Aunt Fanny knows when the world will end....
Aunt Fanny has always been somewhat peculiar. No one is surprised that while the Halloran cl...
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reviews
Apr 16, 2011
Maureen
rated it: 
this is among my favourite novels. every time i read it i am just as struck by its harmonious discord as i was the first time. this story is, to me, a perversely uneven amalgam of apocalypse, drawing room comedy, and creepy, gothic haunted-house tale. i think i only like the book more for the fact that the pieces don't quite fit together, and the scene that scares me the most isn't the one i'd expect; though there are several claustrophobic and uncomfortable moments in the sundial, and i always
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May 15, 2010
Krok Zero
rated it: 
Shirley Jackson was such a kooky genius. Emphasis on genius. Also, emphasis on kooky.
I'm learning that there is a whole world of Shirleyana beyond that one story which shall remain nameless because everyone read it in high school.
The premise of this one is simple but also highly bizarre. A wealthy family, plus assorted hangers-on, waits around in a big old house for what they believe to be the imminent apocalypse. Most of the family members are pretty awful in one way or More...
I'm learning that there is a whole world of Shirleyana beyond that one story which shall remain nameless because everyone read it in high school.
The premise of this one is simple but also highly bizarre. A wealthy family, plus assorted hangers-on, waits around in a big old house for what they believe to be the imminent apocalypse. Most of the family members are pretty awful in one way or More...
Oct 11, 2011
♥ Cheshire Catt ♠
rated it:
A very strange book that deals with an eccentric, rich, dysfunctional extended "family" (consisting of blood relatives, servants, friends and guests) living in a large, rambling mansion waiting for the end of the world. And so as not to spoil the book that is really all you can say about it. If you enjoyed other Jackson works especially We Have Always Lived in the Castle - I think you will also like this one. It is an English teacher's dream laden with metaphors and symbolism. If y
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Jan 07, 2012
Brad
rated it:
Like many of her works, one of the main characters in the novel is the House wherein the action takes place. In “The Sundial” it is the Halloran mansion, a massively ornate house of perfect symmetry. The only blot on its mad balance is the sundial itself – disjointedly out of place, an eyesore, engraved with a quote from Chaucer, “What is this world…?”
The characters, all of whom are distinctly nasty and small-minded, are the world in miniature. And it is not pretty. Soon after the begin More...
The characters, all of whom are distinctly nasty and small-minded, are the world in miniature. And it is not pretty. Soon after the begin More...
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Sep 22, 2011
Stuart
rated it:
So many reasons to love this book. As usual, Jackson's prose is incredibly easy to read and her descriptions of architecture, weather, landscapes and moods of the day are acute and precise, evocative and alienating. Her collection of characters this time around is a startlingly large cast ranging from the acerbic Mrs. Halloran to the comically proper Mrs. Invernesses and the gruffly charming Captain Harry. The demonic child Fancy, sort of a cross between Pearl from THE SCARLET LETTER and Merrica
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Aug 01, 2011
Judy
rated it: 
Shirley Jackson was a writer unlike any other. The Sundial was not my favorite book of hers and yet it has all the qualities that are uniquely hers: suspense, psychological insight, humor and irony.
The Hallorans live in a manor house, outside the local village. Grandfather Halloran, a self-made millionaire, built the house and surrounded the estate completely by a wall. "The first Mr Halloran...was a man who, in the astonishment of finding himself extremely wealthy, could thi More...
Nov 11, 2011
Venessa
rated it:
Jackson's short novel about a non-biblically based impending Apocalypse, as foretold by Aunt Fanny through the spirit of her dead father.
The Sundial isn't for the novice Jackson reader; I had read in Private Demons that this book was disjointed, confusing, and with unlikeable characters, and I agree somewhat that Jackson's craft seems a little off in this work. However, there are still terrific passages of straight psychological terror that hint fantastically of what's to come soon, More...
The Sundial isn't for the novice Jackson reader; I had read in Private Demons that this book was disjointed, confusing, and with unlikeable characters, and I agree somewhat that Jackson's craft seems a little off in this work. However, there are still terrific passages of straight psychological terror that hint fantastically of what's to come soon, More...
Apr 20, 2011
Myles
rated it:
What a strange book, but then again, I expect nothing less than the unusual from Shirley Jackson.
Soon after the funeral of her nephew, the slightly dotty Aunt Fanny has a vision from her late father, warning her of the end of the world and how she and the family may survive.
I was worried after I read some reviews about the overabundance of main characters and the piecemeal narrative, but don't pay any attention to that. There may not be as powerful a central voice as Me More...
Soon after the funeral of her nephew, the slightly dotty Aunt Fanny has a vision from her late father, warning her of the end of the world and how she and the family may survive.
I was worried after I read some reviews about the overabundance of main characters and the piecemeal narrative, but don't pay any attention to that. There may not be as powerful a central voice as Me More...
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Oct 09, 2008
Deb
rated it:
I just re-read this and still enjoyed it. As in her The Haunting Of Hill House, she is subtle and often humorous in hadling her supernatural elements. In this case, we have a large country estate somewhere, dominated by a sixty-ish Mrs. Halloran, who married her now invalid husband for the money and the house. She is bright, sarcastic and enjoys weilding her power to make other people squirm. Some of the other people are: her daughter-in-law (who believes she killed her son to keep the house)
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Aug 08, 2011
Paul
rated it:
What a wonderfully weird, creepy, funny book, with such an oddball cast of characters. The plot is pretty simple: an aristocratic family believes the world is going to end on August 30th, and only people within the Halloran family homestead will survive the apocalypse and be reborn to paradise. Mrs. Halloran, the controlling, overbearing matriarch is the star of the novel. Her wit, cruelty, and vulnerability shines on every page. Can't say I've ever read a book quite like The Sundial.
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Nov 28, 2010
Alicia
rated it: 
I'd read rave reviews for Jackson' short stories, so thought I'd try this novel. It's an odd, but only slightly creepy, little book. For the first 1/4 of the book it seemed like something might actually happen...by the 1/2 way point, my hope had waned, but I wanted to see how it ended, & if perhaps she'd pull off some kind of stunning revelation. Or not. It's a spooky premise, with some eerie moments, but bottom line: it doesn't deliver on its creepy possibilities & nothing much happens. At all.
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Nov 01, 2011
wally
rated it:
started this one several months ago. bout these people, a house, a special house i take it, where they will be safe, based on the forecast of one of the characters i forget who or is it whom? copy i'm reading doesn't have a cover...picked it out at this garage library, customer of mine out on the big lake. pile of books in there...fancy, this girl in this story is interesting, as are the others, awaiting the end...will they be safe in the house and what is in the garden? a sundial?
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Jun 08, 2011
Erica
rated it:
One of those great books that suffers from bad cover art and a plot synopsis that makes it sound like it was written for children. It was extremely funny, unique, with characters that can always be described as "interesting." I wish Shirley Jackson had been able to write more.
May 05, 2011
Christine
rated it:
There was a lot I loved about this book, but it has an ending I just cannot forgive. Some really great scenes and the characters were definitely Shirley Jackson-ish, which I loved. But that ending! Grrrrrr!
Jul 01, 2007
Gabriel
rated it:
While Shirley Jackson's genius will be noted for The Haunting of Hill House and her story "The Lottery," The Sundial is of equal importance. Containing one of the best villains I have yet read (Mrs. Orianna Halloran who may or may not have killed her son) and many enchanting pieces of sniping and ironic conversations, this is truly Shirley Jackson at her best. I only wish it could have been longer.
I am willing to loan my copy out to those who would take care of it and ret More...
I am willing to loan my copy out to those who would take care of it and ret More...
Sep 29, 2010
Vicki
rated it:
Very good. All I can says is that these are really not the people you would want to be repopulating the earth. Had a hard time putting it down. Excellent.
Jun 26, 2008
Ae
rated it:
I find myself giving this book five stars rather to my own surprise. It's not her best by any means, and it can be wildly uneven, but it has a couple moments that absolutely scare the living bejeezus out of me, more than anything else she's written. Once again the action centers on a house, this one belonging to a wealthy woman who rules it and its inhabitants as her own little domain. She's convinced the world is about to end and only those inside the house will survive, to walk out into a new
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Oct 06, 2009
SheaN
rated it:
I love Shirley Jackson, but I love other books she wrote more than this one.
Mar 06, 2008
Lee Anne
rated it:
Wow! This is the best book I've read so far this year. A rich, eccentric family receives a message from their late patriarch, telling them the end of the world is at hand, and the family (plus a few extra guests, for repopulation, of course) will be the only survivors. They begin making preparations in their family house, and fight and backstab one another right up to the end. Does the world really end? A great book, now out of print. Find a copy and buy it!
May 10, 2009
Bridget
rated it:
I love Shirley Jackson so I really wanted to like this. I didn't.
I got bored and annoyed trying to remember who was who (introducing 12 characters in +/- 5 pages is not cool.)
As the book wound down, I was more invested but it never got as close as my affections for We have always lived in the Castle.
I got bored and annoyed trying to remember who was who (introducing 12 characters in +/- 5 pages is not cool.)
As the book wound down, I was more invested but it never got as close as my affections for We have always lived in the Castle.
Apr 29, 2008
John
rated it:
All the Shirley Jackson staples are there -- an old gothic house in an isolated setting, a group of neurotic characters, and vaguely supernatural overtones -- but this one never came together for me. I like the way it teetered between moments of dark humor, almost British-like in tone, and ominious, threatening intensity, but I didn't feel the escalation led anywhere. That said, there is one sequence that is absolutely stone-cold chilling to the bone.
May 23, 2008
Justin
rated it:
Her weakest work. I kept waiting and waiting for it to grab my interest but it never did. The characters are shallow and uninteresting. Try "The Haunting of Hill House" or, "We Have Always Lived in the Castle."
And of course, there's always "The Lottery" and the rest of her short stories.
And of course, there's always "The Lottery" and the rest of her short stories.
Dec 16, 2007
Kit
rated it:
this book is awesome. i usually think of great writers as having some kind of sympathetic connection to all of their characters (flaubert, m.b., c'est moi, etc) but then shirley jackson comes along showing another way to do it. oh - s. was reading shirley hazzard, transit of venus, this week - another great, great shirley.
Nov 27, 2011
Stephen King recommended author and book.
Stephen King recommended author as noted in Chapter 9 of Berkley's 1983 paperback edition of Danse Macabre.
Stephen King recommended author as noted in Chapter 9 of Berkley's 1983 paperback edition of Danse Macabre.
Jun 17, 2007
jacky
rated it:
I love Shirley Jackson, but I didn't enjoy this one at all. It wasn't scary and wasn't funny. Maybe I'm missing something on this one; Stephen King liked it and mentioned in his Firestarter dedication.
Dec 04, 2010
André
rated it:
One of my favorite books ever, and I'm sure I will continue to re-read again and again. Funny, scary and imaginatively clever.
Jul 09, 2008
Joanna
rated it:
I couldn't quite make heads or tails of this novel. But it's so bizarre I couldn't help but kind of love it.
