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pbraue13's review against another edition
5.0
I have always really enjoyed Shirley Jackson's work. This book, containing her unfinished novel "Come Along with Me" and several other awesome short stories and lectures, is no less wonderful than her other books. The only flaw that I would attribute with this book is that the titular novel isn't finished as I fell so in love with the world and the characters created by Jackson and wanted to see where the story was going to go. Who knew one of my favorite characters would be a middle-aged widow turned medium from a novel that is only six chapters long!
Some short stories of note for me were "The Summer People", "A Visit", and "The Beautiful Stranger", but all of these stories contain such great examples of the haunting and dreamlike style that I adore Jackson for. There are also stories that fall under Jackson's more humorous and witty style of writing like "The Pajama Game" and "The Night We All had the Gripe". The three additional lectures by Jackson were also really fun to read as I felt as though I was getting into the mind of this writer who has written so many awesome books and stories which I will carry with me throughout my life.
Some short stories of note for me were "The Summer People", "A Visit", and "The Beautiful Stranger", but all of these stories contain such great examples of the haunting and dreamlike style that I adore Jackson for. There are also stories that fall under Jackson's more humorous and witty style of writing like "The Pajama Game" and "The Night We All had the Gripe". The three additional lectures by Jackson were also really fun to read as I felt as though I was getting into the mind of this writer who has written so many awesome books and stories which I will carry with me throughout my life.
sausome's review against another edition
5.0
Holy cow, sooooooo good. More to come, pause while I process the awesomeness!
noirbettie's review against another edition
4.0
Heartbreaking, because this is the novel she was writing when she died. Only three chapters were written.
wheresthebirds's review against another edition
dark
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
miklosha's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
batbones's review against another edition
4.0
Something disquieting always lurks at the heart of Jackson's prose. It is a trademark of hers, and this eclectic but quintessential collection is no different. In this collection, Jackson is frequently insistent in overturning our assumptions of the placid and comfortable. In her stories, hostility resides in scenes of harmony, the disquiet in quiet, and the frightening in the familiar/familial. Her prose is deceptively simple, as if possibly written in a language for children, and at times even sing-song, in oft-repeated statements that recur, with the opposite effect of unsettling instead of assuring. Several stories had the effect of a cliffhanger, leaving one wondering what actually happened, but as a reader I found them dissatisfying - because they were just so short, and said too little for even a vague coherent idea to form and frighten. (This is especially directed to "Island", and "The Rock".) "Louisa, Please Come Home" is my favourite, for its rebellious nature delivered in practical reason, and the ironic twist at the end. The last section of the book "three lectures, with two stories" offer an illuminating (and also humorous) insider's peek into Jackson's sources of inspiration and her thoughts on her storytelling. Evidently she is a fine essayist too.
baruchbarnes's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
3.75
goblingirlreads's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
Shirley Jackson, horror queen. Not every story was perfect but enough of them were that I'm giving this one a 5. I have fallen in love her Jackson's weird style and the way she builds horror and tension between characters and environments in such interesting ways!
es42's review against another edition
4.0
I'd have loved to see where Jackson takes Come Along With Me...