Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

15 reviews

itskenzcarter's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Ugggh. This book. What a whirlwind. It’s so different from the show. Both equally great, but the book just has something about it that I can’t quite describe. The writing was brilliant. Shirley Jackson is a fantastic author and knows how to paint a picture. But, because the book was so different from the show, it was hard to see where it was going. I couldn’t put it down and had to finish as soon as I started. This book focuses, primarily, on Nellie, more so than the actual haunting itself. However, it worked. It had a lower level of spookiness, but the parts that were spooky were so descriptive and vivid. It definitely makes your heart race at parts. I do think the book finished a little quicker than it could have. There could have been additional paranormal focuses. Other than that, I have no real negative thoughts about it. I highly recommend this book to anyone that wants something horror related. It dances on the psychological horror side of things. Now, if you are wanting to read this because of the show, please note, it’s vastly different. This book is amazing, and I think it should be on every horror fans shelf.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

juleseliasw's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

vaguely_pink's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Big thanks to my newest literary heroine Shirley Jackson for yassifying the ghost story. You truly were ahead of your time.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

lunarpancakes's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I went into this one knowing I was going to enjoy it. I had watched the Netflix series beforehand and was curious as to how Mike Flanagan lifted the material from the original text -- even though I knew this came first, I had a small inkling I was going to have enjoyed the Netflix series more. Not the case -- because they feel immensely different. In "Monster She Wrote," the author talks about how the Netflix series is an adaptation from the bare bones of The Haunting of Hill House -- and I agree. 

Something that I found out after I read it was that
It may very well be an allegory for familial abuse -- namely, the relationship between Shirley Jackson and her toxic mother. The house bears down on Eleanor and whittles at her until she collapses under the pressure of it. The house -- though physically cozy -- psychologically preys on Eleanor's trauma. 

Another interesting interpretation that I actually had myself while reading was that Eleanor was doing all of this to herself. Not intentionally, obviously, but that Eleanor was actually the cause of the shower of stones on her childhood home. The idea that, when Eleanor faces some kind of emotional intensity or trauma or the like, she psychically manifests things i.e. the blood on Theodora's door and all over her dresses.


This book is such a slow burn with rich language that makes you savor every bite. Every character was fully realized, spoke with charming and realistic dialogue, and at the same time, would disappoint you in ways that real humans let you down. A fully engrossing read that left me just. sitting there. After I finished. Bravo. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

filipa_maia's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

So... I was expecting a little bit more from this book. Being my favorite genre and so acclaimed (this book was the inspiration for the Netflix series) I was expecting pure, dark horror.

Don't get me wrong, the book is good: a haunted house and a bunch of people living in it is the perfect plot to a great book. We get all the classics: knocks on the doors, footsteps when nobody is around, people acting in a very weird way. But that was not enough. The dialogs are long, superficial and, sometimes, very confusing - almost as if it was written to be a script and not a actual book. The characters are annoying and you never, truly, understand if that's how they really are or if that's part of the house's influence. Maybe that's the intention, after all. But we will never find out.

For me, there is a lot of talking and not enough action. I hear very nice thing about the series so I'm going to give it a try. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

chezler24's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

A nice book to end the year. This gothic horror novel is perfect for those who enjoy subtle terror and a hint of fear. The premise concerns four main characters (Dr. Montague, Elanor, Theodora, and Luke) who were assembled at Hill House hoping to find scientific proof of the supernatural. During their stay at the peculiar house, various disturbances begin to occur and we can see Elanor slowly losing touch with what is real and what is not. It's never directly stated but the hints that slowly build into the crescendo of the final pages depicting Elanor's final actions show that something has gone very wrong with this experiment. I also was pleasantly surprised by the subtle lesbian energy between Theodora and Elanor. Completely was not expecting that going into this book. Lastly, I absolutely detested Mrs. Montague as a character. Some of her spirit writings did contribute to the subtle phenomenon directed towards Elanor but her personality is incredibly grating. Her character aside I definitely would recommend reading this around Halloween. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

bookish_bry's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I am very impressed by the writing of The Haunting of Hill House. Jackson does and artful job at making the novel itself reflect the setting of Hill House. The text is beautiful, but there is a darkness to it too. I also love an
unreliable narrator which we get beautifully in Eleanor. It's fascinating to watch her sense of reality denigrate more and more every chapter.
I like how the characters all interact with each other and the whimsical nature to some parts. It was a very enjoyable read.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

I think perhaps it was intentional, but this book was so disjointed that I had a hard time enjoying it. There were bits and pieces that I found enjoyable but overall it was confusing and strange. I think the possession of one of the characters affected their interactions with the others but I can’t be sure because it’s never clearly stated. If I hadn’t seen the show first, I think my expectations would’ve been different or less and I may have enjoyed this more. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

bexi's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I'd probably rate this higher after a re-read. It was very atmospheric, which I enjoyed. However, I found it hard to follow at times. I believe that was intentional, and a smart choice on Jackson's part considering the direction she took the story in.
 
It wasn't very scary, more creepy and unsettling. Which is what I was hoping for because I am a soft, anxious marshmallow and need to be careful about the content I consume. If you're not a fan of gore/murder/body horror in spooky books I think this is a good option, but do check out the content warnings.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

teaganme's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings