Reviews

Paranoia by Shirley Jackson

yew676's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

tonyk's review against another edition

dark informative mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

2.0

rebleejen's review against another edition

funny reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

acanthae's review against another edition

funny inspiring reflective fast-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

5.0

Whenever I feel disenchanted about not finding horror novels I really love, I should just return to Jackson again. Good stories, humorous essays, clever writings on writing.

gph's review against another edition

5.0

Yep 5 stars !!!! i am simultaneously haunted and delighted.

mpatshi's review against another edition

I have enjoyed almost every one of these short stories.
The ones about her family had me laughing but my favourites were the darker mysterious ones.

mkeesler's review

dark mysterious tense fast-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

5.0

servemethesky's review against another edition

5.0

This was an excellent collection of Shirley Jackson's writings, including many unpublished or previously uncollected stories. One of my absolute favorites was "Mrs. Spencer and the Oberons," which was just delightful. Her characters are so strong, the subtle twists at the end leave you cringing or wondering. I was also surprised (and disgruntled) to find how many of her early stories still felt quite relevant. Like the one about the two women totally fascinated by a grisly murder (sounds like modern women listening to true crime podcasts) or the one about an older man annoying two young girls in a bar by offering relentless unsolicited advice.

Some parts dragged a little, but overall this felt like a wonderful way to spend more time with Shirley. She was so funny! And her observations are so astute. The family and home stories were fun to read too, and her personality and humor shine through. The essays on writing were great too, especially "Garlic in Fiction," of course.

I can only imagine what it was like for her kids to work on this collection together. It must have been such an intense and moving and strange process.

shahrazedez's review

mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

hannahb12's review

lighthearted medium-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

3.0