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El's review

The Haunting of Hill House (Penguin Classics)
by Shirley Jackson

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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/89717.The_Haunting_of_Hill_House?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=blog_review" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="The Haunting of Hill House (Penguin Classics)" border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171163490m/89717.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/89717.The_Haunting_of_Hill_House?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">The Haunting of Hill House</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13388.Shirley_Jackson">Shirley Jackson</a> 
 <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/16341876?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review"><h3>My review</h3></a>
 rating: 4 of 5 stars Eleanor Vance is a painfully shy and inexperienced woman who spent a large chunk of her time caring for her ailing mother. Afer her death she lived with her sister and her sister's family instead of using the opportunity to live on her own and experience her own life. She is wracked with guilt over her mother's death and is insecure enough to allow her sister and her brother-in-law make most decisions for her. When Eleanor receives an invitation to Hill House she is intrigued and eager to have an experience of her own.
 
 At the depressed Hill House Eleanor meets the other members of this exclusive shindig: Theodora, a seemingly polar opposite of Eleanor and thus embodies everything Eleanor wished for herself; Luke Sanderson, heir to the Hill House; and Dr. John Montague, the mysterious doctor who invited the rest to join him in his study of Hill House. Their project is to investigate the history and haunting of the house, using Eleanor's history of psychic phenomena to bring the house to life. In the process of bringing the house to life, however, the house is on its own mission to keep one for itself.
 
 Much like the classic ghost movies of the 60s and 70s in which much of the horror is in everything not seen directly on the screen, Jackson's ghost story never reveals anything immediately obvious as a ghost. The experiences shared by the four within the house are all shadows, classic knocking, resulting in more of a psychological horror than anything else. The house feeds on their fear and uses it to specifically enter Eleanor's psyche, which is already damaged by her previous life.
 
 Some of the dialogue between the characters leave much to be desired, and some repetitions were unnecessary. However, the overall creepiness of the story was enough for me to enjoy the reading 100%, even during the more obnoxious parts including the appearance of Mrs. Montague and her companion, Arthur. If the house wanted to take anyone, it should have been one or both of them.
 
 Thanks for letting me borrow your copy, Rhonda!
 <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/83144?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">View all my reviews.</a>

El's review
rating:
bookshelves: late20th-centurylit

Eleanor Vance is a painfully shy and inexperienced woman who spent a large chunk of her time caring for her ailing mother. Afer her death she lived with her sister and her sister's family instead of using the opportunity to live on her own and experience her own life. She is wracked with guilt over her mother's death and is insecure enough to allow her sister and her brother-in-law make most decisions for her. When Eleanor receives an invitation to Hill House she is intrigued and eager to have an experience of her own.

At the depressed Hill House Eleanor meets the other members of this exclusive shindig: Theodora, a seemingly polar opposite of Eleanor and thus embodies everything Eleanor wished for herself; Luke Sanderson, heir to the Hill House; and Dr. John Montague, the mysterious doctor who invited the rest to join him in his study of Hill House. Their project is to investigate the history and haunting of the house, using Eleanor's history of psychic phenomena to bring the h...more Eleanor Vance is a painfully shy and inexperienced woman who spent a large chunk of her time caring for her ailing mother. Afer her death she lived with her sister and her sister's family instead of using the opportunity to live on her own and experience her own life. She is wracked with guilt over her mother's death and is insecure enough to allow her sister and her brother-in-law make most decisions for her. When Eleanor receives an invitation to Hill House she is intrigued and eager to have an experience of her own.

At the depressed Hill House Eleanor meets the other members of this exclusive shindig: Theodora, a seemingly polar opposite of Eleanor and thus embodies everything Eleanor wished for herself; Luke Sanderson, heir to the Hill House; and Dr. John Montague, the mysterious doctor who invited the rest to join him in his study of Hill House. Their project is to investigate the history and haunting of the house, using Eleanor's history of psychic phenomena to bring the house to life. In the process of bringing the house to life, however, the house is on its own mission to keep one for itself.

Much like the classic ghost movies of the 60s and 70s in which much of the horror is in everything not seen directly on the screen, Jackson's ghost story never reveals anything immediately obvious as a ghost. The experiences shared by the four within the house are all shadows, classic knocking, resulting in more of a psychological horror than anything else. The house feeds on their fear and uses it to specifically enter Eleanor's psyche, which is already damaged by her previous life.

Some of the dialogue between the characters leave much to be desired, and some repetitions were unnecessary. However, the overall creepiness of the story was enough for me to enjoy the reading 100%, even during the more obnoxious parts including the appearance of Mrs. Montague and her companion, Arthur. If the house wanted to take anyone, it should have been one or both of them.

Thanks for letting me borrow your copy, Rhonda!...less

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message 1: by Rhonda

03/02/2008 05:07PM

You're welcome, glad you enjoyed it! :)