Reviews

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

Only show reviews with written explanations

jelliclepop's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious reflective 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? Yes

4.0

No plot, just vibes.

readbycoco_yt's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

I've been trying to read more classics, and when researching good classics for beginners to the genre this one was very appealing to me. With themes of isolation, agoraphobia, alienation, social rejection, witchcraft, and more - it's a lot like a haunted house story but a lot more weird.

I listened to this book on audio from my library - but I think I will need to do a re-read of a physical copy with thorough analysis and annotations soon in order to fully appreciate this piece.

Check out my Pinterst Board inspired by We Have Always Lived In The Castle by Shirley Jackson HERE

Mary-Cat and her older sister Constance live in the Castle with their uncle Julian in the aftermath of a tragedy in which half of their family and household died of arsenic poisoning... The rest of the town has shunned them after hearing about the arsenic in the sugar bowl, and the girls live a largely solitary lifestyle - until their distant cousin Charles turns up. Mary-cat lives in a world where her safety is dependant on safeguarding herself with tokens buried in the yard, or books nailed to trees - but she must ramp up her mystical and anxious attempts to remain out of under Charles thumb in order to protect herself and Constance.

This book is moody and aesthetic and the writing is lyrical - its certainly and interesting experience. I did feel a build of unease while reading this - almost as if there was something sinister that I was not privy to. As I've already said, I listened to this on Audio, and I think in order to really comment on the characterisation and writing and structure it would require me to do a thorough physical analysis. However, I can confidently say that this book is neither plot nor character driven, it's much more driven by its themes and overall vibe. I think this works well for a book of this length. There were definitely times I felt unable to engage with the book properly due to confusion surrounding the plot and prior events - but that's part of the fun of this book. It's meant to be whimsical and discursive. If you allow yourself to be enveloped into this world without spending too much time trying to organise your thoughts or piece it together - you will have a good time. Ultimately, if you require a concise plot with structure and closure to the questions posed - this read probably wont be for you.

uchihas's review against another edition

Go to review page

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? It's complicated

5.0

jennygogo101's review against another edition

Go to review page

2.0

I had high hopes for this one. I expected more twists; I kept thinking “any second now there will be a huge reveal” but the story was just very flat. There were no explanations given for any aspect of the story, which made things too vague and frustrating.

I love the book cover, and the writing painted a picture, but the story was boring and failed to make a memorable impression.