What Maisie Knew

First published serially in 1897, Henry James’s novel “What Maisie Knew” is the story of Beale and Ida Farange and their young daughter, Maisie. When Maisie is very young, Beale and Ida divorce and the court orders that the custody of Maisie be split between the two. Spending six months with each, Maisie finds herself in an unstable position as her immoral and frivolous parents use Maisie to intensify their animosity for each other. The novel follows Maisie from her earliest years through her adolescence and early adulthood. Throughout this time, there are no adults who are willing to truly take responsibility for Maisie and she is often forgotten in their romantic dramas and childish feuds. However, Maisie matures into a thoughtful and intelligent young lady, despite the instability of her upbringing. James’s novel was a harsh indictment of an English society that he felt was becoming morally corrupt and decadent, with children paying the price for the lack of adult responsibility. A critical success and one of James’s most appreciated novels, “What Maisie Knew” is the tragic tale of the consequences of a child caught between two unloving and irresponsible parents. This edition includes a biographical afterword.