Publisher's Synopsis
What Maisie Knew is a novel by Henry James, first published in 1897. The story follows the life of Maisie Farange, a young girl whose parents are divorced and constantly at odds with each other. Maisie is shuttled back and forth between her neglectful and self-absorbed parents, who use her as a pawn in their bitter custody battle. As Maisie grows up, she becomes increasingly aware of the dysfunction and cruelty of the adults in her life, but she remains resilient and determined to forge her own path. The novel is a powerful critique of the Victorian era's rigid social norms and the ways in which they could harm children. James's prose is dense and intricate, filled with psychological insights and subtle observations about human behavior. What Maisie Knew is a classic of modernist literature and a timeless meditation on the nature of childhood, family, and love.There was visibly, however, an influence that made Ida consider; she glanced at the gentleman she had left, who, having strolled with his hands in his pockets to some distance, stood there with unembarrassed vagueness. She directed to him the face that was like an illuminated garden, turnstile and all, for the frequentation of which he had his season-ticket; then she looked again at Sir Claude. ""I've given her up to her father to KEEP-- not to get rid of by sending about the town either with you or with any one else.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.
