Reviews

The Sundial by Shirley Jackson

stephatree's review against another edition

4.0

This one is pretty eerie. Obviously, there's the unsettling anticipation of doomsday. There are a lot of creepy vibes and happenings along the way too. And also, maybe most distressing, it provides a great example of the horror of human nature. The power struggles, the selfishness. Faced with this scenario, I don't know if I would choose to survive if it meant living with these people. What a crafty little nightmare.

rubyouns's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

ilveu's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

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

3.75

eegah's review against another edition

dark funny medium-paced

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

3.75

A funny Americam Gothic tale (emphasis on funny). All the characters are strangely quirky in their own way. I'd love to see this adapted into a limited series. 

While there are horror elements, most of the book's entertainment value can be found in its slow descent into absurdity and really good satire.

lmoran46's review against another edition

funny mysterious slow-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? Yes

3.75

tomleetang's review

3.0

A few raw thoughts :

*Like every Shirley Jackson book I have ever read, everyone is in dire need of a psychiatrist
*It begins obsessing with numbers: the dimensions of the house, the statistics of cause of death
*Jackson has a great talent for the grotesque and the mad, the inane insane
*The ladies, trapped in the house and yearning for affection, are like bacchae, hypersexual and desperate - "That does not mean, captain, that we must capture our men, like a pack of lunatic priestesses feeding on their mates."
*The nurse reading Robinson Crusoe to Mr Halloran, because he is marooned in the house
*Little children are demons to Jackson - Fancy is nonchalantly homicidal with all the unformed morality of childhood

sleeptalked's review against another edition

dark funny slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

tmah23's review

dark funny mysterious slow-paced

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

3.5

Funny and well-written but I struggled to get into it and was underwhelmed by the ending 

inesdalmeida's review against another edition

4.0

4,5 stars

The opening paragraphs were absolutely gripping and they really set the mood for the whole novel. A lot Jackson's recurrent themes were present, but I feel like this book has this one bit of absolute chaos that the others do not have as much (chapter 15 & 16 were really something else)

All in all, it was a spooky surreal gothic book that explores the worst in human nature within a great mansion with a sundial, which is meant to make you question the reality around you.

merrysr's review

dark funny tense fast-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? Yes

3.75

went into it expecting something nearer to hill house, so slight loss of points for personal reading experience - but loved the tense apocalyptic horror