novelesque_life's review against another edition
4.0
RATING: 4 STARS
(Review Not on Blog)
A great collection of short tales from the brilliant creepy mind of Shirley Jackson. This was one collection of short stories I read every single story, and enjoyed 95% of them. This one is perfect to read when you don't have a lot of time.
(Review Not on Blog)
A great collection of short tales from the brilliant creepy mind of Shirley Jackson. This was one collection of short stories I read every single story, and enjoyed 95% of them. This one is perfect to read when you don't have a lot of time.
decorrookie's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
nightmarekitty13's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
sadieraereads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
artemislyalex's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
sauce_interstellaire's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
libertyclaydon's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.75
gorecki's review against another edition
4.0
Shirley Jackson is one of those authors that I keep returning to, even though in my experience with her so far I've read just as many okay books as great ones. There is something in her language, in her mystery, in the things she holds back in her writing that makes me want to visit her for another dose of creepiness and fright. Just like a kid at Halloween, I'm happy to get thoroughly scared as long as I get a candy in the end, which in this case is the satisfaction you get from finishing another good story.
And my, did Dark Tales deliver! This is a delightfully frightening and creepily exciting collection of stories holding everything from homicidal thoughts in a caring family, through serial killers, haunted houses and strange men in the woods to paranoid men and town gossips: all things that make it the ticklishly scary book it is. My experience with Shirley Jackson quite often is that there is too much left untold or that the endings come too suddenly and without much closure, which often leaves me hanging and wondering what actually happened, but this wasn't the case with Dark Tales. Each story opens up and closes its own eerie world with just the right amount of suspense and mystery, and each ending falls into place like a large crystal ashtray.
And my, did Dark Tales deliver! This is a delightfully frightening and creepily exciting collection of stories holding everything from homicidal thoughts in a caring family, through serial killers, haunted houses and strange men in the woods to paranoid men and town gossips: all things that make it the ticklishly scary book it is. My experience with Shirley Jackson quite often is that there is too much left untold or that the endings come too suddenly and without much closure, which often leaves me hanging and wondering what actually happened, but this wasn't the case with Dark Tales. Each story opens up and closes its own eerie world with just the right amount of suspense and mystery, and each ending falls into place like a large crystal ashtray.