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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
lkedzie's review
4.0
The comparable text is The Sound and the Fury, down to the allusions to The Scottish Play, and in the ways that it has not aged well, here around mental illness. The obvious targets are the but what cards my wool is the too cinematic, too Freudian unveiling the trauma as the undoing of the disorder. It makes for great fiction, but it is not the way the world works. Mental illness (carefully putting to the side the way in which , or whether its presentation here has a lick of connection to reality) is. It is sourceless, affects anyone, and even if a particular variety has a specific origin, unlocking the origin is not Thanks I'm Cured. Though, admittedly, since it is a Jackson special of an ending, there is ambiguity about that.
The particular way that The Bird's Nest is like Sound is in its masterful use of perspective and character interiority. That first major perspective jump, from hate-to-love Wright to Betsy, who, up until that point, is a demon, down to the cursed speech and being bound by twisted rules, is all the emotions. Rolling a slow boil that first justifies every bad impression, it turns tragic, terrifying, and even guilt-inducing. And that is only the first time. That Morgen gets a chapter is a surprise in a surprise.
It is fierce artistry. About the only complaint towards it, which, I concede, is likely intentional, is that at points it makes the action hard to track. More than a movie, I'd love to see this staged, where you can still play around with that but also allow the interplay to flow more naturalistically. Yes, you would lose all sorts of what Jackson is best at, but I would be curious at any rate.
I know that there is some question of whether to consider Jackson a horror writer or not. While most of the time I sweep such questions aside, I think it may matter here more than not, in the sense that I think what intent this novel is written with ought to affect the way in which it is perceived, and in specific whether or not we should forgive its iffy moments.
I do not have an answer to that. But I do think that this is Jackson's form on full display and why she gets considered a horror writer. Much like her #1 fan King, she holds such a tight frame on the prosaic, pedestrian, and domestic, and by being fundamentally about the ordinary, it makes the extraordinary and supernatural feel like it is there. Right now.
Spoiler
functional hypnosis and multiple personalitiesSpoiler
dissociative identity is a contentious diagnosisThe particular way that The Bird's Nest is like Sound is in its masterful use of perspective and character interiority. That first major perspective jump, from hate-to-love Wright to Betsy, who, up until that point, is a demon, down to the cursed speech and being bound by twisted rules, is all the emotions. Rolling a slow boil that first justifies every bad impression, it turns tragic, terrifying, and even guilt-inducing. And that is only the first time. That Morgen gets a chapter is a surprise in a surprise.
It is fierce artistry. About the only complaint towards it, which, I concede, is likely intentional, is that at points it makes the action hard to track. More than a movie, I'd love to see this staged, where you can still play around with that but also allow the interplay to flow more naturalistically. Yes, you would lose all sorts of what Jackson is best at, but I would be curious at any rate.
I know that there is some question of whether to consider Jackson a horror writer or not. While most of the time I sweep such questions aside, I think it may matter here more than not, in the sense that I think what intent this novel is written with ought to affect the way in which it is perceived, and in specific whether or not we should forgive its iffy moments.
I do not have an answer to that. But I do think that this is Jackson's form on full display and why she gets considered a horror writer. Much like her #1 fan King, she holds such a tight frame on the prosaic, pedestrian, and domestic, and by being fundamentally about the ordinary, it makes the extraordinary and supernatural feel like it is there. Right now.
calliecella's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
reaffirmsfaith's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyed it but certainly too long and needs refining. I enjoyed the concept, and the performance of the audiobook makes me think this would make a great play
emmareadstoomuch's review against another edition
3.0
Once upon a time, there was me. The aforementioned me (hereafter referred to as I for the sake of grammar) was walking through an airport, wearing two masks and holding hand sanitizer, when I was stopped dead in my tracks.
I had thought that all airport bookstores were relegated to the likes of the dreaded Hudson Booksellers, where books are treated with equal regard to lidded plastic cups of mixed nuts and those weird containers of hard-boiled eggs. (I would ask who buys those, but I have the WORST travel karma and know I would end up seated next to the answer to that question on my next flight if I did.)
And yes, like any self-respecting bookworm, I stop into every Hudson Booksellers I pass (approx 4 per flight) to gaze lovingly at the books. But I never buy them, because they cost like $48 and if I'm paying out the nose I'll be supporting an indie, thank you very much.
But then. Like a glorious mirage. I saw it.
ONE OF MY FAVORITE BOOKSTORES...INSIDE THE AIRPORT.
So I went in, nearly burst into tears, bought this book, started it within 15 minutes, and finished it in a sitting. (I love reading on flights. I always start and finish a book, no matter how long it is, like magic.)
Anyway. I have read Shirley Jackson's two masterpieces, and I have read her collected short stories, and this was not good as any of those.
But it was still by Shirley Jackson, and therefore I enjoyed it.
Bottom line: Life is fun!
-------------------
pre-review
this is not my favorite book by shirley jackson, but it is still by shirley jackson.
review to come / 3ish stars
-------------------
currently-reading updates
is there anything like buying a book and immediately reading it in a sitting?
I had thought that all airport bookstores were relegated to the likes of the dreaded Hudson Booksellers, where books are treated with equal regard to lidded plastic cups of mixed nuts and those weird containers of hard-boiled eggs. (I would ask who buys those, but I have the WORST travel karma and know I would end up seated next to the answer to that question on my next flight if I did.)
And yes, like any self-respecting bookworm, I stop into every Hudson Booksellers I pass (approx 4 per flight) to gaze lovingly at the books. But I never buy them, because they cost like $48 and if I'm paying out the nose I'll be supporting an indie, thank you very much.
But then. Like a glorious mirage. I saw it.
ONE OF MY FAVORITE BOOKSTORES...INSIDE THE AIRPORT.
So I went in, nearly burst into tears, bought this book, started it within 15 minutes, and finished it in a sitting. (I love reading on flights. I always start and finish a book, no matter how long it is, like magic.)
Anyway. I have read Shirley Jackson's two masterpieces, and I have read her collected short stories, and this was not good as any of those.
But it was still by Shirley Jackson, and therefore I enjoyed it.
Bottom line: Life is fun!
-------------------
pre-review
this is not my favorite book by shirley jackson, but it is still by shirley jackson.
review to come / 3ish stars
-------------------
currently-reading updates
is there anything like buying a book and immediately reading it in a sitting?
jillianleigh1993's review against another edition
4.0
‘we’re going to rip her in half,’ morgen said, gasping, and the doctor answered grimly, ‘i wish we could.’
‘bemused with the need for discovering reason and coherence in a patternless time ; she was lost in an endless reflecting world’
This was delightfully creepy. The descent into chaotic madness as Betsy lurched her way through NYC had me in perfect suspense. I felt the building mania of the personalities fill me expectant dread, I kept waiting for the axe to fall. The book didn’t answer all of my questions, there was lingering confusion about the exact source of her trauma… But while the whole truth of Elizabeth’s strange childhood eluded the audience, there were enough breadcrumbs for us to draw our own conclusions. The weary alliance between Aunt Morgen and Dr. Wright was amusing. I really enjoyed the parts where Betsy warred with the other entities and Dr. Wright, but I did feel sorry for them all. When Elizabeth was questioning her aunt in the bath what would become of her, whether she would “die” when she was to be “subsumed” I felt that was biggest tragedy of the book. I definitely want to pick up my next Shirley Jackson book to read, I love my fucked-up psychological horror novels.
‘bemused with the need for discovering reason and coherence in a patternless time ; she was lost in an endless reflecting world’
This was delightfully creepy. The descent into chaotic madness as Betsy lurched her way through NYC had me in perfect suspense. I felt the building mania of the personalities fill me expectant dread, I kept waiting for the axe to fall. The book didn’t answer all of my questions, there was lingering confusion about the exact source of her trauma… But while the whole truth of Elizabeth’s strange childhood eluded the audience, there were enough breadcrumbs for us to draw our own conclusions. The weary alliance between Aunt Morgen and Dr. Wright was amusing. I really enjoyed the parts where Betsy warred with the other entities and Dr. Wright, but I did feel sorry for them all. When Elizabeth was questioning her aunt in the bath what would become of her, whether she would “die” when she was to be “subsumed” I felt that was biggest tragedy of the book. I definitely want to pick up my next Shirley Jackson book to read, I love my fucked-up psychological horror novels.
rwhite_reads's review against another edition
5.0
With this being the third book Jackson wrote, I don’t know how it’s not talked about more.
A multi POV story about a woman with multiple personalities? Genius. And written in Jackson’s signature quietly terrifying way. Anything about losing control of one’s mind is a small horror to me and this book was frightening with its simplicity.
I laughed at times and felt great empathy for some characters. I questioned the sanity of all the characters in the novel throughout. This one makes you think and forces you to connect dots that aren’t blatantly laid out for the reader and Jackson does it in such an eloquent way. This one tied with We’ve Always Lived in the Castle for me. Maybe next week when I’ve had time to digest it more- it’ll actually become my favorite.
A multi POV story about a woman with multiple personalities? Genius. And written in Jackson’s signature quietly terrifying way. Anything about losing control of one’s mind is a small horror to me and this book was frightening with its simplicity.
I laughed at times and felt great empathy for some characters. I questioned the sanity of all the characters in the novel throughout. This one makes you think and forces you to connect dots that aren’t blatantly laid out for the reader and Jackson does it in such an eloquent way. This one tied with We’ve Always Lived in the Castle for me. Maybe next week when I’ve had time to digest it more- it’ll actually become my favorite.
bookwoods's review against another edition
3.0
We Have Always Lived in the Castle might have set up my expectations for Shirley Jackson´s other novels a bit too high and The Bird´s Nest ended up not being exactly to my taste. It´s too psychological and slow-moving. However, I can understand why others find this exploration of the human mind extremely interesting and the unsettling atmosphere fascinating. I did really like some aspects of the story, the characters descriptions for instance are amazingly detailed. I also have never read a book about multiple personalities and it´s always great to learn something new. The biggest problem was the plot. I really struggled to pick The Bird´s Nest up, maybe because it was so challenging, which in itself is definitely not a negative thing, but also because it felt dragging. Though I´m not really the target audience as I have always disliked psychology.
eekhoorn's review against another edition
4.0
Not my favourite Jackson, mostly because it's a bit too long and gets tedious at parts, and the writing style did not have the same cutting effect on me as the one in her other novels (it gets a bit more lyrical and descriptive at parts.) I felt she told too little and too much at the same time, going a bit overboard in describing characters/personalities, while at the same time leaving the reader with one too many loose ends for a completely satisfactory ending (although the last sentence? brr)
However I would happily read Jackson's shopping lists so not really sure what I'm complaining about. I most of all enjoyed the humour in this, some parts were just very funny. And I also enjoyed the first person narration of dr. Wright, as Jackson's apparently just as good at writing the pov of the absolutely despicable men in her novels as she is portraying them through another characters pov.
However I would happily read Jackson's shopping lists so not really sure what I'm complaining about. I most of all enjoyed the humour in this, some parts were just very funny. And I also enjoyed the first person narration of dr. Wright, as Jackson's apparently just as good at writing the pov of the absolutely despicable men in her novels as she is portraying them through another characters pov.
schildpad's review against another edition
4.0
Not my favourite Jackson, mostly because it's a bit too long and gets tedious at parts, and the writing style did not have the same cutting effect on me as the one in her other novels (it gets a bit more lyrical and descriptive at parts.) I felt she told too little and too much at the same time, going a bit overboard in describing characters/personalities, while at the same time leaving the reader with one too many loose ends for a completely satisfactory ending (although the last sentence? brr)
However I would happily read Jackson's shopping lists so not really sure what I'm complaining about. I most of all enjoyed the humour in this, some parts were just very funny. And I also enjoyed the first person narration of dr. Wright, as Jackson's apparently just as good at writing the pov of the absolutely despicable men in her novels as she is portraying them through another characters pov.
However I would happily read Jackson's shopping lists so not really sure what I'm complaining about. I most of all enjoyed the humour in this, some parts were just very funny. And I also enjoyed the first person narration of dr. Wright, as Jackson's apparently just as good at writing the pov of the absolutely despicable men in her novels as she is portraying them through another characters pov.
oddfigg's review against another edition
4.0
This, Shirley Jackson’s third novel, came out six years after “The Lottery” and five years before The Haunting of Hill House. It is clear that what she is interested in are themes that encompass the dark depths humanity can sink to and intensely character-driven stories. Though I don’t think The Bird’s Nest can be considered a Gothic novel (like her last two and more well-known books), it shows clear ruminations on interiority and deeply emotional characters and the creation of a dark, tense atmosphere through the writing—hallmarks of Gothic writing.
The book centers around young Elizabeth, who seems ordinary enough: under her aunt’s thumb, plagued by headaches, shepherded back and forth from a boring, repetitive job at the history museum. The most interesting thing about her is the strange building she works in, one side of it sinking and upsetting the balance of the whole museum. And of course the hole in the wall right beside her desk.
Isn’t that really the start of it all? A great gaping hole where it shouldn’t be, revealing the inner machinations and foibles of a building crumbling into its foundation. From the outside, everything seems to be just fine, but come inside and maybe you’ll sense that the floor is slightly uneven, a marble rolling cleanly across it, a slight feeling vertigo when you come around the corner.
This off-kilter building creates the tingle of foreshadowing, the ominous buildup for what is to come when Elizabeth begins losing time, splintering, showing off the other sides of herself that have been hidden inside. And this is the perfect example of why I love Shirley Jackson’s writing. She creates these strange, almost whimsical, moments that completely distract you from the character or the plot. And though they seem innocuous, there is something off, and you realize that you’ve actually been holding your breath, feeling your stomach clench up. Jackson creates an ominous undercurrent with these types of scenes, weaving into our subconscious that there is something larger at play—that it will all tie in and once we know the full truth, we might be sorry we ever poked our noses in to find out at all.
The Bird’s Nest is really not as dark and brooding as I’ve made it sound. The characters of Dr. Wright and Aunt Morgen are quite humorous and tend toward the extreme, as Jackson characters do. Though Elizabeth’s personalities are not all friendly, their interactions with the doctor and even with each other do not offer a sense of tension or horror. Instead, there is the classic Jackson sharpened brilliance and aslant witticism, each character completely their own person—fully developed and springing from the page (if not from that slightly heightened reality I always feel Jackson is writing from).
At the same time, Jackson manages to capture a very humanistic story. Elizabeth’s story is a coming-of-age tale of sorts, and possibly more importantly, one about female identity and the lack of control women felt about their lives and selves during this time period. While it seems like everyone else is concerned with condensing her back into one person, what she is worried about is losing each distinct self, how the creation of one Elizabeth would stamp out all the others.
Though the ending does feel rather tidy and warm compared to the open-ended shock of her darker writings, The Bird’s Nest is a psychologically driven and well-rounded exploration of a now over-used trope that still feels fresh, all these years later.
The book centers around young Elizabeth, who seems ordinary enough: under her aunt’s thumb, plagued by headaches, shepherded back and forth from a boring, repetitive job at the history museum. The most interesting thing about her is the strange building she works in, one side of it sinking and upsetting the balance of the whole museum. And of course the hole in the wall right beside her desk.
Isn’t that really the start of it all? A great gaping hole where it shouldn’t be, revealing the inner machinations and foibles of a building crumbling into its foundation. From the outside, everything seems to be just fine, but come inside and maybe you’ll sense that the floor is slightly uneven, a marble rolling cleanly across it, a slight feeling vertigo when you come around the corner.
This off-kilter building creates the tingle of foreshadowing, the ominous buildup for what is to come when Elizabeth begins losing time, splintering, showing off the other sides of herself that have been hidden inside. And this is the perfect example of why I love Shirley Jackson’s writing. She creates these strange, almost whimsical, moments that completely distract you from the character or the plot. And though they seem innocuous, there is something off, and you realize that you’ve actually been holding your breath, feeling your stomach clench up. Jackson creates an ominous undercurrent with these types of scenes, weaving into our subconscious that there is something larger at play—that it will all tie in and once we know the full truth, we might be sorry we ever poked our noses in to find out at all.
The Bird’s Nest is really not as dark and brooding as I’ve made it sound. The characters of Dr. Wright and Aunt Morgen are quite humorous and tend toward the extreme, as Jackson characters do. Though Elizabeth’s personalities are not all friendly, their interactions with the doctor and even with each other do not offer a sense of tension or horror. Instead, there is the classic Jackson sharpened brilliance and aslant witticism, each character completely their own person—fully developed and springing from the page (if not from that slightly heightened reality I always feel Jackson is writing from).
At the same time, Jackson manages to capture a very humanistic story. Elizabeth’s story is a coming-of-age tale of sorts, and possibly more importantly, one about female identity and the lack of control women felt about their lives and selves during this time period. While it seems like everyone else is concerned with condensing her back into one person, what she is worried about is losing each distinct self, how the creation of one Elizabeth would stamp out all the others.
Though the ending does feel rather tidy and warm compared to the open-ended shock of her darker writings, The Bird’s Nest is a psychologically driven and well-rounded exploration of a now over-used trope that still feels fresh, all these years later.