The Haunting of Hill House
Ratings585
Average rating3.7
I was surprised to realize how close the movie got (1st movie, the 1963 one), though they got some things wrong. I don't understand why they had to put in the love story. :-(
Après avoir vu la série, après avoir enfin vu le film, je me suis dit que je devais m'attaquer au livre. Autant dire que les trois ont peu à voir l'un avec l'autre si ce n'est à travers les noms des personnages et le contexte de la maison. J'ai trouvé dans ce livre une magnifique poésie plus que de l'horreur, des personnages uniques (Eleanor <3) complexes et une atmosphère unique. J'y ai retrouvé finalement ce côté poétique et aigre doux que la série a à plusieurs moments et j'ai été vraiment touché par beaucoup de passages et une fin magistrale.
Journey ends in lovers meeting.
Though not as brilliant as We Have Always Lived in the Castle, The Haunting of Hill House is one easily one of the best haunted house tales ever written. Jackson has a talent at bringing out the creepy in the everyday world, making little mundane details of people's behavior or the construction of Hill House as unsettling as the more obvious strangeness going on.
This book sets the bar for spooky, creepy stories. Absolute perfection.
Was very confusing as the POV would change in the middle of chapters. Not really scary at all. Nothing like the tv sho either.
Reads like a boring Scooby Doo cartoon where absolutely nothing interesting happens.
DNF-So, I'm not sure what book the rest of you were reading but this book was terrible. I saw the Netflix series and decided to read the book because I loved the show! This is the first time in history the show is better than the book. I'll be honest, I made it to page 102 of 172 and stopped. Literally, not one thing happened in that 102 pages. Basically just bad dialogue. It took me a month to get to page 102 because I was so bored I never wanted to pick the book up. Finally, I just gave up! Seriously, just watch the show- that was amazing.
Talk about a creepy and atmospheric read. I highly recommend if you're looking for a book about a descent into madness.
I don't know if it's just me, but I didn't like this book at all, and it's unfortunate...
I think I didn't give this book a proper chance, because I was reading it in between other things and because I was thinking too much of the Netflix show while reading. I found it ok, but in reading the other reviews about it I think I may not be giving this book its due. I may read it again in the future when I can pay more attention and when I've forgotten how the tv show went!
I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected to! (aka it wasn't as scary as I feared it would be, as I am a coward). It was also a lot funnier than I expected.
If you are into this kind of thing you have probably already read this.
I admit I only read this because of the show, not having really enjoyed Jackson in the past. The book isn't like the show at all other than names and the house. It's a very interesting story. I'm not entirely sure what was going on all the time, but I think it's better that way.
“Fear,” the doctor said, “is the relinquishment of logic, the willing relinquishing of reasonable patterns. We yield to it or we fight it, but we cannot meet it halfway.”
MINOR SPOILERS BELOW -
I enjoyed the Haunting of Hill House and it deserves its four star rating in my opinion, the first thing fans of the Netflix show need to be aware of is the story in the show is very different to the story in the book, some characters are named the same with similar personalities, the the setting (obviously) is Hill House but that's where the similarities end.
I would describe Hill House as a psychological horror, there are no real “events” that kick the story off its more of a gradual climb, characters personalities change progressively without realising and before you know it the house has its hold on you.
The books plot follows an author who is investigating Hill House and its history, he invites three assistants to help him and to also record there experience of Hill House, each person is though to be in touch with the supernatural in some way. As there time in Hill House increases there handle on normality decreases.
I would 100% recommend this book to horror or suspense fans, Just dont expect the show's setting.
This review can also be found on my blog.
cw: suicide, gaslighting
Nothing is ever really wasted, she believed sensibly, even one's childhood, and then each year, one summer morning, the warm wind would come down the city street where she walked and she would be touched with the little cold thought: I have let more time go by.
(Hi all, I'm trying a new format for my reviews, let me know if you have any feedback!)
→ What I Didn't Like:
The Characters
Our main character, Nell, gave me a lot of mixed feelings. At times I adored her and at times I found her unbelievably annoying. The rest of the characters I disliked even more. I didn't understand the motivations of most of them, and I found their sudden changes in mood and demeanor off-putting. I can see the purpose of this: to wonder whether it was all in Nell's head, whether it was caused by the house, and/or whether these people were truly acting like this. The problem was, I found it so distracting and confusing that it detracted from the atmosphere of the novel for me. I was, quite frankly, annoyed by most of the characters.
→ What I Liked:
The Writing
While I had issues along the way, the fact remains that Shirley Jackson is an incredible author. She is just fantastic at atmospheric writing (although as noted above, the characters ruined some of that for me) and knows how to add in twists that you won't expect, even if her books aren't outright scary. In fact, the ending saved this book entirely for me. It was a solid 3-star read until the last bit, which had me on the edge of my seat. That ending cemented Nell as a solid character in my mind and I really felt what she was feeling.
→ Additional Thoughts:
I was quickly convinced that this book was a huge inspiration for House of Leaves, one of my favorite books. From the general aura of the house, to the scientific exploration of the unnatural, to the strange dimensions, this had an HoL vibe through and through. In fact, I'm sure in the months to come, I'll be noting a lot of books and movies that are influenced by Jackson, as she has clearly made a mark on literature with her writing.
→ TL;DR:
~I found the characters somewhat annoying
~Spooky vibes, but not really scary
~Shirley Jackson is a god-tier writer
~The ending is SO GOOD
~Definitely helped inspire House of Leaves
~Recommend!
Another review I put off writing for so long that I don't remember what I wanted to say about it. I didn't enjoy this book at all. Honestly I was confused and left with so many questions. Even after watching the series I was left unsatisfied.
I really enjoyed this spooky gothic novel. I found the relationship between Eleanor and Theodora fascinating and I actually enjoyed the ambiguous ending of this novel. I am a fan of the dark twisting turns that are infamous in Shirley Jackson's writing and this book had me totally hooked. This is the fastest audiobook I have ever gotten through and I am actually quite disappointed it has ended. While some of Eleanor's inner thoughts were irritating at times and while the horror was understated, I was fully invested in the gothic atmosphere presented in the novel. This story is a lot more subtle than a simple bump in the night horror novel but that is what endeared me even further to the story. I would happily re read this story again and I feel this is the best gothic story I have read since Rebecca. I happily rate this novel between a 4.5 and a 5 star read.
Very eerie and atmospheric. I may increase my rating upon reflection. I was reading it alone at home one windy afternoon when a door blew shut. I nearly 💩 myself!!
I ached for Eleanor, Nell. Ached. Despite the genre I wanted her to have a happy ending. Go figure.
The Haunting of Hill House is listed as a classic horror novel. A haunted house... possession.... strange sounds... creepy maid/cook. This book has it all.
The story begins with Eleanor. She receives a letter to spend the summer at Hill House. Little is known about the house except that it may be haunted. With nothing left at home, Eleanor sets off towards Hill house. She is met by the strange caretakers Mr. and Mrs. Dudley. They insist on never staying past sunset. In the coming hour, more people arrive. Theodora, same as Eleanor, decided to come because of a letter. Luke, is set to inherit Hill House. Dr. Montague, the man who wrote the letters, is writing a book on Hill House.
The night starts off normally. The house is strange, but nothing out of the ordinary happens. Then, as the hours and days role past, the house awakens. Doors start to close, strange noises can be heard, and one of the characters appears to be losing their mind.
Shirley Jackson has created an excellent atmosphere. There is a constant sense of foreboding. Something is watching and waiting for the right moment to strike. I felt like I was in a horror movie and often didn't know which way to turn. One visit into Hill House was more than enough. The reason I knocked a star off my review was because of the characters and their dialog. Mrs. Jackson tried to duplicate multiple conversations happening at the same time. It was hard to discern whom was talking to whom. There were also a number of irregular shifts in the plot. One minute the characters would be together huddled in fear. The next they'd be sleeping soundly. If events like this happened to me, I'd have left immediately.
Overall the Haunting of Hill House is perfect to read before Halloween. It has some very unnerving scenes that can only be enhanced by the shorter days, colder weather, and haunted decorations.
This review is for the audio book version. Having seen the two movies of this story, I had to get the book. For when this was written (1959??), the suggestive scariness would have had tensions high. While reasonably written, in my opinion, this story makes a better movie to carry that suspense.
I enjoyed this better than ‘We Have Always Lived in a Castle', the prose/quality of the writing was wonderful.
Writing is pretty good. My opinion of the relationship between Eleanor and Theodora fluctuates. I enjoy the Doctor as a way to reveal Hill House's history...but I frustratingly keep thinking “just take the doors off their hinges!” But it is a decent plot device to have them keep shutting and have the possible reasons for their shutting to be the balance of the house or Mrs. Dudley.
Update:
Netflix released a series (Oct 2018) that is supposed to be based off of this, but so far is rather different. I will consider giving this a re-read.
