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Hill House is an eighty-year-old mansion with a maze of strange rooms and a tragic history. Surrounded by hills, it's in an isolated location and is reported to be haunted. Dr Montague wants to study the house, record any supernatural activity, and write a book about the experience. He enlists the help of telepathic Theodora, Eleanor who has experience with a poltergeist, and the owner's nephew Luke.
The story centers on Eleanor, a lonely unloved woman who has spent her life caring for her invali ...more
The story centers on Eleanor, a lonely unloved woman who has spent her life caring for her invali ...more
I NEVER thought that I would say this, but: this horror classic by Jackson is better than BOTH 'The Lottery' and 'We Have Always Lived in the Castle', the other 2 major works that I previously thought were my 'favorite Shirley Jackson book'. This book totally sucked me in-repeatedly! I actually listened to the audible version a few times in the last 2 years, as various reading groups continually selected this for a monthly read. This one is WORTH IT, imo! -Jen from Quebec :0)
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Almost 5 stars. I absolutely loved it.
WHat I liked about this was Jackson's writing. She's marvelous at setting a scene and using descriptive narration to drive home mood and tone. What I didn't like about this was the plot. It just felt thin and a little contrived at times.
Marvelously told, she starts with the protagonist, filling us in with the abandonned and crowded life she leads. Then moves to the group who all seem to have it together and are better off than the protagonist. So a good psycho-analytic reading is available, whic ...more
Marvelously told, she starts with the protagonist, filling us in with the abandonned and crowded life she leads. Then moves to the group who all seem to have it together and are better off than the protagonist. So a good psycho-analytic reading is available, whic ...more
Somehow, I never read this before. Of course, I knew the story. I envisioned Catherine Zeta-Jones and Lili Taylor the entire time I read, and I have a powerful urge to re-watch 99’s The Haunting, the OG flavor, and Rose Red.
I love haunted house stuff where the house itself is the character and not something boring like the ghost of a nun or whatnot. Why is that so delicious to me? It’s also terrifying because you can deal with a ghost - it was a person and it can be freed via ghost therapy or ba ...more
I love haunted house stuff where the house itself is the character and not something boring like the ghost of a nun or whatnot. Why is that so delicious to me? It’s also terrifying because you can deal with a ghost - it was a person and it can be freed via ghost therapy or ba ...more
The author did a great job of making it known that the house - or something in it - affected any weak minds that entered. And Eleaner, with her passive-aggressive personality was the perfect victim ... or convert. She was probably the least interesting character though, and I'd love to have seen more development of Theodora, or Luke, or even the doctor's wife.
The book itself was not scary at all, but the imagery is so very vivid and atmospheric. The narrator, David Warner, did an excellent job a ...more
The book itself was not scary at all, but the imagery is so very vivid and atmospheric. The narrator, David Warner, did an excellent job a ...more
I'm not sure about the description that calls this "a perfect work of unnerving terror." I didn't find it scary at all, but thought it was more of a comedy-horror, especially after Mrs M and Arthur turned up. Still, I enjoyed it. Shirley Jackson knew how to write a good story.
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I'm a little dissapointed because I was expecting more to happen, mostly because I thought it would be similar to the Netflix series so that's on me. The writing is good and does leave in suspense a bit waiting for something to go wrong or something
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Aug 24, 2011
Connie Anne Kikta
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
2020-halloween-season-reading-chall
Sep 21, 2011
MizCreatrix NY
marked it as to-read
Jun 01, 2012
Tobey
marked it as to-read
Nov 09, 2012
Denise
marked it as to-read
Feb 01, 2015
Charlotte
marked it as to-read
Oct 05, 2017
Fantus
marked it as to-read
Mar 11, 2019
Dalton Babcock
rated it
it was amazing
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review of another edition
Shelves:
810-american-literature
Oct 26, 2019
Andrés Santiago
marked it as to-read
