

We Have Always Lived in the Castle
Books | Fiction / Literary
3.2
(10.5K)
Shirley Jackson
THE STORY: The home of the Blackwoods near a Vermont village is a lonely, ominous abode, and Constance, the young mistress of the place, can't go out of the house without being insulted and stoned by the villagers. They have also composed a nasty s
Coming Of Age
Horror
Mystery
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More Details:
Author
Shirley Jackson
Pages
78
Publisher
Dramatists Play Service Inc
Published Date
1967-10
ISBN
0822212269 9780822212263
Ratings
Google: 3
Community ReviewsSee all
"Deliciously creepy."
M
Marsh
"It starts off slow but then it has you wondering what is really going on. It is a haunting read and I enjoyed it. "
S L
Sandy Lopez
"There were definitely elements of this that I liked. It was weird and creepy but the weirdness and creepiness just never led to anything. "
M K
Meagan Khatthaname
"This was just a whole weird trip I took down horror lane? My first Shirley Jackson book (I think) and I’m glad I read the Afterword by Jonathan Lethem because otherwise I would have been absolutely and completely lost. Jackson definitely pushes the envelope on cruel and singling out behavior, of the child murderer, and those who see that flaw and excuse it. Did Constance tend to her sister because she was spared? Or did she truly love her and understand her? "
S C
Soni C.
"There's not much to say about this one. I've found that if I don't absolutely love a book or hate it, that it makes extremely difficult to write a review. The book was just meh. I was hoping to get that uneasy feeling when reading a dark middle grade book. A story that brings your childhood nightmares to life. We Have Always Lived in the Castle was dark and atmospheric but it was not enough.<br/><br/>The story didn't seem to have any meaning. Mary Katherine's thoughts were highly repetitive. I enjoyed her strangeness though but it wasn't capitalized on. The story was missing that creepy whimsical vibe I so long for. Just ok. Didn't hate or love it."
A
Ashley
"So strange and weird. I enjoyed reading it though."
W
WT
"We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a new favorite for me. I can't believe I've never read this book! I read The Lottery in high school, but this is my first Shirley Jackson book outisde of that. I loved it so much, and I wish it would have been longer.<br/><br/>I loved the characters, and I can see where characters in other books were influenced by them. The setting is creepy & mysterious, and it's perfect for the story. If you haven't read this, do it now!"
E
Emily
"Wanted to like it but I found myself almost trying too hard to like it. Yes, I got the concept,but it just wasn’t for me."
G
Gabi
"I feel like metricat definitely has OCD and it’s the first time I’ve ever read a book that gets that without playing it up in a hamfisted way where the character is actually just very organized "
l
lizard
"Mary Catherine did nothing wrong actually "
e
em