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henrygravesprince's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The writing is stellar and the story is unnerving, very good at creating an atmosphere of dread. I saw myself in Nell and the ending feels abrupt but impactful—it’s very fascinating how nuanced and accurate suicide is portrayed in this book considering the cultural climate around mental health in the 1950s.
It’s always interesting to see the literary DNA of a genre through its classics. In particular, I think it’s fascinating to look at the characters as early iterations of different horror archetypes in this book; for example, Mr. Dudley stuck out to me as a prototype of the “Crazy Ralph” character.
It’s always interesting to see the literary DNA of a genre through its classics. In particular, I think it’s fascinating to look at the characters as early iterations of different horror archetypes in this book; for example, Mr. Dudley stuck out to me as a prototype of the “Crazy Ralph” character.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Car accident, and Mental illness
Moderate: Death, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Abandonment, and Gaslighting
Unrealityeerie_iri's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Alcohol, Blood, and Suicide
Moderate: Car accident
Minor: Confinement
kingcrookback's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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
Peace, Eleanor thought concretely; what I want in all this world is peace, a quiet spot to lie and think, a quiet spot up among the flowers where I can dream and tell myself sweet stories.
About 70% into this book, I suddenly had the thought, "It feels like this book is reading me"--which I realize is melodramatic, but it's the most precise way I can phrase the way Shirley Jackson constructs Eleanor's train of thought and the description of the happenings in Hill House. The descriptions are vague, which to me amplifies the atmosphere of dread and pressing anxiety because Jackson leaves quite a bit to one's imagination. The reader is complicit in the hauntings; it's a back-and-forth engagement between audience and text. (I actually had some very strange dreams while I was reading this book, tried to finish it as fast as I could partially because of this.) I kept thinking of this book in film terms, for some reason--"zoomed out," "just offscreen," "soft focus," etc. It might be because while it isn't told in excruciating detail, I still found Jackson's writing to be very evocative in the sense that it's impressionistic. We feel Eleanor's loneliness not merely in the sense that she longs to belong to something but largely through her habit of concocting narratives to try to fit herself into--and the failure of these narratives to come to fruition.
As far as the type of horror goes, I think it's apt to say YMMV. I don't think it'll do what people looking for a "haunted house" story might want it to do. If what you're looking for is something more creeping, psychological, and character-focused, I think this might satisfy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Mental illness
Moderate: Death of parent, Death, Blood, and Car accident
Minor: Alcohol
joensign's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Suicide
Moderate: Death and Blood
Minor: Death of parent
myloveshine's review
dark
tense
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Suicide
venusianbabie's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
bayrayj's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
This book was so so fun. I picked it up not expecting to blow through it in a matter of days, but once I got into the action of the story I literally could not stop myself from finishing it. The characters are sweet and imperfect and often feel very vulnerable in the context of Hill House. The description of the house and surrounding area became my favorite part. Mike Flanagan said when adapting the book that Hill House itself is a character and I felt that in the original story. The ending felt a little bit quick but otherwise a pretty epic book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Death
madelinequinnee's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
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? It's complicated
3.5
I picked this up because i’m a huge fan of the Mike Flanagan TV adaptation, but i knew this wasn’t really going to be much like the show. I did enjoy noticing little things that were included in the show, such as the cup of stars, the Grattan poem and the quotes that were used throughout.
I did find this slightly boring but i think that’s more because i’m not a huge fan of classics. The writing, however, was beautiful.
I did find this slightly boring but i think that’s more because i’m not a huge fan of classics. The writing, however, was beautiful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Alcohol, Child death, Death, Suicide, and Car accident
lizdaniii's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Suicide and Car accident
Minor: Death of parent and Death
dev921's review
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Death, Car accident, Death of parent, Suicide, and Medical content