From the Bookshelf of Never too Late to Read Classics…

The Haunting of Hill House

Shirley Jackson,

Laura Miller (Introduction)

Start date: May 1, 2025

Finish date: May 31, 2025

Discussion: The Horror of it All

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Showing 2 of 7 topics — 177 comments total

The Horror of it All

* 2026 Horror Reading Schedule
By Book Nerd , Purple Book Horse · 4 posts · 30 views

last updated Nov 13, 2025 04:43PM

* 2025 Horror Reading Schedule
By Book Nerd , Purple Book Horse · 4 posts · 122 views

last updated Aug 21, 2025 07:16AM

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What Members Thought

May 09, 2025 GONZA rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: posseduto, goodreadsgroups

I was more scared to read it than I was while reading it. As far as this author is concerned I have read better things and as far as haunted houses go, as well. Pretty much the scariest thing was the cover of the book.

Ero piú spaventata all'idea di leggerlo di quanto sia stata mentre lo leggevo. Per quanto riguarda questa autrice ho letto cose migliori e per quanto riguarda le case infestate, pure. Praticamente la cosa piú paurosa era la copertina del libri. ...more

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May 12, 2019 Annette rated it really liked it

Shelves: everyone-read-but-me-grp, catching-up-on-classics-read, classics-read, books-by-women, gbbw-read, 2019

I haven’t been much of a horror fan since my teenage years so I wasn’t sure how this would go. This was also my first Shirley Jackson book and that added to the unknown. The characters and the setting were so vividly drawn; it made me feel as though I was another character experiencing the story. I wouldn’t say I “enjoyed” the book but it was certainly a great read.

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Jun 28, 2019 Lynn rated it it was amazing

I read this book in high school and thought it was OK. I picked it up again just recently, having read a wide variety of horror in the ensuing 30+ years, and I can't believe I didn't think more highly of it back then. (Of course, who has time for something like this when you're saving up your babysitting money to buy the next installment in the Sweet Valley High series?)

This has to be one of the best ghost stories I've ever read. The horror here is entirely psychological. It's very subtle, build ...more

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Oct 22, 2023 Fernanda rated it really liked it

"It was an act of moral strength to lift her foot and set it in the bottom step, and she thought that her deep unwillingness to touch Hill House for the first time came directly from the vivid feeling that it was waiting for her, evil, but patient."

This story is so confusing, mysterious, and funny. I couldn't put it down!

Shirley has her own way of constructing the characters, giving Hill House its eerie atmosphere & taking us down a rabbit hole... We're not sure if things are imagined, real, or ...more

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Aug 20, 2016 Peter rated it it was ok

Shelves: disappointing, classics, read-2017, horror, reviewed-sort-of

"Journeys end in lovers meeting" we get to hear a dozen times, well, the journey of me and Shirley ends here.
Everyone keeps fawning over her prose. Sure, her descriptions are intriguing.
But her characters? Oh, dear god! The only book I can think of that had more dull characters is her first book I read We Have Always Lived in the Castle.

Seeing as I don't want to get bored to death I won't be reading any more of Shirley Jackson.
...more

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