Reviews with content warning for Fire/Fire injury - Abbiamo sempre vissuto nel castello

Reviews tagging 'Fire/Fire injury'

Abbiamo sempre vissuto nel castello by Shirley Jackson

185 reviews

soniajoy98's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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amandajm00's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

This book was a bit slow to start but I found myself becoming very intrigued with the characters and the story line about a quarter way through! Overall, cool and unique book, beautiful writing.

I was left wondering if the only reason for Constance doting on her little sister is because she is terrified of displeasing her? Merricat often has an inner dialogue of “if people don’t bow down to her they will die”

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_lily_'s review against another edition

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dark medium-paced

Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

this book was so wonderful oh em gee. i love merricat and constance so much. their dynamic and everything about them is just so amazing i luv them. my only complaint is the lack of commas & the absurd amount of ands in some sentences... but other than that, this book was very very good.

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rgs's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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danimacuk's review against another edition

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dark reflective 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? Yes

3.5

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akapaldo's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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tyelperinquar's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

Merricat has an enjoyable perspective to listen in on, and her childlike demeanor made me wonder sometimes if she was really meant to be eighteen. Her and her sister, Constance, have a sweet relationship, and it’s a joy to see them interact. Merricat is always talking about living on the moon, about riding her winged horse, marking days with symbols, putting protections on the house… she’s a cute little witch, but it’s sad to see her disdain for others become justified.
The main attraction of this book is, of course, Merricat herself, and I found the most tense part of the novel to be Charles’s visit. I quickly found myself

hating him, as he’s such a greedy and inconsiderate man. It’s so clear he only wanted the money and didn’t care a bit for the rest of the family

.
The progression is driven by the characters’ interactions, but after

the fire happens and the sisters are living in their burnt house

, I found myself a bit let down, almost. There’s never any explanation as to why

Merricat murdered the rest of her family

, which I feel is kind of an important detail, given it’s mentioned countless times throughout the story. I would have liked to explore the reasons behind that—

Merricat is such an interesting character, and it would have been fascinating to hear why she did what she did. Was it because she had to go without her supper at times? I can’t remember any other ill treatment. It just seems strange. (But then again, Merricat is a bit strange.)

I think I enjoy stories with a stronger plot, or at least, more significant consequences for the characters’ actions. The ending had me feeling a bit that all the lead-up had been pointless, but maybe I was expecting something else out of this story. Regardless, it’s a short book, and it was fun to live in the mind of Merricat Blackwood for a while. I only hope I can take some of her magic with me.

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merbears's review against another edition

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dark funny sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

An enthralling, funny, heartbreaking trip to the moon.

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julian7's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.75

I loved the mystery, and the writing itself was beautiful. I really enjoyed Merricat’s narration and her whimsy. I also really liked the fairytale elements like the spell-casting burials and the nursery rhymes. I’m still super confused about the motives of the killer. 🤔 There’s a reddit post with someone talking about how they think it’s because

Merricat was abused by her father

which would explain why

she hates Charles, who reminds her of her father.

Very interesting theory, would link it here if I could.

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aristarcodisamo's review

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dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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