Paperback, 158 pages
English language
Published Jan. 8, 2009 by Peguin Group.
We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a 1962 mystery novel by American author Shirley Jackson. It was Jackson's final work, and was published with a dedication to Pascal Covici, the publisher, three years before the author's death in 1965. The novel is written in the voice of eighteen-year-old Mary Katherine "Merricat" Blackwood, who lives with her sister and uncle on an estate in Vermont. Six years before the events of the novel, the Blackwood family experienced a tragedy that left the three survivors isolated from their small village. The novel was first published in hardcover in North America by Viking Press, and has since been released in paperback and as an audiobook and e-book. It has been described as Jackson's masterpiece. Its first screen adaptation appeared in 2018, based on a screenplay by Mark Kruger and directed by Stacie Passon.
We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a 1962 mystery novel by American author Shirley Jackson. It was Jackson's final work, and was published with a dedication to Pascal Covici, the publisher, three years before the author's death in 1965. The novel is written in the voice of eighteen-year-old Mary Katherine "Merricat" Blackwood, who lives with her sister and uncle on an estate in Vermont. Six years before the events of the novel, the Blackwood family experienced a tragedy that left the three survivors isolated from their small village. The novel was first published in hardcover in North America by Viking Press, and has since been released in paperback and as an audiobook and e-book. It has been described as Jackson's masterpiece. Its first screen adaptation appeared in 2018, based on a screenplay by Mark Kruger and directed by Stacie Passon.
La storia รจ una ricostruzione, un pezzo alla volta, del tragico incidente che ha portato alla more della famiglia Blackwood, alternata con la vita delle due sorelle sopravvissute nel presente.
Weird, unsettling and quite lovely at the same time, I just couldn't put it down. The way things are revealed and evolve is incredibly well done.
Weird, unsettling and quite lovely at the same time, I just couldn't put it down. The way things are revealed and evolve is incredibly well done.
From the PoV of a weird kid, very interesting, uneasy, 'gothic' novel that has some of the weirdness you would expect in a creepy mansion story with reclusive character.
Original: ntavish.in/blog/2024_books/#we-have-always-lived-in-the-castle-by-shirley-jackson
From the PoV of a weird kid, very interesting, uneasy, 'gothic' novel that has some of the weirdness you would expect in a creepy mansion story with reclusive character.
Original: ntavish.in/blog/2024_books/#we-have-always-lived-in-the-castle-by-shirley-jackson
I liked this book but I respected it more than I liked it.
This is an example of the kind of story that's worth having the plot spoiled beforehand, just so you can focus on what actually makes it good: the creeping tension and evocative setting.
It also didn't help that I spent a large chunk of the book being reminded of Iain Banks brilliant first novel The Wasp Factory. It's not a totally fair comparison because the two books have slightly different styles but still, I couldn't help it and this book was never going to come out on top in that match up.
I liked this book but I respected it more than I liked it.
This is an example of the kind of story that's worth having the plot spoiled beforehand, just so you can focus on what actually makes it good: the creeping tension and evocative setting.
It also didn't help that I spent a large chunk of the book being reminded of Iain Banks brilliant first novel The Wasp Factory. It's not a totally fair comparison because the two books have slightly different styles but still, I couldn't help it and this book was never going to come out on top in that match up.
Love this book - folio edition is beautiful
merricat merricat
Iโm not sure exactly why, but this one didnโt strike me nearly as forcefully as The Haunting of Hill House. Perhaps it was the characters, who are really the primary focus of We Have Always Lived in the Castle. I know many readers find Mary Katherine and Constance sympathetic characters, but I just could not bring myself to care. Even from the start, Mary Katherineโs tone in her narration and general way of existing made me weary of her (yes, I mean weary, not wary). Her affectations were just a tad bit too much. Her childish nature is part of the point, you could argue, but for me it was just off-putting. Even Constance, whose melancholy bleeds through the pages in its abundance, was almost overwrought. The characters are as stunted as the house, and the mirroring of these aspects is clever, but even with that understanding, I โฆ
Iโm not sure exactly why, but this one didnโt strike me nearly as forcefully as The Haunting of Hill House. Perhaps it was the characters, who are really the primary focus of We Have Always Lived in the Castle. I know many readers find Mary Katherine and Constance sympathetic characters, but I just could not bring myself to care. Even from the start, Mary Katherineโs tone in her narration and general way of existing made me weary of her (yes, I mean weary, not wary). Her affectations were just a tad bit too much. Her childish nature is part of the point, you could argue, but for me it was just off-putting. Even Constance, whose melancholy bleeds through the pages in its abundance, was almost overwrought. The characters are as stunted as the house, and the mirroring of these aspects is clever, but even with that understanding, I guess I just donโt โgetโ this book.
There are interesting moments, certainlyโas Iโve come to learn, Jacksonโs style is brilliant in creating a sense of atmosphere. Castle is no different; the โcastleโ in question, and especially the town, appear vividly in these pages. The sistersโ and their interactions with the mysteriously hostile town inhabitants creates a deepening sense of claustrophobia as the novel progresses. Iโve read that this part of the book was inspired by Jacksonโs own experiences in North Bennington, Vermont, so it is quite remarkable to see how readily she has transposed that feeling into words, Her writing style, as in Hill House, is brief and to the point, but in the way that a statue has been chiseled away to leave only what is necessary for its form. The opening paragraph itself is a fantastic scene-setter, introducing you not only to Merricatโs oddity, but to the motifs of the story more generally.
This book will either impress you or dull you, almost certainly; few seem to walk away with an intermediate reaction. It did both for me, in parts, but overall, its weirdness was just not my cup of tea. Despite that, I would still reservedly recommend this bookโitโs a classic, and a cemented foundation of the Jackson canon, and for that alone is well worth the read.
Captures the casual cruelty that exists in many communities. Several chilling passages are delivered perfectly. Honestly, the part that didn't resonate was the repentance of some of the neighbors.
Captures the casual cruelty that exists in many communities. Several chilling passages are delivered perfectly. Honestly, the part that didn't resonate was the repentance of some of the neighbors.
Content warning Spoilers ahead!
Written in 1962, We Have Always Lived in the Castle tells the story of sisters Constance and Mary Katherine after the most horrific event has already happened - the poisoning of their entire family. Narrator Mary K (or Merricat) is 18 and naรฏve and spends her time setting and tweaking her own version of magic - at once childlike and dangerous. Constance gardens, cooks and preserves with skill. A few things become apparent. The family (past and present) are defined by selfishness and superiority that has caused them to rot. Merricat is unaccountable to her actions, and Constance's life is dedicated to both keeping Merricat safe and fed, and placating her, to the point where Constance is entirely in service and Merricat is in control. When their cousin Charles arrives out of the blue, the balance of power is upset - Charles starts dictating terms and Constance is both too passive to do anything, and starts to see an opportunity to live her own life. Merricat, however, would rather burn everything down than accept life with Charles in charge. In some ways, WHALITC becomes an origin story for the creepy house at the edge of town. It's hard to see The Addams Family being made without books like this setting the scene. It's an account of when old money fails to stay in the present and turns in on itself. It's also a dated perspective which asks and expects us to fear the mentally ill. It's interesting, and I recommend it, but I'm also glad that we have moved on from this type of horror fiction.
4.5/5
Okay that was a super creepy book. I love the way Merricat narrates the book, her tone and thoughts are just so wild and erratic and freaky. She is insightful and yet childish. I loved her relationship with her sister as well, they truly deserve peace from the outside world after everything they had been through.
And Charles, oh man. What a horrible person. He was a character made just so you can hate him, and hate him I did. So well done.
Overall I loved the book. It was very effective and creepy and lovely and just such a big bag of emotions.
9/10
Loved it. Jackson is truly a master of her genre.
Teeming with potential that goes absolutely nowhere. Just not my cup of poisonous tea, I guess.
Weird, original and surprising story. Nicely written.
The reader finds themself taking part in the perplexing day-to-day lives of the remaining Blackwood family through the puzzling eyes of Miss "Merricat" Blackwood. This world has you always feeling that something is not quite right; from the villagers, to the Blackwood family, and the settings themselves, the lurking unease never leaves. This work is beautifully crafted but, upon finishing, I was left wondering why I had ever picked it up to begin with. (3.5/5)
The reader finds themself taking part in the perplexing day-to-day lives of the remaining Blackwood family through the puzzling eyes of Miss "Merricat" Blackwood. This world has you always feeling that something is not quite right; from the villagers, to the Blackwood family, and the settings themselves, the lurking unease never leaves. This work is beautifully crafted but, upon finishing, I was left wondering why I had ever picked it up to begin with. (3.5/5)
Schwer รผber das Buch zu reden, ohne gleich alles zu verraten; ich verrate ungefรคhr dreiviertel, damit ich drรผber berichten kann, also Spoiler ahead.
Ich frage mich, wie es in den Sechzigern gewesen sein muss, als dieses Buch herauskam. Aber auch fรผr mich 2020 ist es erfrischend, Bรผcher zu lesen, die so sehr von ihren Frauen leben, die gleich zu Beginn als komplex und interessant vorgestellt werden. Die Hauptperson, Mary Katherine oder ,,Merricat"wie ihre Schwester sie nennt, lรคuft von Angst und Hass beseelt in der Stadt einkaufen und wรผnscht allen den Tod. Erst nach und nach wird aufgedeckt, warum auch die halbe Kleinstadt sie und ihre Familie nicht mag. Die Art, wie sie in der Stadt unterwegs ist, erinnert mich an durch Trauma ausgelรถste Anxiety, alles wird auf Warnsignale abgescannt, sie, ein Onkel und ihre Schwester Constance leben in ihrem Zuhause wie in einer Zuflucht, ihre Schwester vor allem traut sich โฆ
Schwer รผber das Buch zu reden, ohne gleich alles zu verraten; ich verrate ungefรคhr dreiviertel, damit ich drรผber berichten kann, also Spoiler ahead.
Ich frage mich, wie es in den Sechzigern gewesen sein muss, als dieses Buch herauskam. Aber auch fรผr mich 2020 ist es erfrischend, Bรผcher zu lesen, die so sehr von ihren Frauen leben, die gleich zu Beginn als komplex und interessant vorgestellt werden. Die Hauptperson, Mary Katherine oder ,,Merricat"wie ihre Schwester sie nennt, lรคuft von Angst und Hass beseelt in der Stadt einkaufen und wรผnscht allen den Tod. Erst nach und nach wird aufgedeckt, warum auch die halbe Kleinstadt sie und ihre Familie nicht mag. Die Art, wie sie in der Stadt unterwegs ist, erinnert mich an durch Trauma ausgelรถste Anxiety, alles wird auf Warnsignale abgescannt, sie, ein Onkel und ihre Schwester Constance leben in ihrem Zuhause wie in einer Zuflucht, ihre Schwester vor allem traut sich nicht heraus wegen eines Skandals, in dem sie im Mittelpunkt steht. Merricat, nur auf Schutz aus, benutzt Zauber und Aberglauben, um sich gegen das Auรen zu wehren, derart den Ritualen verhaftet, dass sie sich nur die Schuld geben kann, als was von auรen ,,eindringt". Einmal lassen sie einen jungen Mann hinein, ein Cousin in der Familie, und die Art, wie er versucht, Merricat rauszudrรคngen, hat subtil eine Patriarchatskritik. Gleichzeitig steht er auch fรผr eine Verheiรung eines neuen schรถnen Lebens fรผr Constance, die ihn vermutlich heiraten will - die wenigen Momente, wo Constance sich etwas von den Rettungsversuchen der Schwester zu befreien sucht - oder von ihren eigenen schlechten Strategien? Manchmal fรผhlt es sich nรคmlich so an, als sei Merricat einfach nur eine รberlebensstrategie der Schwester Constance, denn der teils mit Gedรคchtnisschwรคche belegte, teils hoch informierte Onkel sagt einmal, Mary Katherine hรคtte den Skandal damals nicht รผberlebt und sei im Waisenhaus an Vernachlรคssigung gestorben. Am Ende, nach einem Angriff der Stadtbewohner, verbarrikadieren sie sich im Haus und reagieren auf niemanden mehr, der ihnen (mit guter oder bรถser Absicht) Hilfe anbietet. Constance verspricht Merricat, nicht mehr รผber den Skandal zu reden. ,,Oh Constance, we are so very happy", sagt Merricat noch am Schluss, nachdem jeder Kontakt zu anderen Menschen komplett abgebrochen und selbst der letzte Glaube an das Gute in anderen zerbrochen ist. Es hat wirklich fรผr mich die Tragik von Leuten, denen Schlimmes passiert ist und die nicht mehr darรผber reden oder Hilfe annehmen kรถnnen. Und letztendlich zu Geistern werden.
