Scan barcode
emmonsannae's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The slow dread of this book is unparalleled. Its tragedy is both self-aware and utterly unavoidable. What an excellent read! I can already tell I will be coming back to this again and again.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Suicide, Car accident, Alcohol, and Death of parent
hanniquinn's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I really enjoyed reading this. It took me a little bit to get used to the writing style as it’s a little aged compared to my usual stuff. The flow of writing was well done however sometimes it’s was hard to understand what the characters were talking about as their conversations felt nonsensical. The atmosphere was amazing and I enjoyed the pacing. Loved the main character and would super recommend reading!
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent, Suicide, and Death
vaguely_pink's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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
5.0
Big thanks to my newest literary heroine Shirley Jackson for yassifying the ghost story. You truly were ahead of your time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
Moderate: Death of parent, Bullying, Abandonment, Car accident, and Death
Minor: Grief, Gun violence, Toxic friendship, Confinement, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Sexism, and Blood
thebigemmt505's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
The Haunting of Hill House is a novel much different than I expected it to be given all its hype as a scary ghost story. It follows four characters: two women who have had supernatural experiences, the hier to Hill House, and a doctor investigating the existence of the supernatural. The narrative centers around the perspective of Eleanor, one of the women, who slowly descends into madness while staying at Hill House.
Of course, The Haunting of Hill House is a classic for a reason. Its writing is unique and intriguing, and the atmosphere is impeccably crafted through each paragraph. The book is relatively fast-paced, though it meanders through a lot of character dialogue that is, in all honestly, utterly bizarre. The dialogue is a strength and a weakness in the sense its strangeness fits the vibe of the environment, but it also makes the characters feel unreal, like they’re not even fully present in the narrative. I found myself un-intrigued by the characters aside from Eleanor. Eleanor is a meek and anxious woman who daydreams of excitement after a long, bleak life caring to an overbearing mother, and this characterization both makes her interesting and explains how she was so easily influenced by the house (or, alternatively, influenced by her own fragile mind in an unfamiliar environment.) Technically speaking, though, this book is very well written and executed.
I expected more from the horror. It falls more into a gothic psychological horror category than a supernatural horror one. The narrative, ironically, was haunting more than it was scary. The supernatural events are vague and left to the interpretation of the reader which is again, a strength and a weakness. I found the whole novel to be more sad than scary and more intriguing than thrilling. While I’m satisfied with the read, the story fell a bit flat. It’s much more anti-climatic than one would be led to believe from the hype. It’s certainly an interesting exploration on the fragility of the human mind and the importance of belonging, lest one slips into the deceptive embrace of their own “Hill House,” but there was something missing. It might just be the hype around the book that opened this void, but it was there nonetheless.
Oh, and also, I did not expect this book to be queer-coded. And like, ACTUALLY queer-coded, not the weird projection so many people put on every popular piece of media where a character slightly subverts gender or orientation norms. The weird dynamic between Eleanor and Theodora was fascinating. Bravo lesbians!!!
Anyways, I enjoyed this one a lot, just not as much as I was hoping. I might have to look into some of the film adaptations of this to see how the horror translates on screen…
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent, Suicide, and Car accident
bluerskies's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Suicide attempt
Minor: Death of parent and Child death
silea's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Car accident, Suicide, Death of parent, Mental illness, Child death, and Death
louiepotterbook's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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
1.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Car accident, Death of parent, Dysphoria, Gaslighting, Sexism, Medical trauma, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicide, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, and Violence
twistykris's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, and Suicide
Moderate: Blood and Death of parent
Minor: Bullying and Grief
aryelee's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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? No
4.5
This is a classic in the horror genre for a reason. So glad I finally sat down to read this! Eleanor is such an interesting character, full of flaws and haunted by her bad relationship with her recently deceased mother. Hill House is also an incredible setting for this cast of flawed characters, going between terrified and in child-like joy. We never get a clear answer on what causes Hill House to be the way it is, but the way house is written as it's own character, alive, and how it consumes Eleanor and makes her be part of it is fascinating.
I would love to read more horror novels that have haunted locales like Hill House.
I would love to read more horror novels that have haunted locales like Hill House.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
babudarabu's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Suicide
Minor: Death of parent, Blood, Car accident, Alcohol, and Child abuse