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It was a bit too old-fashioned for me although it was well-written by the beloved Shirley Jackson. The characters, were eccentric and lovable. I finished it bc it is a short thriller, but I almost stopped a few times and questioned whether I should finish it. I listened to it on audio and the narrator's voice made it even more old-fashioned. If you want to create your own time period, read it instead. If you like to step away in time, you can choose either audio or book.
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AUTHOR Jackson, Shirley
TITLE We Have Always Lived in the Castle
DATE READ 05/28/20
RATING 4.5/B+
FIRST SENTENCE
GENRE/ PUB DATE/PUBLISHER / # OF Fiction/1962/audible/ 5 hr 32 min
SERIES/STAND-ALONE SA
CHALLENGE Good Reads 2020 Reading Goal 105/120;
GROUP READ GR Mys/Suspense
TIME/PLACE Early 1960's/VT
CHARACTERS Merricat and Constance Blackwood sisters
COMMENTS The Blackwood sisters along with their Uncle Julian live isolated in their home rarely leaving. Several family members met their end from ar ...more
TITLE We Have Always Lived in the Castle
DATE READ 05/28/20
RATING 4.5/B+
FIRST SENTENCE
GENRE/ PUB DATE/PUBLISHER / # OF Fiction/1962/audible/ 5 hr 32 min
SERIES/STAND-ALONE SA
CHALLENGE Good Reads 2020 Reading Goal 105/120;
GROUP READ GR Mys/Suspense
TIME/PLACE Early 1960's/VT
CHARACTERS Merricat and Constance Blackwood sisters
COMMENTS The Blackwood sisters along with their Uncle Julian live isolated in their home rarely leaving. Several family members met their end from ar ...more
Aug 26, 2018
Astrid Lim
rated it
liked it
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review of another edition
Shelves:
america,
dysfunctional-family,
literature,
twist,
thriller-mystery,
classic,
gothic,
psychology,
novella
A modern classic from one of the most distinguished American writers. This book reminds me a bit of some Agatha Christie stories, especially Crooked House. The main character and narrator, Mary Katherine (aka Mericat), is very unreliable that you really want to strangle her sometimes LOL. But couldn't help to sympathize with her as well.
The twist could be told since the earlier part of the book, but still, the way it's unfolding (very very vaguely), will shock you until the book ends- and stays ...more
The twist could be told since the earlier part of the book, but still, the way it's unfolding (very very vaguely), will shock you until the book ends- and stays ...more
Intriguing story where the truth of what had happened in the past is slowly seeped out.
So I kept forgetting that Merricat is 18. She talks, acts, and is treated like she's way younger, especially with the superstitious actions to protect the house. Because she's an unreliable narrator, I kept thinking that there's something I'm not reading between the lines. Nope. It's fairly straightforward. Once I accepted that it's a classic so there won't be jumpscares, I settled down and enjoyed the characters.
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Nov 12, 2013
Enthu_Kidlets
marked it as to-read
Jan 09, 2015
Scott Flicker
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Dec 28, 2015
Oana
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Jan 14, 2016
Julie
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Jan 31, 2018
Elizabeth Weltin
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Jun 18, 2018
Annika
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Oct 12, 2018
Lisa Rosen
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Apr 25, 2020
Jen
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Dec 10, 2020
Monica W.
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Oct 02, 2021
Jillian
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Nov 17, 2021
Sivan
marked it as to-read-non-classics
Jul 22, 2023
Phoebe
marked it as to-read
