andipants's review against another edition
4.0
I'm honestly a pretty casual fan of Shirley Jackson's work; I've read the big three — The Lottery, The Haunting of Hill House, and We Have Always Lived in the Castle — but nothing else. I vaguely remembered something about her also writing humor, but had no idea how successful it had been, nor that she'd written multiple books for children. But the cover copy sold me on her as a fascinating individual, and I'm pleased to say this book does not disappoint on that front.
What makes Jackson interesting is not necessarily that she lived an extraordinary life, because her life was, in many ways, very ordinary — a successful writer who still had intermittent money troubles; a wife who loved her husband but often felt trapped in an increasingly unhappy marriage; a devoted mother who worried about her children; a homemaker who often didn't meet society's standards for how a house should be kept, her life in many ways exemplifies the circumscribed lives women in the mid-20th century were expected to live, while at the same time digging below the surface and showing how she embraced some of these expected roles and chafed and rebelled against others, with varying degrees of success.
Where she was extraordinary was in her sharp observation skills and the way she translated what she saw into her work. Franklin skillfully weaves together the facts of Jackson's life and the elements of her writing, providing important context and illustrating how these things interacted and influenced each other. Even for the works I haven't read, Franklin's interpretations were interesting, and for those with which I am familiar, her commentary was illuminating, without overwhelming the biographical aspects of the book.
It wasn't a perfect book; the extended introduction about Jackson's forebears felt rambling, and the author did little to illustrate how this background influenced Jackson's life or work. Some tangents, particularly about Stanley's works, felt like they should have been curtailed a bit sooner. Overall though, it was a very engaging look at the life and times of a complex and compelling woman.
What makes Jackson interesting is not necessarily that she lived an extraordinary life, because her life was, in many ways, very ordinary — a successful writer who still had intermittent money troubles; a wife who loved her husband but often felt trapped in an increasingly unhappy marriage; a devoted mother who worried about her children; a homemaker who often didn't meet society's standards for how a house should be kept, her life in many ways exemplifies the circumscribed lives women in the mid-20th century were expected to live, while at the same time digging below the surface and showing how she embraced some of these expected roles and chafed and rebelled against others, with varying degrees of success.
Where she was extraordinary was in her sharp observation skills and the way she translated what she saw into her work. Franklin skillfully weaves together the facts of Jackson's life and the elements of her writing, providing important context and illustrating how these things interacted and influenced each other. Even for the works I haven't read, Franklin's interpretations were interesting, and for those with which I am familiar, her commentary was illuminating, without overwhelming the biographical aspects of the book.
It wasn't a perfect book; the extended introduction about Jackson's forebears felt rambling, and the author did little to illustrate how this background influenced Jackson's life or work. Some tangents, particularly about Stanley's works, felt like they should have been curtailed a bit sooner. Overall though, it was a very engaging look at the life and times of a complex and compelling woman.
zekereadshorror's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.0
carlytenille's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Sexism, Car accident, and Death
minniepauline's review against another edition
Some phrases the author used bothered me, such as describing (not in the context of what someone said during Jackson’s era) people as mentally retarded, and using dismissive phrases like “as most teenagers do”.
lakecake's review against another edition
4.0
I so enjoyed this audiobook. Shirley Jackson’s life was complex and intriguing, while also being mundane, maddening and inspiring by turns. I loved learning about her, with all her human flaws, and how she created her works. The narrator of the book was perfect, adding to the atmosphere.
briannad4's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
mickeymole's review against another edition
5.0
It’s been a long time (years) since I’ve read such an exceptional, polished biography. Ruth Franklin’s book is a finely edited, smooth-flowing, easy to follow story of the author of one of my all-time favorite novels, [b:We Have Always Lived in the Castle|89724|We Have Always Lived in the Castle|Shirley Jackson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1415357189l/89724._SX50_.jpg|847007]
At just over 500 pages, it provides a quality view of Shirley Jackson’s life, paying especial attention to her development as a writer. Franklin seldom repeats herself, and offers critique and meaning on the writer’s work, interlaced with the views of Jackson’s contemporaries. The novels and short stories are illuminated, and that, to me, is what makes this biography so good.
The chronology of chapters are laid out perfectly, without the switching back and forth in time that seems to be the practice of a lot of modern biographers. We get an easy-to-read chronicle of Jackson’s life that is both thorough and concise. Each chapter is titled with a reference to its main theme, also noting the years encompassed. She goes in depth discussing the metamorphosis of each novel, and in particular Jackson’s famous short-story, [b:The Lottery|6219656|The Lottery|Shirley Jackson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348757577l/6219656._SY75_.jpg|15161007].
We also learn a great deal about the times in which Jackson lived--through McCarthy’s Red Scare, and into the Cold War. Literary criticism and the publishing industry of the era are given ample explanation as well.
Although Jackson’s husband, Stanley Hyman is discussed a bit much for my taste, he was so instrumental in Jackson’s life, for better or worse, it would be impossible to tell her story without going into that detail. If Jackson’s life was “haunted”, the goblins were Hyman and her mother, Geraldine. Those two certainly put a depressing, aggravating mojo on her. There was no pleasing her condescending mother. She belittled Jackson her entire life. Stanley had more faults than a human has a right to have, and he was also weird as hell. While Shirley was in college, Stanley carried around her pessary, and showed it to anyone who would look. ‘Nuff said.
The photos scattered throughout are a bonus, except I found a lot of them printed too small. I had to pull out a magnifying glass on a few of them to even read the captions.
If you’re a fan of Jackson’s work, you should definitely read this biography. I love her novels, and after reading this, I’m certain I would have liked Shirley herself. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that she was a big fan of baseball. For no other reason, this could have made us friends.
At just over 500 pages, it provides a quality view of Shirley Jackson’s life, paying especial attention to her development as a writer. Franklin seldom repeats herself, and offers critique and meaning on the writer’s work, interlaced with the views of Jackson’s contemporaries. The novels and short stories are illuminated, and that, to me, is what makes this biography so good.
The chronology of chapters are laid out perfectly, without the switching back and forth in time that seems to be the practice of a lot of modern biographers. We get an easy-to-read chronicle of Jackson’s life that is both thorough and concise. Each chapter is titled with a reference to its main theme, also noting the years encompassed. She goes in depth discussing the metamorphosis of each novel, and in particular Jackson’s famous short-story, [b:The Lottery|6219656|The Lottery|Shirley Jackson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348757577l/6219656._SY75_.jpg|15161007].
We also learn a great deal about the times in which Jackson lived--through McCarthy’s Red Scare, and into the Cold War. Literary criticism and the publishing industry of the era are given ample explanation as well.
Although Jackson’s husband, Stanley Hyman is discussed a bit much for my taste, he was so instrumental in Jackson’s life, for better or worse, it would be impossible to tell her story without going into that detail. If Jackson’s life was “haunted”, the goblins were Hyman and her mother, Geraldine. Those two certainly put a depressing, aggravating mojo on her. There was no pleasing her condescending mother. She belittled Jackson her entire life. Stanley had more faults than a human has a right to have, and he was also weird as hell. While Shirley was in college, Stanley carried around her pessary, and showed it to anyone who would look. ‘Nuff said.
The photos scattered throughout are a bonus, except I found a lot of them printed too small. I had to pull out a magnifying glass on a few of them to even read the captions.
If you’re a fan of Jackson’s work, you should definitely read this biography. I love her novels, and after reading this, I’m certain I would have liked Shirley herself. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that she was a big fan of baseball. For no other reason, this could have made us friends.
sarahd3's review against another edition
5.0
A great book to kick off a big reread of Jackson's work. So much I did not know about her and her fascinating life.
notoriouszoe's review against another edition
5.0
Reading about Jackson was better than reading her books. Eerie and spooky how good she was at the short story form. Also, Professor Nicholas Delbanco gets a quote in.