First published in 1959, Shirley Jackson’s has been hailed as a perfect work of unnerving terror. It is the story of four seekers who arrive at a notoriously unfriendly pile called Hill House: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of a “haunting”; Theodora, his lighthearted assistant; Eleanor, a friendless, fragile young woman well acquainted with poltergeists; and Luke, the … the future heir of Hill House. At first, their stay seems destined to be merely a spooky encounter with inexplicable phenomena. But Hill House is gathering its powers—and soon it will choose one of them to make its own.
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This is a classic for a reason. Jackson at her best. Atmospheric and haunting, the tension build and builds. Is it really happening? Is it all in Eleanor’s mind? There’s a reason they keep making movies about this book.
Well done. Not a completely surprising ending but overall great story.
Shirley Jackson is one of my favorite authors and this book is one of the reasons why.
It is romantic in that Eleanor falls in love with a haunted house. Or is it haunted and this is really a descent into insanity?
Was the house calling her to the home she always needed or is this a break from a reality that has become unbearable for the lonely outsider?
Every time I read it, I see something different. It is also a book that I am compelled to read again because the ambiguity but also the strangeness of the main characters.
Not a typical haunted house story.
She’s the author that scared Stephen King. Enough said.
Keeper shelf
Predictable ending. Not original at all. Another story of mental illness versus haunted house.
A little dated, but a good classic read.
Not as scary as the movie
Read this classic book… then watch the amazingly produced 10-episode TV series. A real one-two punch experience! JF™
After watching the show on Netflix, I had to read the novel, and I’m so glad I did. While my original intent was to enjoy a spooky story, I feel that reading Jackson’s writing style has influenced my own writing. Her way of building suspense, of taking something ordinary and making it horrifying, of building on slight nuances in characterization until you have a completely insane person before you, are genius, and I will definitely be reading more of her work. If you enjoyed the Netflix drama or just love scary stories about disturbing places, this is a must read.
This book was published in 1959 and help defined the genre. The book is only 156 pages with interesting introductions of the author and her life. I bought the book because I saw Netflix released a series based on this book. It is a great ghost story.
wasn’t the best book I’ve read.. Very slow going..
I’d wanted read this book for a long time. Maybe I waited too long. While it kept me interested, and had some very interesting sections, ie the ghostly picnic, the nursery, it just didn’t blow me away as I expected it to. It’s quite descriptive, and works your imagination, but I think more insight into the characters would have made it spookier.
Jackson’s most famous novel brings Nell to life on the page, just as Robert Wise’s film brought her to life on screen. Indulge in both and enjoy.
An excellent classic. I read this years ago and just re-read. Atmospheric and creepy without the shock value in so many books. It just builds and builds until the bitter end. Highly recommended.
The book is much better than the movie. Loved it.
The story was interesting, but I had seen the movie so I knew what to expect. I think it would have been better if I had not been familiar with the story.
Just OK
I read this book a very long time ago and it is the type of novel that stays with you
Classic for a reason! Good background if you are watching the Netflix series