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We Have Always Lived in the Castle
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We have Always Lived in the ... > We have Always Lived in the Castle - In Progress (No Spoilers)

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Adelaide Blair | 1315 comments Mod
This topic is for those who wish to discuss the book in progress. No spoilers please.


Sarah (sarahmott) | 465 comments Still waiting for my copy from the library...might be a little while.


Adelaide Blair | 1315 comments Mod
Me too!


Andy Davidson (theandydavidson) Just happen to be reading this one now. My wife and I named our two white stray kittens after Merricat and Constance. They'd been searching for names; Shirley Jackson had them. :)


Adelaide Blair | 1315 comments Mod
Andy wrote: "Just happen to be reading this one now. My wife and I named our two white stray kittens after Merricat and Constance. They'd been searching for names; Shirley Jackson had them. :)"

Those are great cat names!


Sarah (sarahmott) | 465 comments I think I would name my cat "Stevens" or "Grimalkin" if it is a Grimalkin...


Cheryl | 1170 comments Andy wrote: "Just happen to be reading this one now. My wife and I named our two white stray kittens after Merricat and Constance. They'd been searching for names; Shirley Jackson had them. :)"

Andy,
It's great to have you (and your cats) join in the discussion! I have the book on hold from my library, and will join in as soon as the book arrives.


Andy Davidson (theandydavidson) Sure thing! I'll keep mum till then. In the meantime, I'll just say that I do love this novel.


Cheryl | 1170 comments My book came in last night. I'm not very far in it, but so far it's quite unsettling to be inside Merricat Blackwood's head.


message 10: by Andy (new) - rated it 5 stars

Andy Davidson (theandydavidson) Cheryl wrote: "My book came in last night. I'm not very far in it, but so far it's quite unsettling to be inside Merricat Blackwood's head."

It is.


Cheryl | 1170 comments The tea party with Helen Clarke and Mrs. Wright was humorous, in a macabre sort of way. Uncle Julian was really enjoying himself, telling them the story of that fateful dinner.


message 12: by Andy (new) - rated it 5 stars

Andy Davidson (theandydavidson) Cheryl wrote: "The tea party with Helen Clarke and Mrs. Wright was humorous, in a macabre sort of way. Uncle Julian was really enjoying himself, telling them the story of that fateful dinner."

The book has a wonderful slow-boil until...it doesn't.


Cheryl | 1170 comments The pace picks up after the half-way mark. I finished the book. No spoilers, but I felt like I was "on the moon" with Merricat at the end. A well-written book, but not exactly an enjoyable read.


Cheryl | 1170 comments You know, the Blackwood family reminds me a bit of the Addams Family.

"They're creepy and they're kooky, mysterious and spooky. They're altogether ooky - the Blackwood family."


message 15: by Andy (new) - rated it 5 stars

Andy Davidson (theandydavidson) Cheryl wrote: "The pace picks up after the half-way mark. I finished the book. No spoilers, but I felt like I was "on the moon" with Merricat at the end. A well-written book, but not exactly an enjoyable read."

Have you ever seen The Beales of Grey Gardens? I couldn't help thinking of this throughout the second half of the book. An eccentric pair of women living alone in their decrepit mansion...

Jackson creates a wonderful Gothic narrative. There's a great Joyce Carol Oates review of the book here: The Witchcraft of Shirley Jackson.

Really amazing.


Cheryl | 1170 comments Andy wrote: " Have you ever seen The Beales of Grey Gardens? I couldn't help thinking of this throughout the second half of the book. An eccentric pair of women living alone in their decrepit mansion..."

Yes, I do know about this. I, too, was thinking of Grey Gardens in the second half of the book, after "the incident".


Cheryl | 1170 comments Andy had mentioned Grey Gardens in a previous post. For those who get the TCM channel, the original 1976 documentary Grey Gardens will be showing on TCM on May 15 at 8:00 PM (EST). I haven't seen it in years, so I will be watching it.

Also on TCM, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? will be shown on May 22 at 8:00 PM (EST). After that, a number of "older actress horror exploitation" films will be shown that evening (i.e. Staight Jacket).


Adelaide Blair | 1315 comments Mod
Cheryl wrote: "Andy had mentioned Grey Gardens in a previous post. For those who get the TCM channel, the original 1976 documentary Grey Gardens will be showing on TCM on May 15 at 8:00 PM (EST). I haven't seen i..."

So I cancelled cable years ago, but for some reason TCM still comes in. I don't generally have good luck, but this time the universe smiled on me.


message 19: by Andy (new) - rated it 5 stars

Andy Davidson (theandydavidson) Cheryl wrote: "Andy had mentioned Grey Gardens in a previous post. For those who get the TCM channel, the original 1976 documentary Grey Gardens will be showing on TCM on May 15 at 8:00 PM (EST). I haven't seen i..."

I think there was a movie made with Jessica Lange a few years back? Didn't see it, but the documentary is amazing.


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