From the Bookshelf of Drop Everything And Read…

We Have Always Lived in the Castle

Shirley Jackson

Start date: October 1, 2019

Finish date: October 31, 2019

Why we're reading this: It won the BOTM poll.
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What Members Thought

Aug 03, 2017 Paula Cappa rated it it was amazing

As a reader, this story is absolutely haunting. The narrator Merricat is as endearing as she is sinister and that combination is compelling. As a writer, I can appreciate the skill of this little horror story and the profound characterizations of Merricat and her sister Constance. One sister is bold, the other shy; both are a little off. Very interesting and the storytelling is the best! Jackson weaves her words delicately but with such power--I'm tempted to read it twice just to savor the perfe ...more

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Feb 05, 2023 Alex rated it really liked it

The book is set in a mysterious castle and is told from the perspective of the main character, Mary Katherine Blackwood, who is also known as Merricat. Merricat is a strange and eerie young woman who lives with her sister Constance, her uncle Julian and Jonas the cat.

The gothic style of the book is perfect and gives the reader chills with its dark and mysterious atmosphere. The characters in the book are essential in setting the tone, as each one is unique and brings something special to the sto ...more

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Oct 17, 2017 Celeste rated it it was ok

Shelves: ehhh-it-was-ok, too-much-pointless-information, not-particularly-scary, un-relatable-characters, draggy, needed-a-better-ending, mystery, made-me-sad, classics, just-not-for-me

I realize this is a classic and Shirley Jackson is beloved by alot of people. Unfortunately I am not one of those people.

We have always lived in the Castle is an alright enough read in which very little happens in the present. I was expecting scary, creepy, thrilling, murder, death. But this is a story about two sisters, one of whom is the narrator, Merrycat, and is supposedly 18, though she comes across much younger. Also delusional and/or high as a kite. Her older sister suffers from agorapho ...more

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