Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

30 reviews

kate_arts'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
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book isn’t scary per se,but it sticks with you. Definitely more psychological than actual jump scares, though those are present as well. Nothing really like the tv show.

I especially like that Eleanor’s tone changed as a narrator as the book went along you can see her loose her sense of self in how the different occurrences are described. I also really like how you get to the last evening and you have to second guess yourself about all the crazy things that have happened so far. Like the blood in Theon’s room but also the knocking.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Car accident, Panic attacks/disorders, and Blood

Moderate: Gaslighting, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic friendship

glitterdeww's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

5.0

I feel a tremendous urge to write essays about this book. MULTIPLE essays. This is a masterpiece. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Confinement, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, and Mental illness

Moderate: Self harm and Suicide

priscillarobock's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Mental illness, Alcohol, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Blood, Self harm, and Suicide

filipa_maia's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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? It's complicated

3.0

So... I was expecting a little bit more from this book. Being my favorite genre and so acclaimed (this book was the inspiration for the Netflix series) I was expecting pure, dark horror.

Don't get me wrong, the book is good: a haunted house and a bunch of people living in it is the perfect plot to a great book. We get all the classics: knocks on the doors, footsteps when nobody is around, people acting in a very weird way. But that was not enough. The dialogs are long, superficial and, sometimes, very confusing - almost as if it was written to be a script and not a actual book. The characters are annoying and you never, truly, understand if that's how they really are or if that's part of the house's influence. Maybe that's the intention, after all. But we will never find out.

For me, there is a lot of talking and not enough action. I hear very nice thing about the series so I'm going to give it a try. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Grief, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Toxic friendship, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Confinement, Death, and Death of parent

Moderate: Car accident

Minor: Alcohol

finleyfrogreads's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Confinement, Alcohol, Blood, and Toxic friendship

abyissmal's review against another edition

challenging 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? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt and Death

Moderate: Gaslighting

Minor: Classism

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

foxclcves's review

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

rookdigoo's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Gaslighting, Car accident, and Death

Moderate: Death of parent