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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
shirley jackson, i love you. a remarkable story.
3.5 stars!
We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a bizarre, intriguing, dark, and captivating read. Jackson's writing had me entranced from page one with Mary's unique voice and thoughts.
We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a bizarre, intriguing, dark, and captivating read. Jackson's writing had me entranced from page one with Mary's unique voice and thoughts.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reread! i love october and i love gothic literature. and derelict houses. everything reminds me of grey gardens
dark
mysterious
slow-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
4/4.5☆
I really enjoyed this short read - this is my first time reading Shirley Jackson, and I love the way her mind works. This book was so creative and weird (in all the best ways). Merricat's inner monologue and superstitions are so interesting, and the 'plot twist' made so much sense for her even if I wasn't surprised by it.
I really enjoyed this short read - this is my first time reading Shirley Jackson, and I love the way her mind works. This book was so creative and weird (in all the best ways). Merricat's inner monologue and superstitions are so interesting, and the 'plot twist' made so much sense for her even if I wasn't surprised by it.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved it. Sometimes when I read, it feels like it’s just to keep myself distracted and it takes me forever to finish but I didn’t want to stop.
I found it really easy to see everything through Merricat’s eyes, which probably says something about me 😳 You can tell something’s not right with her from the start but I still liked her. I felt bad for Constance too.
Constance honestly broke my heart. She’s so soft and patient, and it’s like she kept trying to hold things together even though she’s clearly not okay either. She’s a people pleaser. Charles was greedy and bad but his one redeeming quality is that he almost saved Constance. It hurt that she was finally about to break out of her shell it seemed, but the fire and the townspeople obviously broke her forever. They both obviously have their issues, but I loved their togetherness and sisterhood bond.
For me what makes a book so great is how easy you can see through the eyes of the narrator or main character, and that’s what made this one so interesting to me. I almost felt trapped in her world. Maybe that’s what makes it horror, the fact that I can feel and completely empathize with someone like Merricat.
I found it really easy to see everything through Merricat’s eyes, which probably says something about me 😳 You can tell something’s not right with her from the start but I still liked her. I felt bad for Constance too.
Constance honestly broke my heart. She’s so soft and patient, and it’s like she kept trying to hold things together even though she’s clearly not okay either. She’s a people pleaser. Charles was greedy and bad but his one redeeming quality is that he almost saved Constance. It hurt that she was finally about to break out of her shell it seemed, but the fire and the townspeople obviously broke her forever. They both obviously have their issues, but I loved their togetherness and sisterhood bond.
For me what makes a book so great is how easy you can see through the eyes of the narrator or main character, and that’s what made this one so interesting to me. I almost felt trapped in her world. Maybe that’s what makes it horror, the fact that I can feel and completely empathize with someone like Merricat.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
a short novella filled with beautiful prose and interesting characters. i liked merricat a lot, she was compelling and her magical thinking was such a fascinating addition to the workings of the plot!
my main issue was really that it felt kind of rambling at times, which distracted from the mystery and did some damage to the build-up.
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-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
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes