte, Mark Twain, Edward Everett Hale, Victor Hugo, Honoré Balzac, George Sand, Alfred de Musset, Alphonse Daudet, Guy de Maupassant, Johann Wolfgang Goethe, Gottfried Keller, Theodor Storm, Theodor Fontane, Leo Tolstoy, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Ivan Turgenev, Juan Valera, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Alexander L. Kielland387h 7m4.4 (136)$2 · $0.00
Washington Square (The Unabridged Edition) (Annotated)Henry James8h 56m$2 · $0.00
This Side of Paradise - The Original 1920 Edition (Annotated)F. Scott Fitzgerald11h 30m4.6 (1.6K)$2 · $0.00
The Great Gatsby: Original 1925 Edition (An F. Scott Fitzgerald Classic NovelFrancis Scott Fitzgerald4h 45m4.6 (9.3K)$18 · $0.00
Ivanhoe (Annotated)Walter Scott22h 52m4.8 (88)$2 · $0.00
The Fire Next TimeJames Baldwin2h 25m4.6 (159.1K)$15
The Complete Histories / History Plays of William Shakespeare (Annotated)William Shakespeare29h 42m4.6 (2.3K)$1.99 · $0.00
Braving the TruthRachel Held Evans11h 31m4.7 (359)$29 · $0.00
Richard Wagamese SelectedRichard Wagamese3h 14m4.6 (594)$15
The Old Man and the Sea (Annotated)Ernest Hemingway4h 27m4.6 (1.4K)$2 · $0.00
Twelfth Night (The Unabridged Play) + The Classic Biography (Annotated)William Shakespeare, Sidney Lee16h 38m4.6 (1.4K)$2 · $0.00
Henry V (The Play, Historical Background and Analysis of the Character in the Play)William Shakespeare, William Hazlitt8h 40m4.6 (1.3K)$1 · $0.00
Pathways to LightPrakash Amte7h 6m4.6 (1.3K)$8
These Vital SignsSayed Tabatabai3h 20m4.7 (215)$18 · $0.00
H. P. LOVECRAFT Ultimate Collection: Novellas, Short Stories, Poetry & Essays (Annotated)H. P. Lovecraft12h 28m4.6 (2.3K)$2 · $0.00
Time RegainedMarcel Proust15h 54m4.5 (10.6K)$2 · $0.00
Lessons in TruthH. Emilie3h 50m4.6 (1.4K)$4.70 · $0.00
TORAH - Bilingual Edition: English/Hebrew (Annotated)Max Margolis, JPS28h 26m4.6 (1K)$2 · $0.00
The Poetic EddaJackson Crawford6h 24m4.5 (19.8K)$17
Betty Crocker picture cooky bookBetty Crocker, Inc. General Mills2h 13m4.5 (6.5K)$1 · $0.00
The Complete Tales of Beatrix PotterBeatrix Potter3h 36m4.5 (75K)$3 · $0.00
Anne of Green GablesL. M. Montgomery11h 1m4.5 (1.2M)$2.30 · $0.00
Supreme ClienteleAshley & JaQuavis8h 58m4.7 (3.4K)$20
Body Refinement in a Beast Tamer’s World, Book 1Seth Ring14h 7m4.7 (1.3K)$27
Desperate MeasuresBrenda Jackson8h 59m4.7 (669)$28 · $0.00
Searching For ThanksgivingS.E. Smith4h 24m4.8 (395)$20
Naughty 4Brenda Hampton7h 30m4.7 (726)$17
The Dance with Me TrilogyShelley Shepard Gray21h 44m4.7 (1.2K)$35
The DopemanJaQuavis Coleman5h 25m4.7 (3.8K)$20
BAEJahquel J.5h 22m4.7 (3.1K)$20
Dark RisingJeffrey Wilson, Brian Andrews13h 47m4.7 (1.3K)$27
WhistlerAnn Patchett10h 45m4.6 (4.6K)$29 · $0.00
Grand Opening 2Carl Weber9h 16m4.7 (2.4K)$20
Sons of Valor II: Violence of ActionBrian Andrews, Jeffrey Wilson12h 34m4.6 (3.6K)$23
Malevolent MagicMildred Abbott7h 13m4.7 (1.2K)$17
Bikes, Toys, and Hot BoyzGenesis Woods, Shantaé13h 9m4.7 (722)$23
This Side of Paradise - The Original 1920 Edition (Annotated)F. Scott Fitzgerald11h 30m4.6 (1.6K)$2 · $0.00
War LordBernard Cornwell13h 21m4.6 (33.1K)$33 · $0.00
Ghetto BastardK’wan7h 37m4.6 (2.9K)$20
The Great Gatsby: Original 1925 Edition (An F. Scott Fitzgerald Classic NovelFrancis Scott Fitzgerald4h 45m4.6 (9.3K)$18 · $0.00
The Vineyard BrideKatie Winters5h 5m4.6 (1.9K)$15
Something Like LoveBeverly Jenkins10h 21m4.6 (2.7K)$29 · $0.00
You may also like
Why Gender MattersLeonard Sax MD, PhD10h 28m4.1 (4.4K)$20
ChildhoodLeo Tolstoy4h 8m3.9 (2.9K)$4.70 · $0.00
Whiteoaks of JalnaMazo de la Roche14h 46m4.1 (997)$3.50 · $0.00
Ruth HallFanny Fern8h 21m3.8 (2.2K)$21 · $0.00
The CounterfeitersAndré Gide13h 8m4.0 (12.7K)$2.40
Boys & SexPeggy Orenstein7h 28m4.3 (8.6K)$24 · $0.00
The Complete Novels of Henry James (Annotated)Henry James320h 25m4.5 (537)$2 · $0.00
Chalked Up (Updated Edition)Jennifer Sey9h 22m4.1 (2.7K)$20 · $0.00
The Later LifeLouis Couperus8h 10m3.9 (195)$2 · $0.00
Sentimental TommyJ. M. Barrie12h 17m3.8 (72)$2.30
The Heel Of AchillesE. M. Delafield6h 26m3.9 (52)$2.40
By Honour BoundBessie Marchant6h 37m4.6 (10)$2 · $0.00
Cast upon the BreakersJr. Horatio Alger6h 50m3.8 (54)$2.30
A Great Man, a FrolicArnold Bennett6h 17m3.8 (69)$6 · $0.00
What a Young Husband Ought to KnowSylvanus Stall7h 22m3.0 (45)$1.20 · $0.00
Marjorie Dean, High School JuniorJosephine Chase6h 20m3.8 (36)$2 · $0.00
Stop fighting! Should you intervene in a sibling fight?Nicole Prieur, Isabelle Gravillon2h 31m4.4 (107)$12 · $0.00
Joseph and His FriendBayard Taylor12h 13m3.6 (64)$2 · $0.00
Almost a WomanMary Wood-Allen1h 53m$2 · $0.00
CompassJames B. Stenson6h 3m4.5 (98)$14.99