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lgiery's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Jackson's writing always leaves me with questions that I just can't seem to find answers for, which is part of why I enjoy it.
bategoik0's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
izzyjuell's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
emilyalsop's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
emily_lane's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
hilikus_00's review against another edition
5.0
Initial Thoughts...
The first few stories didn't capture me, which I was disappointed by as a lover of We Have Always Lived... Short stories have never really been my cup of tea but I was hoping this book would change my mind.
I decided to flip to The Tooth and...wow. The ability of that stoyr to evoke such intense feelings was just amazing and worthy of all the 5-star ratings in the world.
I read it on the bus and was feeling so claustrophobic, disoriented, dizzy and deeply unsettled by the end of the story. I almost had to stop reading it. Jim (who is a recurring character in Jackson's stories) was just terrifying. I am now convinced that the story has some magical powers because that is the only way to explain how I ended up feeling that way.
After You, My Dear Alphonse is another favourite. I deeply appreciate that ShirleY Jackson touched on issues of race here by taking a critical look at a mother's assumption that her young son's Black friend needed to be saved from his circumstances. LOVED that.
Shirley Jackson touches on important themes. She also challenges tradition in THe Lottery where a town has an annual lottery wherein one person gets chosen randomly to be stoned by the other townspeople. Nobody critiques it but instead just continue doing it because after all, its tradition.
Excellent.
The first few stories didn't capture me, which I was disappointed by as a lover of We Have Always Lived... Short stories have never really been my cup of tea but I was hoping this book would change my mind.
I decided to flip to The Tooth and...wow. The ability of that stoyr to evoke such intense feelings was just amazing and worthy of all the 5-star ratings in the world.
I read it on the bus and was feeling so claustrophobic, disoriented, dizzy and deeply unsettled by the end of the story. I almost had to stop reading it. Jim (who is a recurring character in Jackson's stories) was just terrifying. I am now convinced that the story has some magical powers because that is the only way to explain how I ended up feeling that way.
After You, My Dear Alphonse is another favourite. I deeply appreciate that ShirleY Jackson touched on issues of race here by taking a critical look at a mother's assumption that her young son's Black friend needed to be saved from his circumstances. LOVED that.
Shirley Jackson touches on important themes. She also challenges tradition in THe Lottery where a town has an annual lottery wherein one person gets chosen randomly to be stoned by the other townspeople. Nobody critiques it but instead just continue doing it because after all, its tradition.
Excellent.
readingwmiles's review against another edition
4.0
a lot of these didn’t really stick with me but the lottery was so good it gets bumped up to a 4
metivami's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
mellllellel's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
stateofgrace's review against another edition
3.5
My problem with short story collections is that the genius of the best stories feels dragged down by the banal, middle of the road stories. This collection had a strong theme of the psychological horror of normalcy, which helped to tie all of the stories together. My favorite stories were "The Lottery", "The Tooth", and "Colloquy".