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The Lottery, and Other Stories  By  cover art

The Lottery, and Other Stories

By: Shirley Jackson
Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell,Gabrielle de Cuir,Kathe Mazur,Stefan Rudnicki
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Publisher's summary

A powerful collection of short stories by Shirley Jackson.

"The Lottery," one of the most terrifying stories of the twentieth century, created a sensation when it was first published in the New Yorker. "Powerful and haunting," and "nights of unrest" were typical reader responses. This collection, the only one to appear during Jackson's lifetime, unites "The Lottery" with 24 equally unusual stories. Together they demonstrate her remarkable range - from the hilarious to the truly horrible - and power as a storyteller.

©2014 Skyboat Media (P)2014 Blackstone Audio

Featured Article: The Haunting of Hill House—Book vs. Show


Shirley Jackson was inspired to write the novel after reading about a group of psychic researchers who spent time in a house believed to be haunted. In an essay, Jackson explained that she was less interested in the investigation itself and more intrigued by what could be learned about the people conducting the investigation. If you're a fan of the super creepy Netflix series, here's the lowdown on how the two chilling incarnations stack up.

What listeners say about The Lottery, and Other Stories

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  • 2 Stars
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Title List:

In case you want to listen to your own curated list, here are the titles in order and, fortunately, broken up into each individual chapters:
1. "The Intoxicated"
2. "The Daemon Lover"
3. "Like Mother Used to Make"
4. "Trial by Combat"
5. "The Villager"
6. "My Life with R. H. Macy"
II
7. "The Witch"
8. "The Renegade"
9. "After You, My Dear Alphonse"
10 "Charles"
11. "Afternoon in Linen"
12. "Flower Garden"
13. "Dorothy and My Grandmother and the Sailors"
III
14."Colloquy"
15. "Elizabeth"
16. "A Fine Old Firm"
17. "The Dummy"
18. "Seven Types of Ambiguity"
19. "Come Dance with Me in Ireland"
IV
20. "Of Course"
21. "Pillar of Salt"
22. "Men with Their Big Shoes"
23. "The Tooth"
24. "Got a Letter from Jimmy"
25. "The Lottery"

"Epilogue"

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264 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Titles please!

The titles aren't read so they all blend into each other and there's no way to figure out what the titles are.

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124 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Collections of Fragments

Prepared to stay confused as this assortment of pieces of stories plays out.
Most randomly start and finish leaving many questions and much unanswered.
Would probably be better in print as you could actually tell when the various tales begin or end. In the audio format, the only clue is a change in the voice indicating that the previous rambling has ended and another is beginning.

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44 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Interesting short stories

A selection of dark, but intriguing, short stories by Shirley Jackson. She is best known for writing "The Haunting of Hill House". There is nothing supernatural in these stories, but there is a theme of grotesque behavior between people. The narration is excellent, all of the narrators are first rate.

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27 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Not all the stories are like The Lottery

I thought they would be, so I was surprised but not disappointed. These stories are well-crafted moments in the lives of their characters. Like good short stories, they hit the ground running and, without exposition, gave me all the information I needed.

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24 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Lovely writing and very moving listen

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Oh my God, yes. Shirley Jackson's stories are magnificent. She nails the woman's pov of 1950s life. The detail of human emotion in the little things is heart-rending. She was an icon.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Lottery, and Other Stories?

Well, we all know about the Lottery. But the other stories are just as gripping and moving.

Have you listened to any of the narrators’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

These are pro narrators; each a bit different but amazingly able to portray all the emotional gamut of Jackson's writing.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Can't list them all. Too many delicate, emotional moments. Reminded me of Tennessee Williams exquisite writings.

Any additional comments?

The Lottery is a classic; but the other stories are gems.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Don't waste your time.

I am not understanding why this got such a high review. It was a complete struggle to get through.

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Hugely Disappointing

As I have always thought of The Lottery as being one of the best short stories ever written, I looked forward to this collection of stories with great anticipation. Sadly this collection turned out to not be a collection of stories but of mere vignettes. I wish I could get back the time I wasted listening to this. Most of the vignettes were either downright boring or dragged on and on making the listener wonder if they would ever end. Had this collection been by any other author, I would have quit listening early on, but I kept telling myself that surely there must be some hidden gems within. Don’t waste your precious time on this collection. Get a single copy of The Lottery and enjoy.

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7 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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heart breaking

this series is a quiet look at how horrible day to day life can be and the complete lack of empathy that humans have with each other. every chapter you long for a happy ending and pray for the players, but it never comes. the world is a bad place.

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Slow Burn

Deceptively normal-seeming, hypnotic prose delivered by especially talented readers. Mid-20th century suburban hysteria, wars waged with manners, Women on the verge of abject instability. Shirley Jackson is one of a kind (although there is a similar prosaic mastery to Flannery O'Conner's) Anything can happen! (Watch out for Jim/James Harris, tall writer in blue!🤡)

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