Reviews

"My name is Mary Katherine Blackwood. I am eighteen years old, and I live with my sister Constance. I have often thought that with any luck at all, I could have been born a werewolf, because the two middle fingers on both my hands are the same length, but I have had to be content with what I had. I dislike washing myself, and dogs, and noise. I like my sister Constance, and Richard Plantagenet, and Amanita phalloides, the death-cup mushroom. Everyone else in our family is dead."

thus begins the amazing story of merricat and her journey.

anyone who knows me knows how much i adore and love this book. the atmosphere and humor are just perfect. this is my go-to book rec for literally anyone. it has sisters, magic, murder—what isn't to like?

merricat's voice in this book is so incredibly inticing; it's so easy to get lost in the intricacies of her thoughts. she is a girl who needs to protect her home and family. she thinks of isolation as one of the most important parts of her life.

while reading this book, i found myself relating to merricat intensely

Spoiler

(besides the murder of course)

, and i definitely think that she has autism. she struggles with social skills and prefers isolation; her life revolves around her routines.

when charles, her cousin comes to visit, her boundaries begin to crumble in front of her. what happens next? shirley jackson gives an amazing answer:

"Oh Constance, we are so happy."

hailey_p's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective fast-paced

Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

One of the best books I've ever read. Definitely top 3 of all time.

anezkajknihy's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious sad slow-paced

4.0

cakehatwombat's review against another edition

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dark medium-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

4.5

The cat lives, nothing bad happens to the cat.

One of the things I most appreciate about Shirley Jackson is how she writes characters who are both empathetic and assholes. I think that's a fine line to walk, and she does it well.

This book is a very quick read, definitely something you can wrap up in a day, maybe on the train or something.

Content Warnings

jmm3rs's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense 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

4.5

ashlurtis's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

I read this for an unreliable narrator challenge at my local library. I have enjoyed other Jackson works in the past and am not generally a fan of the unreliable narrator. This is probably a best-case scenario for that kind of a plot device for me.

I was honestly expecting it to be a little bit darker, but the story is more whimsical than I was prepared for. I was kind of waiting for the ghosts and goblins to appear.

If you are a fan of unreliable narrators, this might be great for you!

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