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Shirley Jackson

tanteva

tanteva

Even the professionals are bewildered
Joined
Dec 30, 2011
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I just finished a collection of short stories by Shirley Jackson. I read a Swedish translation and I believe it's a special collection selected for this edition. What an amazing author! Every story is so special and so mysterious, and still it's like glimpses of real life. I borrowed this from the library because Stephen King mentioned one of her novels in his book 11/22/63 (which btw is a masterpiece!).

Have you read anything by Shirley Jackson? If so, what did you think of her writing?

I rarely read short stories, I prefer to spend more time with the characters. And to be honest, it's really hard to write a good short story. Shirley Jackdon really master this though!

Do you read short stories? Do you have any other authors that you think are good at writing short stories?
 
To be honest, I hadn’t heard of her; I must be living in a cave! I put a couple of her books on hold through Libby, my library’s online reading program. Her books and stories sound very interesting.

I don’t usually read short stories, except for the free ones Amazon offers every once in a while. I always enjoy those.

Interestingly, I ordered a collection of short stories for my husband’s Kindle this month (America’s Best Short Stories 201?). He has Alzheimer’s and has difficulty getting through a regular-length book, so I thought shorter stories might be a better fit for him. I don’t know if they are good or translated.
 
I think all of us in American public education were required to read her short story The Lottery when we were in high school--at least back in the 70s. We might not remember the author's name, but I sure remember the story of a fictional American town that observed an annual tradition known as "the lottery," which was intended to ensure a good harvest and purge the town of bad omens. The whole process was described in detail throughout the story, but you don't find out until the end what actually happens to the person selected by the random lottery. I've never read The Haunting of Hill House, but that is widely considered to be one of the best ghost stories ever written (it was turned into a screenplay called The Haunting in 1963 and again in 1999--the one with Liam Neeson and Catherine Zeta-Jones--and then Netflix produced a 10-episode series loosely based on it back in 2018).

If they ever make a film about her life, I think Elisabeth Moss should play her...they look very much alike.
 
Yes, I think we all read The Lottery in middle school! Very memorable. I don't think I've read any of her other work though.
 
The Lottery was one of the short stories I read. I'd say it's rather different from the other ones with that twist in the end. Most of the other short stories are mych more like just a glimpse into a life with no real beginning and very open endings. And not very scary either. Just normal daily life. Or at least semi-normal.
 
tanteva said:
I just finished a collection of short stories by Shirley Jackson. I read a Swedish translation and I believe it's a special collection selected for this edition. What an amazing author! Every story is so special and so mysterious, and still it's like glimpses of real life. I borrowed this from the library because Stephen King mentioned one of her novels in his book 11/22/63 (which btw is a masterpiece!).

Have you read anything by Shirley Jackson? If so, what did you think of her writing?

I rarely read short stories, I prefer to spend more time with the characters. And to be honest, it's really hard to write a good short story. Shirley Jackdon really master this though!

Do you read short stories? Do you have any other authors that you think are good at writing short stories?
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I haven't read anything by her, but I'm going to go see what my library has! I too loved 11/22/63! I don't read short stories very often at all, because like you said, I prefer more time to get to know my characters. I'm intrigued by your review though!
 
scrapchyck said:
I think all of us in American public education were required to read her short story The Lottery when we were in high school--at least back in the 70s. We might not remember the author's name, but I sure remember the story of a fictional American town that observed an annual tradition known as "the lottery," which was intended to ensure a good harvest and purge the town of bad omens. The whole process was described in detail throughout the story, but you don't find out until the end what actually happens to the person selected by the random lottery. I've never read The Haunting of Hill House, but that is widely considered to be one of the best ghost stories ever written (it was turned into a screenplay called The Haunting in 1963 and again in 1999--the one with Liam Neeson and Catherine Zeta-Jones--and then Netflix produced a 10-episode series loosely based on it back in 2018).

If they ever make a film about her life, I think Elisabeth Moss should play her...they look very much alike.
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I somehow did NOT have to read The Lottery and now I want to. :giggle FOMO!

I LOVED the netflix show The Haunting of Hill House. So good! We've watched it three times all the way through I think!

ETA: I just figured out why you referenced The Haunting of Hill House... because Shirley Jackson wrote that. Now I'm even more inclined to read something of hers. I might even start with that one! :giggle
 
scrapchyck said:
Let us know if you end up having to sleep with the lights on!
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I'll probably be okay, cuz I like scary stuff (at least movies) but I'm rethinking starting this while my husband is gone this whole week and I'll be going to bed alone at night. Lol.
 
Karen said:
I'll probably be okay, cuz I like scary stuff (at least movies) but I'm rethinking starting this while my husband is gone this whole week and I'll be going to bed alone at night. Lol.
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Reminds me of when my then partner was working night, and I was alone at home with the cat, reading Stephen King's Pet Sematery. :lol
 
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