zsabella's review against another edition

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

3.5


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xila17's review against another edition

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dark funny sad tense slow-paced

3.25

There is a fiiine line between incisive and peculiar stories about the mundane horror of american society and human nature and something very boring. 

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euyrdice's review against another edition

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

3.75

Everything was quiet and lovely in the sunlight, the peaceful sky, the gentle lines of the hills. Mrs. Walpole closed her eyes, suddenly feeling the harsh hands pulling her down, the sharp points closing in on her throat.

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kairhone's review against another edition

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dark mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0


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littleredd's review against another edition

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

4.5


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46jjsg's review against another edition

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

4.0

I have ranked and bolded must reads of each section. Shirley Jackson your mind!!!

Section 1 Ranking 
1. "The Daemon Lover"
2. "Like Mother Used to Make"
3. "The Intoxicated"
4. "Trail by Combat"
5. "The Villager"
6. "My Life with R.H.Macy"

Section 2 Ranking
1. "The Renegade"
2. "The Witch"
3. "Charles"
4. "After you, my dear alphonse"
5. "Flower Garden"

6. "Afternoon in Linen"
7. "Dorthy and My Grandmother and the Sailors"

Section 3 Ranking
1. "The Dummy"
2. "Come Dance with Me in Ireland"
3. "Colloquy"
4. "Seven Types of Ambiguity"
5. "Elizabeth"
6. "A Fine Old Firm"

Section 4 Ranking
1. "The Lottery"
2. "Got a Letter from Jimmy"
3. "The Tooth"
4. "Pillar of Salt"

5. "Men with Their Big Shoes"
6. "Of Course"

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jinmichae's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Horror in the mundane:

Reading this in digital was useful to check on whether names had been used in earlier stories, because there's a feeling of interconnectedness throughout the whole book. Still unsure what all the connections are though: maybe I need to think on it. Or Google it haha. (My searching points out that the song at the end is important on understanding who J Harris is, and helped me realize that his appearances throughout the books are part of the strange "horror behind your shoulder" feeling while reading. Very nicely done.)

This is what anxiety feels like. The actual horror in so many of these stories is being different, being judged by everyone around you as if you're always doing things wrong. The antagonists are traffic, crowds, aging, moving, etc: basically the existing in society we all have to do. And that's what makes it scary, because it's real.

Not every story worked for me, but reading several in a row always gave me that awkward anxious feeling of being judged and found wanting.

But I'm a bum and gave it four stars because it's hard to enjoy a book that's so bent on driving you a bit insane. It's better taken in bits, but don't wait too long in between or you might not pick it up again.

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youngluteplayer's review against another edition

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3.75

Maybe I was expecting a little bit more? Shirley Jackson stories are great not because of the details she adds to the stories, but the ones she omits. The effect is haunting and atmospheric: everything almost seems normal at first glanceā€¦

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thewellbitch's review against another edition

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

3.0

I think I would have enjoyed this more if I hadn't been led to believe they were horror. The writing is very good and many of them are unsettling/slightly creepy, but it's more social critique than anything. The narrators did an amazing job at portraying the characters.

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quabbityash's review against another edition

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

3.0


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