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Title: The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson ISBN: 0-14-007108-3 Publisher: Viking Press Pub. Date: June, 1984 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.15 (260 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: A Seduction of a Story
Comment: "The Haunting of Hill House" is probably the best subjective description of a haunting ever written in the English language. It is frightening: from the inside-out. It is Jackson's masterpiece. No wonder then that other masters of the genre have so admired & emulated this book: for this is top-quality story-telling. (I am convinced, for example, that Stephen King modeled much of "The Shining" after "The Haunting of Hill House".) The famous first paragraph of this book is seductive. And I think that seduction is what Jackson pulls off so well here. We are drawn into the house. The house is the main character, present & witnessing in every scene: yet somehow elusive. This is a book in which to dwell. I wonder if those who complain about "seeing the ending of the book coming" aren't hurling themselves thru the book too fast, projecting. "Hill House" is one of those Russian-boxes of a place, rooms that never seem to quite reveal themselves fully. "The Haunting of Hill House" is one of the few pieces of writing that physically made all the hair stand up on the back of my neck as I read. Brilliant!
Rating: 5
Summary: The Haunting of Hill House Is As Good As It Gets
Comment: "Hill House, not sane, stood by itself against its hills, holding darkness within; it had stood so for eighty years and might stand for eighty more. Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of HIll House, and whatever walked there, walked alone."
Thus begins Shirley Jackson's classic story. The novella, written in the first half of the last century, has become one of the great literary works of the genre and has remained a favorite amongst fans of horror and the supernatural. But this book does more than tell the story of a haunted house. It is a character study of five people, placed in a situation that stresses their senses and psyche in ways that pushes their acceptance of reality to the limits.
It is the story of Eleanor Vance, an introvert who is resentful of the loss of the many years she spent caring for her sickly mother. Not long after her mother's death, living in servitude with her sister and her sister's husband, she receives an invitation to be a participant in a paranormal study at Hill House from Doctor John Montague, a man fascinated by the paranormal.
She arrives at the house sometime later, and is at first so completely overwhelmed by a sense of dread, feeling that the house is so overtly oppressive, she nearly flees. However, before she is able to run, she is introduced to the other guests who will participate in the study; Theodora, Dr. Montague's assistant, and Luke, the future heir to the house.
It isn't long after they take up residence within the house that each begins to experience different events of horror. Sounds in the night, voices and banging in the hall, apparitions of animals running through the yard, but ultimately, the horrors of this novel take us into the mind of Eleanor herself, and as we see the contortion of her personal reality, we are drawn into the insanity that ultimately leads to the climax of this novel.
The story is simple, linear, and in itself not very imaginative-but it is the characters that draw us in. Each has a complexity to them that is revealed a little at a time. Jackson introduces us to Theodora, whose overtly sexual freedoms indicate a strong inclination to lesbianism, a topic not openly expressed in novels of that era.
This story is gripping and a quick read, and can (and should) be finished in a single sitting. Jackson, whose stories are often used in high school and college literature books, compels us to see something of ourselves in each of her novels, and this one is no exception. Well worth the investment of time. The Haunting of Hill House is sure to thrill, and leave you clammoring for more.
Scott Kolecki
Rating: 5
Summary: Most Frightening Story Ever!
Comment: Shirley Jackson is truly a master of the human mind. Her stories, including this one, are not just about these strange and horrible things that happen to people, but even more about their minds and the ways that they react to the people around them. In one sense you can see the end of this story coming for a while, but it's still a shock when you reach it.
I've already read every book Stephen King has written, so I was looking for a good horror novel. After reading some of the reviews here, I spent all day hunting for this book, moving from bookstore to bookstore, and when I eventually found this, I started reading, about mid-afternoon. I was caught up with it and couldn't put it down, not even to eat, until two o'clock the next morning. Now it may have just been because I was reading it in the middle of the night, but for me this book is more frightening than any story I've ever read before. There is a strange emotional tapestry among the ghosthunters in this building, but withing the growing unease, there are absolutely terrifying scenes that creep up on you and shock you. What happens to Eleanor over the course of the book makes you shiver. Now, I haven't read Matherson's 'Hell House', but I would say that this is the most frightening story ever.
Journeys end in lovers meeting...
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Title: Hell House by Richard Matheson ISBN: 0312868855 Publisher: Tor Books Pub. Date: 13 October, 1999 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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Title: We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson ISBN: 0140071075 Publisher: Puffin Pub. Date: June, 1984 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
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Title: The Lottery : And Other Stories by Shirley Jackson ISBN: 0374516812 Publisher: Noonday Press Pub. Date: 01 May, 1982 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title:The Haunting ASIN: B00009NHB6 Publisher: Warner Home Video Pub. Date: 05 August, 2003 List Price(USD): $19.98 Comparison N/A, buy it from Amazon for $17.38 |
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Title: Ghost Story by Peter Straub ISBN: 0671685635 Publisher: Pocket Books Pub. Date: 01 September, 1989 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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