What Maisie Knew Resources

Peruse Maisie without paying a cent.

A home for the truly James-obsessed and their friends.

Click here to read James's own account of the origins and meanings of Maisie.

No way, you say? Henry James for the 21st century, finally? Well, yes, but don't get too excited. The adapters take a lot of liberties with James's novel. They even wrote out poor Mrs. Wix!

We love this recent think piece on the difference between novel readers' expectations in James's day and in ours. This article also includes thoughtful reflections on young adult fiction versus full-grown lit. Agree or disagree, you'll find food for thought, we promise.

We already knew Julianne Moore was a rock star, but in the Maisie movie, she plays one, too: As Maisie's mom, she's a musician who's too cool for parenting. Check out Moore talking about updating the James classic.

Check out this free recording of What Maisie Knew, unabridged and read by a talented volunteer.

And here's a recording of Maisie unabridged, this time read by a real pro. Compare this to the volunteer's reading and see which one you prefer as accompaniment for your next epically long road trip.

Check out this article for a great, super-serious photo of Henry James himself. He doesn't seem to be one for saying cheese—maybe because he knows what Maisie knew.

Here's a painting of Kensington Gardens, where Maisie and Sir Claude go for a stroll. This is also the place where they run into—gasp—Ida and her new beau, the Captain. The painting is from the year that Maisie was first published, so it gives you a feel for what Maisie's London was like. We suspect it was a little less blurry in real life, though.

James introduces Maisie's father by saying that "contemporary history had somehow had no use for him, had hurried past him and left him in perpetual Piccadilly" (Preface.7). Translation: Mr. Beale Farange spent every waking minute living it up in the part of London shown here, in an image from the year of Maisie's publication. Looks like a barrel of laughs.

Two fine ladies out for a stroll along the waterfront in Boulogne, France. Looks nice, right? No wonder this coastal town was such a breath of fresh air for James's young heroine.