The Haunting of Hill House

Rating:
Summary: A great book, but the end...
Review: This was a great book. The details on the house and when Nell came to Hill House were excellent. You could really picture everything in your mind. This book has sort of like a silent type of "scaryness" in it that really gave me the chills. The ending was kind of a disappointment though. At first, I though that I had misunderstood it, and I had to read it over before I knew that it had actually happened. I really recommend this book, it's a classic.

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely wonderful-nothing like the remake!
Review: Shirley Jackson is truly the master of horror. She weaves a dark tale of loneliness, depression, sadness, obsession and fear. Most readers, who have seen the remake, seem to be impressed with special effects and cheesy plots. This story is chilling not because of the supernatural themes, but because of the dark recesses of human nature. People don't seem to realize that the ending (without giving too much away) depicts Eleanor's response towards her feelings of isolation and depression. Who knows if she did what she did because of a ghost or because she was truly mad? was she trying to stay in the only place that understood her or was the house trying to keep her? Please, don't base this literary masterpiece on a REALLY bad movie. read the book and decide WHO was in control-Eleanor or Hill House?

Rating:
Summary: Mmmmmm....what to say?
Review: This book was a bit of a disappointment. It didn't scare me at all. I don't know how people could BE scared of it! The only thing that frightened me was Eleanore's state of mind. What a psychopath!

Rating:
Summary: Great build up but quite a disappointing end.
Review: The plot is basically simple. It builds up the suspense & though not really scary, I can't take it off my mind at night (especially at dark). I find the characters' reaction to the supernatural events sort of weird. I was expecting fear but they manifested more of excitement. I don't know if it was the author's intention to make the characters appear "possessed" by the house's spirit or it was more of the characters' breaking-up, automatic self defense to cover their fears & attempt to appear courageous at the spookiest event. Overall, I enjoyed the book but was quite disappointed at the climax. I had to re-read to make sure I got it right. (I won't mention any further for the sake of future readers).

Rating:
Summary: Great build-up, great characterization, but the end...
Review: I had been searching for a copy of this book for a long time, to no avail. Finally I found a copy at a bookstore this summer. I was quite elated to say the least. I had never seen both versions of The Haunting, so I didn't know what to expect, other than the fact that this was supposed to be one of the best horror novels ever written. I appreciated the way Shirley Jackson can depict a scene. The descriptions she gives are fantastic, from the Nell's drive to the house (anyone see the symbolism inherent in the oleanders?) to the description of Hill House, which blew my mind. Her characters are quite believeable too, and seemingly come alive. Many of the incidents described are quite chilling too. All in all, quite a build-up. But the ending totally ruined it. After all this grand set-up, (and don't read any further if you haven't already read the book), Nell kills herself by RUNNING HER CAR INTO AN F'NG TREE? WTF? It makes no sense and totally destroys the novel. I was so angered I almost threw the book across the room. At least the movie (I rented the video of the remake after finishing the book) had an ending worhty of the set-up, cheesy as it was. I would be hesitant in calling this book the greatest horror novel ever written, I don't know what that novel would be, but it sure isn't this one.

Rating:
Summary: Beautifully Written
Review: This is the first book I have read in some years now. I am so glad I chose this book to re-launch my reading hobby. I loved it so much that I had to read something else by her, "We Have Always Lived In The Castle." Not quite as horrifying but a compelling book.

Rating:
Summary: A SUPER DELUXE SPINECHILLING GHOST STORY
Review: No doubt about it, Shirley Jackson was a master of her craft! "The Haunting of Hill House" is a work of sheer genius in that it preys on the mind in subtle, subconscious ways. Eleanor is a homeless woman of 32 who spent 11 years caring for her invalid mother; she has had no real life of her own. Dr. Montague is a doctor of philosophy and he has invited Eleanor among two others to an old country estate called Hill House to explore psychic phenomena within it's walls. The opening lines are justly famous among horror story afficianados. Theodora is cheeky and funny, a carefree psychic whose personality contrasts interestingly with Eleanor's. Luke Sanderson is weak and spoiled and Dr. Montague is serious and responsible for the well-being of all concerned during their stay in the creepy New England pile. The novel was written in a magical, dreamy and poetic style which is uniquely Jackson. There is the part where Theo and Eleanor witness a family having a picnic in the daylight when it is in reality night! This novel is enjoying a revival of interest since it's publication in 1959 due to the remake of "The Haunting" and many young people are getting acquainted with this uniquely gifted writer's magical storytelling. Brilliant!

Rating:
Summary: What a writer
Review: Brilliant, just brilliant. The opening paragraph alone is extraordinary. I am not a fan of the horror genre. This book works on so many levels - quality of writing, psychological depth, humor, vivid descriptions, wry observations of human nature.

Rating:
Summary: completely spellbinding before faltering strongly
Review: The Haunting Of Hill House opens with a very observant comment on sanity. It's a truly great opening line. Most of the book is superb. In an age of gore and one-dimensional characters, Jackson's old novel is a breath of fresh air. Jackson creates an opiate-like dreamstate that holds you to the plot development. Unfortunately, this spell is shattered by the arrival of Dr. Montague's wife & her driver. They are abrasive and crude and have no place in the atmosphere created by Jackson's earlier pages. Luckily, they don't arrive until late in the book. She had me completely until their arrival. After that, the story becomes disjointed and erratic. I do think this book is worth a person's while, though I don't feel that it lived up to its reputation. It was beautifully constructed...it just wasn't completed in the same style. It's sort of like seeing a wonderful Victorian house completed with a tin roof. It could have been more appropriately entitled The Hauntings Of Hill House's Inhabitants' Heads. The tension and comraderie between the characters intrigued me more than any supernatural threats. There are some wonderful insights to the human mind hidden in these pages.

Rating:
Summary: Classic chiller
Review: Few match Shirley Jackson's expertise in inducing fear through her mesmerising use of words and images. But if you like your scares without gore, and your ghost stories without ghosts, sample Algernon Blackwood's The Damned, which foreshadows Jackson's classic novel. In my novel(Judas Tree by Simon Clark Amazon.co.uk) I've attempted to employ these classic ghost story techniques in a modern tale of a haunted island. so far, readers have responded very enthusiastically -- perhaps there is life in the traditional ghost story yet.