Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

153 reviews

nyssa_jo'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

4.5

I really need to reread this one.

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thereaderfriend's review

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

3.0


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rey_therese07's review against another edition

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dark slow-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? No

2.25


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grimviolins's review against another edition

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

3.5


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linesiunderline's review against another edition

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dark 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

4.0

It’s all about the dread in this classic horror story. All the gothic atmosphere, a brilliantly unsettling opening, bumps in the night, paranormal happenings, and a small cast of characters who prove to be quite captivating and elusive. The way Jackson crafts Eleanor and her unraveling is masterful. I love that you’re constantly unsettled throughout and left at the end with more questions than answers. I’m glad I finally read this one as well as We Have Always Lived in the Castle. I’d be hard pressed to choose a favourite between the two. The audiobooks narrated by Bernadette Dunne we’re very entertaining listening experiences. 

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michelles_book_nook's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

⚠️ TW: mentions of suicide, parental death, mental illness, murder ⚠️ This book is a perfect haunted house read for Halloween and is very much a classic for a reason. The Haunting of Hill House follows the story of a paranormal investigation carried out by Dr Montague and three guests, Eleanor, Theodora and Luke, in an ominous house well known for having a horrifying past and being evil by its local towns folk. But can a house really be evil or is it the people within? This book will have your skin covered in goosebumps and make you question every little noise in your home. I loved every second of this book! It was such a wild ride and I loved how it was told from Eleanor's pov but also portrayed her feelings and thoughts. The only reason I've knocked it down a star is because I didn't like all of the characters, especially Theodora who I found quite condescending and arrogant at times. Overall, I highly recommend reading this classic horror if you want to get the spooks ready for Halloween 🎃

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megan_bbender's review against another edition

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adventurous dark hopeful mysterious relaxing tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Overall, I cannot say I enjoyed this book and found it disappointing. I found the main character more annoying than likeable. However, witnessing the slow progression of the effects on the characters, especially Eleanor, was very interesting and captivating. This book can easily be described as dull and boring but it had a small amount of good parts. It is a quick read, but only if you can find the motivation to finish it. The ending was unexpected and mysterious. I found the writing style interesting and different, it had some amazing illusions and foreshadowing. Unfortunately I would not necessarily recommend this book to a lot of people.

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okaynextcrisis's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad 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

4.5

Funnier, gayer, sadder than its many adaptations 

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danidamico's review against another edition

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mysterious tense slow-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? N/A

3.75

"Everything's worse if you think something is looking at you".

"The house. It watches every move you make".


Soy muy fan de Shirley Jackson. Leí alrededor de una decena de sus cuentos y me fascinaron, también amé Siempre hemos vivido en el castillo, que me pareció una obra maestra. Para seguir descubriendo su obra y, de paso, aprovechar la spooky season, decidí seguir con The Haunting of Hill House.

Según las palabras de Laura Miller, que escribió la introducción para la edición de Penguin Classics, esta novela es una historia de fantasmas psicológica; es decir, no solo se explora el límite entre el mundo real y el sobrenatural, sino también el límite entre la mente y el afuera, el mundo exterior. De hecho, el libro al que más me recordó Hill House es Otra vuelta de tuerca, se nota que seguramente sirvió de inspiración para Jackson. Al igual que sucede con la protagonista de Henry James, acá seguimos a Eleanor, una joven que visita una misteriosa mansión y termina envuelta en un terrible delirio fantasmal, en el que no se sabe si aquello que la atormenta es un espíritu o su propia psiquis.

La novela tiene varios elementos típicos de Jackson: la protagonista femenina que no encaja del todo, la dualidad, la casa como un personaje más, el miedo a los demás y a las pequeñas comunidades (por ejemplo, cuando Eleanor llega a Hillsdale), la exploración de lo psicológico. Sin embargo, tengo que admitir que no me encantó tanto como los otros textos suyos que había leído.
 
En primer lugar, no me gustan tanto las novelas sobre casas embrujadas, suelo inclinarme por un terror más "realista" o más tangible. Eso no tiene que ver con Shirley Jackson obviamente, es un tema de preferencias personales. Es la misma razón por la cual tampoco me gustó mucho Otra vuelta de tuerca. De todos modos, algo que sí disfruté fue el elenco de personajes y la interacción entre ellos; a través de los diálogos la autora logra generar desde humor hasta una fuerte tensión. Jackson siempre maneja excelentemente las dinámicas entre personajes, es uno de mis aspectos favoritos de su obra.

En fin, es un placer seguir adentrándome en el mundo de Shirley Jackson. Cada vez que leo algo escrito por ella me siento identificada con su forma de ver el mundo, con su sentido del humor, con sus miedos. Me dan ganas de abrazarla.


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mayr3adsab00k's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

4.5


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