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hanland's review against another edition
5.0
I love this book! Shirley Jackson is impeccable at portraying Eleanor’s mental health. She describes everything very well in a fairytale-like manner which is an exciting contrast to her eerie content.
traceturner's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
ouchi_ee's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
5.0
I really enjoyed the book starting in a slow pace, really setting the scene of Hill house and its history. I did predict the ending fairly early on but it didn’t ruin the book for me, it was just the right amount of mysterious and open to interpretation. I love how nell and Theo mirror the story of the sisters who lived in the house originally.
I wonder if it’s all a metaphor for nells mental health? At one point I felt as though she were a patient, and hill house was an asylum, a place she went after her mother’s death broke her beyond repair.
I wonder if it’s all a metaphor for nells mental health? At one point I felt as though she were a patient, and hill house was an asylum, a place she went after her mother’s death broke her beyond repair.
ekellek's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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? It's complicated
3.0
full_quieting's review
4.0
Awesome Halloween read.
The paragraph where Eleanor sees Hill House for the first time actually startled me. The stark, utterly uncomplicated, unironic description made a cinematic reveal that I didn't think was possible in writing.
Cool mention of the Winchester House here in San Jose too. Great book.
The paragraph where Eleanor sees Hill House for the first time actually startled me. The stark, utterly uncomplicated, unironic description made a cinematic reveal that I didn't think was possible in writing.
Cool mention of the Winchester House here in San Jose too. Great book.
archangelesq's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-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? Yes
4.5
The main thing you need to know before reading this is that it is a SLOW BURN. The spookiness from the house does not start until 100+ pages in. The first part is the setup of everyone trying to exist in Hill House. Eleanor has a mysterious past, and makes the perfect target for the nefarious dwelling. Her slow decent into madness was so well crafted. The creeping dread turns to fear as Eleanor begins a to lose it more and more. Then, when forced out by the other inhabitants, she wrecks her car on the property, hoping to remain forever.
This book was on top of so many lists of best horror novels of all time. I am on a horror kick, so I was trying to read more from women. Ms. Jackson did not disappoint. Once I knew it was a slow burn, I was hooked. I highly recommend this book.
This book was on top of so many lists of best horror novels of all time. I am on a horror kick, so I was trying to read more from women. Ms. Jackson did not disappoint. Once I knew it was a slow burn, I was hooked. I highly recommend this book.
jenni_elyse's review against another edition
1.0
I read The Haunting of Hill House as part of the RIP IX group read. I was really excited to read it because I had seen the 1999 movie The Haunting and while the movie was cheesy in some parts, I was definitely on the edge of my seat and a little bit afraid.
I’m so utterly disappointed with this book that I could just cry. Okay, not really, but this book was horrible! Fortunately, the book wasn’t long so I didn’t waste a lot of precious reading time.
The writing was weird. I don’t even know how to explain how it was weird. There were times that we were in Eleanor’s head, which felt really disjointed because she thought about weird things. The whole first part of the book really had no importance to the story other than to introduce us to Eleanor. I also didn’t feel like the writing was very descriptive. And, it was very plot-driven, which I’m not a huge fan of. (I like character-driven stories more. There’s more depth and feeling in character-driven stories.)
I hated the characters. The story mostly focused on Eleanor as she was the one most influenced by the house. In learning about her character, all I found was a self-centered, self-pitying, two-faced girl seeking attention. In fact, I thought all the characters were two-faced. I still don’t know who Luke and Theodora really are. The only person I felt I got to know even a little bit was Dr. Montague. He’s the only one who didn’t seem to put on airs. I despised Mrs. Montague and found her to be irritating. The only characters I really liked were Mr. and Mrs. Dudley. They at least were frank and honest.
It didn’t really seem like anything happened, other than Eleanor possibly going crazy or possibly being haunted by ghosts. I guess part of the allure of The Haunting of Hill House is not knowing if Eleanor is mentally unstable or influenced by paranormal phenomena. I went into the story expecting scary and I was really excited about that. But, only on one occasion did I get creeped out and that was because I was expecting something to happen like I saw in the movie. When it didn’t happen like the movie, it was a big let down.
I think the concept of The Haunting of Hill House was intriguing and could make for a very scary story. I just wish it had been executed better so I wasn’t left with such a huge feeling of disappointment.
I’m so utterly disappointed with this book that I could just cry. Okay, not really, but this book was horrible! Fortunately, the book wasn’t long so I didn’t waste a lot of precious reading time.
The writing was weird. I don’t even know how to explain how it was weird. There were times that we were in Eleanor’s head, which felt really disjointed because she thought about weird things. The whole first part of the book really had no importance to the story other than to introduce us to Eleanor. I also didn’t feel like the writing was very descriptive. And, it was very plot-driven, which I’m not a huge fan of. (I like character-driven stories more. There’s more depth and feeling in character-driven stories.)
I hated the characters. The story mostly focused on Eleanor as she was the one most influenced by the house. In learning about her character, all I found was a self-centered, self-pitying, two-faced girl seeking attention. In fact, I thought all the characters were two-faced. I still don’t know who Luke and Theodora really are. The only person I felt I got to know even a little bit was Dr. Montague. He’s the only one who didn’t seem to put on airs. I despised Mrs. Montague and found her to be irritating. The only characters I really liked were Mr. and Mrs. Dudley. They at least were frank and honest.
It didn’t really seem like anything happened, other than Eleanor possibly going crazy or possibly being haunted by ghosts. I guess part of the allure of The Haunting of Hill House is not knowing if Eleanor is mentally unstable or influenced by paranormal phenomena. I went into the story expecting scary and I was really excited about that. But, only on one occasion did I get creeped out and that was because I was expecting something to happen like I saw in the movie. When it didn’t happen like the movie, it was a big let down.
I think the concept of The Haunting of Hill House was intriguing and could make for a very scary story. I just wish it had been executed better so I wasn’t left with such a huge feeling of disappointment.