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smr's review against another edition
5.0
Well, um, I'm in love with Shirley Jackson now. So that happened. She caught my eye with The Lottery, entranced me with We Have Always Lived in the Castle, and this collection sealed the deal.
This collection (though more of a hodgepodge than anything else) was delightfully dark, funny, and wry. My favorite was the sadly unfinished Come Along With Me, whose narrator was hilarious in her offhand way of going through life, but the others were great as well, ranging from creepy to funny to sad.
This collection (though more of a hodgepodge than anything else) was delightfully dark, funny, and wry. My favorite was the sadly unfinished Come Along With Me, whose narrator was hilarious in her offhand way of going through life, but the others were great as well, ranging from creepy to funny to sad.
manwithanagenda's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Though everything I've read about Shirley Jackson says the contrary, I can't help but think that she was very unhappy. Perhaps she was only sympathetic: all of her central characters (her family stories aside), all of her focus, seems to be inside the heads of uncertain women unhappy with their lot.
They are always compelling, whether it is "Mrs. Angela Motorman," the protagonist of Jackson's unfinished novel, or Miss Harper, who has an unfortunate trip on the bus. Shirley Jackson in a quick phrase, a single scene, can illustrate the cruelties and odd habits of everyday life.
A few of the stories seemed lack a center, especially "The Rock," which had never been published before, but that might only be my lingering unease about the disquieting endings Jackson favored.
In addition to the short stories there are a few printed lectures on writing and reactions to "The Lottery", which are intelligent, funny, and offer a lot of insight into how Jackson operated as a writer.
The more of her work that I read, the better I can picture how connected all of her work really is. Shirley Jackson never repeated herself, but together her work really tells a lot about post-war America up to the early 1960s.
They are always compelling, whether it is "Mrs. Angela Motorman," the protagonist of Jackson's unfinished novel, or Miss Harper, who has an unfortunate trip on the bus. Shirley Jackson in a quick phrase, a single scene, can illustrate the cruelties and odd habits of everyday life.
A few of the stories seemed lack a center, especially "The Rock," which had never been published before, but that might only be my lingering unease about the disquieting endings Jackson favored.
In addition to the short stories there are a few printed lectures on writing and reactions to "The Lottery", which are intelligent, funny, and offer a lot of insight into how Jackson operated as a writer.
The more of her work that I read, the better I can picture how connected all of her work really is. Shirley Jackson never repeated herself, but together her work really tells a lot about post-war America up to the early 1960s.
thejessleigh's review
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
maritzasoto's review against another edition
5.0
I can't believe I found a copy of this at the library. So far, I LOVE it. Jackson is excellent at creating such unique characters.
dana__romano's review against another edition
5.0
**read ‘A Visit’, otherwise known as The Lovely House**
mariacandet's review against another edition
dark
funny
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
5.0
This is such an exceptional collection. Come Along With Me showed so much promise; eerie, funny, and hinting at something life-affirming. Angela Motorman is a very different Shirley Jackson heroine—older, self-assured, (newly) independent—and it's unfortunate that we don't get to know how she evolves or what her entire journey is. The beginning of her story is one of emancipation; recently widowed, thus free from an abusive husband, and financially independent, she sets out into the world, reinventing herself and fully embracing her clairvoyance. Jackson set out to write a "happy book," and had she had the chance to complete it, it would have been one of her best.
The stories gathered here were also brilliant—my favourites being "Louisa, Please Come Home," "A Visit," "A Day in the Jungle," "The Summer People," and her two autobiographical ones, "Pajama Party" and "The Night We All Had Grippe"—as were Jackson's three lectures. I took many useful notes from "Experience and Fiction" and "Notes from a Young Writer." Instead of rereading "The Lottery" for the umpteenth time, I decided to listen to Shirley Jackson's recording of her story. It was the first time I heard her voice (❤️❤️❤️), and it definitely enhances the experience/understanding of the story. I thought of what Ruth Franklin wrote about this recording in her biography, Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life: “Grudgingly, Jackson agreed to record “The Lottery” for Folkways Records in 1959. Along with her recording of “The Daemon Lover,” on the B side, it is the only recording of her voice that still exists. The agoraphobia of her late years had not yet begun, but she preferred to avoid New York City if possible, and refused to make a special trip to do the recording. Laurence, then a technically adept senior in high school, did it for her on a reel-to-reel recorder at Bennington. Jackson, nervous, brought along a glass of bourbon; the clink of ice cubes in her glass is occasionally audible. Her voice is low, with the slightest hint of an English affectation. She reads the story calmly, almost without expression. A sharpness enters her tone only when Tessie Hutchinson begins to speak. Jackson’s voice ascends shrilly as she reads the lines: “It isn’t fair, it isn’t right.” She gives the final line of the story a curious inflection: “And then they were upon her.” Like the pointed collar around the throat of the dog Lady in “The Renegade,” the recording cuts off abruptly before her voice has a chance to die out, making the last line sound like a question: And then they were upon her? The irony is audible. They have been upon her all along.”
The stories gathered here were also brilliant—my favourites being "Louisa, Please Come Home," "A Visit," "A Day in the Jungle," "The Summer People," and her two autobiographical ones, "Pajama Party" and "The Night We All Had Grippe"—as were Jackson's three lectures. I took many useful notes from "Experience and Fiction" and "Notes from a Young Writer." Instead of rereading "The Lottery" for the umpteenth time, I decided to listen to Shirley Jackson's recording of her story. It was the first time I heard her voice (❤️❤️❤️), and it definitely enhances the experience/understanding of the story. I thought of what Ruth Franklin wrote about this recording in her biography, Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life: “Grudgingly, Jackson agreed to record “The Lottery” for Folkways Records in 1959. Along with her recording of “The Daemon Lover,” on the B side, it is the only recording of her voice that still exists. The agoraphobia of her late years had not yet begun, but she preferred to avoid New York City if possible, and refused to make a special trip to do the recording. Laurence, then a technically adept senior in high school, did it for her on a reel-to-reel recorder at Bennington. Jackson, nervous, brought along a glass of bourbon; the clink of ice cubes in her glass is occasionally audible. Her voice is low, with the slightest hint of an English affectation. She reads the story calmly, almost without expression. A sharpness enters her tone only when Tessie Hutchinson begins to speak. Jackson’s voice ascends shrilly as she reads the lines: “It isn’t fair, it isn’t right.” She gives the final line of the story a curious inflection: “And then they were upon her.” Like the pointed collar around the throat of the dog Lady in “The Renegade,” the recording cuts off abruptly before her voice has a chance to die out, making the last line sound like a question: And then they were upon her? The irony is audible. They have been upon her all along.”
dytiscusfriend's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Dementia, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
drewsof's review against another edition
4.0
It's hard to give this a proper rating -- on the one hand, we have the early beginnings of a novel that I desperately wish I could read; on the other, we have an assemblage of stories, some I already knew and some previously-uncollected. The novel has a hell of a hook and, as you might've guessed, I'm wrecked that Jackson died before she could really get into it. The stories are, well, they're Jackson stories and they're great. I particularly enjoyed the essay/lecture that leads into THE LOTTERY at the end of the book. But this is, ultimately, ephemera for the completists.