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liketheday's review
4.0
If you had told me before I started this new collection of her work that the pieces I would enjoy most would be the ones about her everyday life as a parent and housewife, I would have thought you'd had the wrong Shirley Jackson.
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peelspls's review
4.0
For a fuller and more detailed review of each of the works listed in this book, I point you to Althea Ann's review.
I'd never read this author's work before but over the course of 425 pages came to know the author deeply as both a mother figure, a friend and a woman who watched the world carefully and was able to put a lot of it into her stories. The short stories in the book in the first section are an odd little collection with really no way to expect what's coming around the corner. I particularly appreciated how she didn't necessarily bring each story a conclusion with a punchline.
Her humor section was a whole world apart, in terms of story-telling style and content. It certainly didn't feel like there was an ominous shadow over all of the characters, and her humor was incredibly relatable in the sense of general frustration that we have all experienced in some form or other, as parents, as caretakers and as users of favorite tools.
I'd never read this author's work before but over the course of 425 pages came to know the author deeply as both a mother figure, a friend and a woman who watched the world carefully and was able to put a lot of it into her stories. The short stories in the book in the first section are an odd little collection with really no way to expect what's coming around the corner. I particularly appreciated how she didn't necessarily bring each story a conclusion with a punchline.
Her humor section was a whole world apart, in terms of story-telling style and content. It certainly didn't feel like there was an ominous shadow over all of the characters, and her humor was incredibly relatable in the sense of general frustration that we have all experienced in some form or other, as parents, as caretakers and as users of favorite tools.
marypickfords's review
5.0
"since ninety percent of my life went on in my head anyway, I cannot see any point in remembering odd concrete items"
her nonfiction writing is so delightful to read. all of it is really, but i love nf a little too much and it was nice to finally get some of that here. her voice is so clear through everything she wrote, though. it's witty, atmospheric, sometimes (well, to me quite often) anxiety enducing, always sure and well thought out. 'mrs spencer and the oberons' is one of my favorites of this collection as it has all of those qualities i just mentioned, yet there are many many other stories of hers just like it (as in, just as good). having now read what i believe is everything she published i'm even more in awe of her talent. publishers here need to hurry up bc i need to own all of her books. wild that for several decades essentially only hill house was translated here! but i'm glad that i can read her work as she wrote it.
paranoia / mrs. spencer and the oberons / it isn't the money i mind / the new maid / let me tell you / family treasures / the lie / showdown / the man in the woods / private showing / good old house / the ghosts of loiret / the real me / about the end of the world / memory and delusion / how i write.
her nonfiction writing is so delightful to read. all of it is really, but i love nf a little too much and it was nice to finally get some of that here. her voice is so clear through everything she wrote, though. it's witty, atmospheric, sometimes (well, to me quite often) anxiety enducing, always sure and well thought out. 'mrs spencer and the oberons' is one of my favorites of this collection as it has all of those qualities i just mentioned, yet there are many many other stories of hers just like it (as in, just as good). having now read what i believe is everything she published i'm even more in awe of her talent. publishers here need to hurry up bc i need to own all of her books. wild that for several decades essentially only hill house was translated here! but i'm glad that i can read her work as she wrote it.
paranoia / mrs. spencer and the oberons / it isn't the money i mind / the new maid / let me tell you / family treasures / the lie / showdown / the man in the woods / private showing / good old house / the ghosts of loiret / the real me / about the end of the world / memory and delusion / how i write.
tasharobinson's review
4.0
I'm usually pretty dubious about anthologies, let alone anthologies of "never before collected work" appearing decades after the author's death, let alone "new collection" anthologies that cover this much ground, in terms of short stories, essays, lectures, and incomplete work. But I was repeatedly surprised by this book, which has some really terrific stuff in it — especially "The Man In The Woods," which could be a Neil Gaiman short story, and the quirky little essays about writing, which provide some insight into where "The Lottery" and The Haunting Of Hill House came from. Jackson is a very idiosyncratic and specific author, but she creates character beautifully through action rather than description, and the brevity of some of these stories really illustrates what she does that's unique and specific. There's one incomplete story in this book that I really wish she'd written more of, because the characters are so daring, hilarious, and awful, but for the most part, these are complete works, complete thoughts, and completely enjoyable.
chiareads's review against another edition
4.0
Immaginate di essere uno dei figli di Shirley Jackson e di trovare, in una qualunque giornata degli anni 90, una scatola misteriosa e senza mittente colma di scritti inediti di vostra madre.
E’ nato così “Paranoia”, uno sguardo intimo sulla scrittrice definita “Regina della letteratura horror”. Diviso in sezioni, questo libro è costituito da una raccolta di racconti, schizzi, saggi e testimonianze pubblicate soltanto anni dopo la morte della Jackson, grazie ad un intenso lavoro di ricerca da parte degli eredi.
Tra le pagine, al di là dei racconti in cui la paranoia s’insinua nella mente umana, si possono cogliere interessanti scorci di vita della stessa autrice. Shirley si apre, mostrandoci con ironia la sua quotidianità: parla dei suoi bambini, dei momenti di scrittura alternati alle faccende domestiche, ai compiti e ai capricci. Si tratta sicuramente dell’aspetto più interessante del romanzo, in cui sono spiegate anche alcune idee che hanno portato alla scrittura de “L’incubo di Hill House” e “Abbiamo sempre vissuto nel castello.”
Non sono ancora riuscita ad apprezzare i libri di Shirley Jackson fino infondo. Mi sembra sempre che manchi qualcosa; molto probabilmente perché dalla maestra di Stephen King ci si aspettano sempre immagini terrificanti, da non chiudere occhio la notte. Leggendo “Paranoia” invece sono riuscita ad avvicinarmi di più al suo punto di vista.
“Mentre rifaccio i letti e lavo i piatti e vado in paese a cercare le scarpette da ballo, mi racconto delle storie. Storie su qualunque cosa. Semplici storie. Dopotutto, chi può concentrarsi sui propri gesti mentre passa l’aspirapolvere? Io mi racconto delle storie. Ne ho una fantastica sul cesto della biancheria che ora non posso raccontare, e poi storie sui calzini mancanti, sugli elettrodomestici della cucina, sui cestini della carta straccia, sui cespugli lungo la strada che porta a scuola, praticamente su ogni cosa. Mi mantengono attiva, le mie storie. Forse quella sul cesto della biancheria non la scriverò mai – anzi, sono quasi certa che non la scriverò –, ma finché so che lì c’è una storia posso andare avanti a separare i bianchi da quelli colorati.”
E’ nato così “Paranoia”, uno sguardo intimo sulla scrittrice definita “Regina della letteratura horror”. Diviso in sezioni, questo libro è costituito da una raccolta di racconti, schizzi, saggi e testimonianze pubblicate soltanto anni dopo la morte della Jackson, grazie ad un intenso lavoro di ricerca da parte degli eredi.
Tra le pagine, al di là dei racconti in cui la paranoia s’insinua nella mente umana, si possono cogliere interessanti scorci di vita della stessa autrice. Shirley si apre, mostrandoci con ironia la sua quotidianità: parla dei suoi bambini, dei momenti di scrittura alternati alle faccende domestiche, ai compiti e ai capricci. Si tratta sicuramente dell’aspetto più interessante del romanzo, in cui sono spiegate anche alcune idee che hanno portato alla scrittura de “L’incubo di Hill House” e “Abbiamo sempre vissuto nel castello.”
Non sono ancora riuscita ad apprezzare i libri di Shirley Jackson fino infondo. Mi sembra sempre che manchi qualcosa; molto probabilmente perché dalla maestra di Stephen King ci si aspettano sempre immagini terrificanti, da non chiudere occhio la notte. Leggendo “Paranoia” invece sono riuscita ad avvicinarmi di più al suo punto di vista.
“Mentre rifaccio i letti e lavo i piatti e vado in paese a cercare le scarpette da ballo, mi racconto delle storie. Storie su qualunque cosa. Semplici storie. Dopotutto, chi può concentrarsi sui propri gesti mentre passa l’aspirapolvere? Io mi racconto delle storie. Ne ho una fantastica sul cesto della biancheria che ora non posso raccontare, e poi storie sui calzini mancanti, sugli elettrodomestici della cucina, sui cestini della carta straccia, sui cespugli lungo la strada che porta a scuola, praticamente su ogni cosa. Mi mantengono attiva, le mie storie. Forse quella sul cesto della biancheria non la scriverò mai – anzi, sono quasi certa che non la scriverò –, ma finché so che lì c’è una storia posso andare avanti a separare i bianchi da quelli colorati.”
itsjustjane's review
2.0
Here I am, Washing Dishes Again was my favorite story and the only one that really stood out to me. There were others that were interesting and took turns I didn't expect, but the dull ones eclipsed those and getting through this was a chore, overall.
k80uva's review
5.0
Loved this! I really liked the way this particular collection balanced short stories with early works, essays, and also included her lighter writing about family.