Reviews with content warning for Alcohol - The Haunting of Hill House Novel

Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

The Haunting of Hill House Novel by Shirley Jackson

86 reviews

monicaa_d's review against another edition

4.0

mysterious fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I can see why this is a classic. It's timeless, creepy, and engaging. Eleanor is relatable, but as the story progresses the reader gets thrown into the uncertainty of an unreliable narrator and is left to wonder what's real. The tension builds throughout the book, and it manages to be scary without body horror or actual injury. It's terrifying in the way a haunted house is- no one touches you, but the threat feels looming.

Enjoyability ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Impact ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Content Warnings

itskenzcarter's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Ugggh. This book. What a whirlwind. It’s so different from the show. Both equally great, but the book just has something about it that I can’t quite describe. The writing was brilliant. Shirley Jackson is a fantastic author and knows how to paint a picture. But, because the book was so different from the show, it was hard to see where it was going. I couldn’t put it down and had to finish as soon as I started. This book focuses, primarily, on Nellie, more so than the actual haunting itself. However, it worked. It had a lower level of spookiness, but the parts that were spooky were so descriptive and vivid. It definitely makes your heart race at parts. I do think the book finished a little quicker than it could have. There could have been additional paranormal focuses. Other than that, I have no real negative thoughts about it. I highly recommend this book to anyone that wants something horror related. It dances on the psychological horror side of things. Now, if you are wanting to read this because of the show, please note, it’s vastly different. This book is amazing, and I think it should be on every horror fans shelf.

Content Warnings

madelinequinnee's review against another edition

3.5

emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

I picked this up because i’m a huge fan of the Mike Flanagan TV adaptation, but i knew this wasn’t really going to be much like the show. I did enjoy noticing little things that were included in the show, such as the cup of stars, the Grattan poem and the quotes that were used throughout.

I did find this slightly boring but i think that’s more because i’m not a huge fan of classics. The writing, however, was beautiful.

Content Warnings

writteninmagic's review against another edition

2.0

dark mysterious slow-paced

Content Warnings

poirot's review against another edition

2.5

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

tixdixl's review against another edition

4.5

dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

cheazcakeguy's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This book was so unsettling throughout. Deeply horrifying in a way that makes you question reality along with the characters. The frequent and sometimes sudden shifts in the emotional and mental states of the characters are so off-putting. And it's short, and a total page-turner!
*MAJOR spoiler ahead*

Though I pretty much saw the ending (Eleanor's suicide) coming before I was halfway through the book, I was not expecting the misdirect from the tower followed by the joyful mania of Eleanor as she gleefully sped to her death. And then the brief moment of clarity before she hit the tree. So damn creepy, and a tragic end to a tragic character.

Would like to re-read someday to see if I pick up on anything I missed the first time.

Content Warnings

emmonsannae's review against another edition

4.5

dark sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

The slow dread of this book is unparalleled. Its tragedy is both self-aware and utterly unavoidable. What an excellent read! I can already tell I will be coming back to this again and again.

Content Warnings