Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

54 reviews

stephe's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Wow. I was expecting to enjoy this book based on its reputation and how much I liked Mike Flanagan’s Netflix adaptation, and it exceeded expectations! Jackson’s prose is *chef’s kiss* so good. The characters are so well-written: no one is explained to you, not even Eleanor, whose interiority is most in view. The dialogue is punchy and sharp. And the spooky factor is top-notch. Also, it seems very clearly to be a story about queer awakening, longing, and isolation that’s both profound and devastating. All around great book, and it deserves its place as one of the best ghost stories ever written.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Alcohol, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Death, and Toxic friendship

jmeyers888's review against another edition

mysterious tense slow-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Blood, and Dysphoria

eric1992's review against another edition

mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Minor: Suicide, Mental illness, Blood, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Death, and Alcohol

foxclcves's review against another edition

dark 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Religious bigotry, Alcohol, Death of parent, and Mental illness

Minor: Gaslighting, Blood, Car accident, Death, Suicide, and Cursing

starlit_pathways's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Confinement, Car accident, Suicide, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Moderate: Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, and Grief

dannilmp's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious sad tense medium-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

3.0

A venture back to the classic horror genre for me and my first haunted house read. A slow burn story which focuses far more on atmospheric horror than graphic horror. I'd make sure to keep the lights on while you read this one. 

For being written quite a while ago, I found the language easy to read and understand, there were a couple of times I had to get the dictornary out but aside from that it was easy to immerse myself in the story. The focus on the atmosphere and the slow and gradual build up of the horror aspects kept me on my toes throughout the whole novel. While it was a relatively short novel, the suspence felt like a lifetime. I was not expecting the ending and I still can't quite figure some aspects of the story out. Who really was haunting Hill House if there even was anyone there?

The only letdown for me was my lack of understanding of certain plot points and character behaviour. There was the odd occasion where I wasn't certain which character was speaking and I would have to go back and re-read some sections. This didn't detract too much from the pace of the story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Death, Toxic friendship, and Car accident

Moderate: Blood and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Alcohol

bookish_bry's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.75

I am very impressed by the writing of The Haunting of Hill House. Jackson does and artful job at making the novel itself reflect the setting of Hill House. The text is beautiful, but there is a darkness to it too. I also love an

unreliable narrator which we get beautifully in Eleanor. It's fascinating to watch her sense of reality denigrate more and more every chapter.

I like how the characters all interact with each other and the whimsical nature to some parts. It was a very enjoyable read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Suicide, Mental illness, and Death

Moderate: Alcohol and Abandonment

Minor: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, and Blood

There is a good amount of unreality in this novel.

bexi's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad 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

3.75

I'd probably rate this higher after a re-read. It was very atmospheric, which I enjoyed. However, I found it hard to follow at times. I believe that was intentional, and a smart choice on Jackson's part considering the direction she took the story in.
 
It wasn't very scary, more creepy and unsettling. Which is what I was hoping for because I am a soft, anxious marshmallow and need to be careful about the content I consume. If you're not a fan of gore/murder/body horror in spooky books I think this is a good option, but do check out the content warnings.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide

Moderate: Death of parent, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Car accident, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Toxic relationship

Minor: Ableism, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Death, Terminal illness, Abandonment, and Suicide attempt

catherinedsharp's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

DISCLAIMER -  I read this text as a set text for university meaning I did not pick this up for myself. It does not fit my usual reading selection so my review may be rather biased. 

This was an interesting text. A very repetitive nature and yet it never got dull. It was more unsettling than scary which in a way is worse? A lot of the plot was disjointed which made it difficult to understand what was going on - which in itself is the whole point.

Overall I enjoyed this book but it was middling.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Suicide, Car accident, and Death

annoyedhumanoid's review against another edition

mysterious 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? No

4.0

i wouldn't say i found it scary or tense at all, just a lil spooky at times. it started off strong but kind of fell into a lull for the last third until the very end. i wanted to see

the house's control over Eleanor

play out longer; it was definitely a slow burn but there wasn't much payoff.
also, no, this book doesn't have any queer undertones. they are so blatant they're fucking overtones.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicide attempt, Car accident, and Suicide

Minor: Blood, Child abuse, Death of parent, Confinement, Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, and Death