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The Haunting of Hill House
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For over 20 years, Belasco House has stood empty. Regarded as the Mt. Everest of haunted houses, its shadowed walls have witnessed scenes of unimaginable horror and depravity. All previous attempts to probe its mysteries have ended in murder, suicide, or insanity.
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Titles please!
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"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.
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In December 2017 the famous porn star August Ames committed suicide in a park in the Conejo Valley. It happened a day after she’d been the victim of a pile-on, via Twitter, by fellow porn professionals - punishment for her tweeting something deemed homophobic. A month later, August’s husband, Kevin, connected with Jon Ronson to tell the story of how Twitter bullying killed his wife. What neither Kevin nor Ronson realized was that Ronson would soon hear rumors and secrets hinting at a very different story - something mysterious and unexpected and terrible.
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a healing masterpiece
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The Institute
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In a house on a quiet street in suburban Minneapolis, intruders silently murder Luke Ellis’ parents and load him into a black SUV. Luke will wake up at The Institute, in a room that looks just like his own, except there’s no window. And outside his door are other doors, behind which are other kids with special talents - telekinesis and telepathy - who got to this place the same way Luke did. In this most sinister of institutions, the director, Mrs. Sigsby, and her staff are ruthlessly dedicated to extracting from these children the force of their extranormal gifts.
Publisher's Summary
Past the rusted gates and untrimmed hedges, Hill House broods and waits….
Four seekers have come to the ugly, abandoned old mansion: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of the psychic phenomenon called haunting; Theodora, his lovely and lighthearted assistant; Eleanor, a lonely, homeless girl well acquainted with poltergeists; and Luke, the adventurous future heir of Hill House. At first, their stay seems destined to be merely a spooky encounter with inexplicable noises and self-closing doors, but Hill House is gathering its powers and will soon choose one of them to make its own.
Shirley Jackson (1916–1965), a celebrated writer of horror, wrote such classic novels as We Have Always Lived in the Castle and The Bird’s Nest, as well as one of the most famous short stories in the English language, “The Lottery”. She has influenced such writers as Neil Gaiman, Stephen King, and Richard Matheson.Critic Reviews
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- Crystal
- Bluefield, VA, United States
- 02-11-14
Well written horror tale
I chose to listen to this book in order to pass the time while organizing and cleaning the kitchen. I remembered Ms. Jackson's stirring short story, "The Lottery" and hoped this would be just as intriguing. I used the book as an incentive to get done a job I did not want to do and it was treat was to listen to this book as I went about my task. This book has been on my list for a while, after learning that Ms. Jackson wrote in this genre. I don't read many supernatural thrillers but this one was a good one that wasn't too "freaky" that would leave me with nightmares. I would think that it sits solidly in the genre along with Henry James' Turn of the Screw and as well as Stephen King's The Shining. It some ways it reminded me of both. I'm sure that it was on the cutting edge, written in the 1950's when everything was to be happy and pleasant. I appreciated the solid description that helped build the scene in my mind without being overly descriptive and flowery. Her characterization is solid but not overwhelmingly vivid, except maybe for the Doctor's wife. She was maybe a bit too vivid. This "ghost" story sits adequately between the old and the new in the genre. I was adequately entertain without my intelligence being insulted. I look forward to reading other pieces from Ms. Jackson.
69 of 76 people found this review helpful
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Overall
- Mark
- 11-04-10
Superb Reading of Horror Classic
Dunne's performance of Jackson's novel is just about perfect. Her husky, flexible voice provides a consistent sense of character and tone. I have a book on writing horror fiction. The editors ran a poll of top horror/fantasy writers as to "best of" and Jackson's Haunting of Hill House came in first. It is on Stephen King's list of "ten best." It is a wonderfully-written novel that gets inside your head. As one reads this, one sees how huge an influence it was upon King, as several elements play powerfully into Carrie, Rose Red, and other works.
66 of 74 people found this review helpful
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- Leigh M
- 10-25-18
Anticlimactic
I've heard so much about this book and how great it is. And let me tell you: great it is not. Dull mostly with very few exciting moments.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
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- BeaBee
- 02-16-13
Best narrator I've listened to to date
Would you listen to The Haunting of Hill House again? Why?
I wouldn't, only because I've never been the type to read/listen to a book twice. It's nothing negative about the book itself.
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Haunting of Hill House?
The ending....although I won't say anything more to spoil it
Which character – as performed by Bernadette Dunne – was your favorite?
I enjoyed her performance for all the characters. She did an amazing job distinguishing them.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Absolutly. I was highly disappointed when I would arrive at my destinantion and have to turn off the book.
24 of 28 people found this review helpful
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- StaceyZ
- California
- 11-13-18
Just okay
I really wanted to love this story but it just didn't keep my interest. Oh well.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 11-12-18
Boring
The narrator was ok at reading this book. The story itself was rather boring and seemed endless. Parts of the story were hard to follow and the ending was flat.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
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- Bobby Quiroz
- 11-06-18
Disappointed
I found the book tedious and lacked any of the suspense advertised. Perhaps I have been desensitized to the material after reading many of Stephen King’s works. The narrator was good, and brought the characters to life, but that is the only accolade I can bestow here.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
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- anmaree
- bendigo, Australia
- 02-20-11
Well written story that captures the imagination.
The book is written well and in detail, the narrator really portray's the characters very well giving each their own uniqueness, this makes it quite easy to imagine yourself in the book, which is what makes it so enjoyable!
15 of 18 people found this review helpful
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- Old Man Parker
- 04-04-13
Perhaps the best haunted house tale of all time.
Where does The Haunting of Hill House rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
One of my favorites.
Who was your favorite character and why?
Well, hard to say, Elie, who you see much of the story through is going mad, so is not all times very likable, I think the Dr. who put together the experiment is interesting, the sexy woman psychic is fun, the idle rich boy is not very deep...perhaps the house itself is the strangest character.
Have you listened to any of Bernadette Dunne’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
She has a great voice with depth and texture, wonderful for a ghost story, a crime drama, or a tale of terror.
If you could rename The Haunting of Hill House, what would you call it?
That's a hard one. "The Haunting of Hill House" is a classic title which sounds so right. It chills with it's mere words. Perhaps a second book could be called "The Hunger of Hill House"?
Any additional comments?
This is one of the all time great "Haunted House" stories. It set the bench mark for most every haunted house that has come after. If you love the horror genre, you MUST listen to this book. It's a classic.
18 of 22 people found this review helpful
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- Janice
- Sugar Land, TX, United States
- 08-18-14
A Disappointment
I really wanted to like this story. I enjoy a good ghost story that is more on the psychologically spooky side (as opposed to the slasher, gory side), and thought this would fit the bill nicely. But the handling of the characters consistently got in the way of the atmosphere. The problems:
• None of the subjects participating in this expedition to the haunted house seemed to be serious about actually trying to discover its secrets. They moved in, experienced the strange phenomena, but afterwards never even discussed among themselves what had happened or even seemed terribly surprised or concerned. We were told they wrote copious notes, but they never seemed to go anywhere.
• The too-clever, ironic conversations felt contrived and out of place. Perhaps the wry humor was meant to be a sort of whistling-in-the-dark, but it didn't work for me.
• The crazy bangings and door slammings, voices and wall writings are all sensory events that are difficult to convey in writing with the impact they deserve. Perhaps the impact would have been heightened if the characters themselves had seemed to be more viscerally affected. But they all just got over it a few minutes later, looked for the brandy and made more jokes. I have seen the 1963 film version, and found it satisfyingly spooky, largely because the actors were able to convince me that they were scared themselves.
• I found Dr. Montague’s wife to be one of the single most irritating characters I have ever read. Worse, her nearly comical militant spiritualist crusade further weakened Dr. Montague’s already weak character, undermining any pretense of scientific authority he held.
I wish I could recommend this classic, but for me it did not live up to its billing.
36 of 47 people found this review helpful
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- Stephen
- 01-09-11
Stunning
I knew nothing about this book other than it has a high-standing reputation. I wanted a 'ghost story' for Christmas. I listened to it lying in bed with no distractions and, boy, did I get my money's worth. The atmosphere and descriptions are powerful enough, but it is the psychological portrait of, and interaction between the characters which takes this book far beyond 'genre' into a 'classic'. Unsettling and scary because it insinuates itself into you, rather than frightening with shocks. And though her voice may be an acquired taste I thought that Bernadette Dunn's reading is extraordinary.
16 of 16 people found this review helpful
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- Beccameriel
- 10-31-13
Unsettling and spooky story excellently performed
I like to listen to something spooky at Halloween and have wanted to read this for a while. What I like about this story is the fact that so much is left up to the reader to decide. The narrator is so obviously unreliable that it's never clear if we can trust a thing she says. Who has seen what? Is everyone in the house experiencing the same thing? Hill House itself has a strong presence as a character and even the dimensions and angles of the rooms seem to be inherently evil. I was reminded a bit of H.P. Lovecraft's non-Euclidean geometry in Dreams of the Witch House (one for the fans there).
If you've seen the truly dreadful film with Liam Neeson and Catherine Zeta-Jones, please rest assured that it bears almost no relation to this source material.
Bernadette Dunne is a great narrator who manages to portray the apparent malice of the house and really seems to get inside Eleanor's head.
15 of 16 people found this review helpful
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- Adele
- 11-06-12
You are invited...
Take a tour of Hill House, and experience the chilling, bizarre events it encloses!
Eleanor’s invitation to Hill House by Dr.Montague is one she most likely wouldn’t have accepted, had she been aware of its looming consequences, but longing for new adventure, and “borrowing” her sister’s car, she finds her way there. At the house, despite a gloomy welcome, she eventually starts to feel safe, and quickly makes new friends in the other guests. But all is not what it seems, and soon she is entwined in a web of otherworldly encounters. Despite looking terror in the eye, Eleanor seems eventually to overcome her fears inside Hill House…or does she?
I enjoyed how the story went from a classic ghost story to a deeper, darker, and more surreal twist of events. The narration to me seemed a little contrived in parts, but otherwise I thought it flowed well.
Shirley Jackson’s 1959 novel is a perfect listen for a perfect, moody night, and will make you stay awake if you need to!
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 01-19-19
Erm....
I little weak I think. A little bit of a let down in terms of what I was expecting.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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- Coffee Black
- 01-05-19
Is this the worst book of all time?
I got this audio based on the fact that I loved the series on Netflix. However I’ve been left wondering ‘how could such and interesting and scary show come out of such a slow, dull and painfully boring book?’
There was literally one moment that even came near to being scary 4 hours into the book.
I’ve rated the narration as 3 stars but that could be very harsh or could likewise be very generous.. the fact is that I don’t actually know whether this awful story was made worse by the performance or if the performance actual salvaged some marks for the story. My gut is telling me that she did a good job. The characters were distinctive enough anyway.
In conclusion, don’t even bother with this book ESPECIALLY if your main reason for considering it is because you liked the show on Netflix.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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- Swords and Spectres
- 03-26-13
Not bad, but has its drawbacks
The story itself isn't too bad. It has a high-ranking place in ghost story lore so that's why I thought I'd give it a go.
It took me absolutely ages to get through it, purely because of two reasons:
1. The narrator, in my opinion, does the story no justice. Her voice for Eleanor sounds dreadful. I just can't describe how much her voice irks me.
2. The characters don't act or even talk like real people would in certain places. I think my main problem is the character of Eleanor.
But this is just my opinion. Other people have given it good reviews, so I think Haunting on Hill House really is one of those that you have to try for yourself.
4 of 6 people found this review helpful
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- Kindle Customer
- 11-10-16
Canonical, but somewhat dated
This is a classic ghost story by a talented author, and the the way she evokes an atmosphere of dread is truly impressive. But however skilfully Jackson employs terror, rather than horror, they novel falls short of being "scary", and becomes simply interesting fit what it has to say about human nature under extreme duress. This is actually Jackson's speciality. Where the novel also excels is in characterization. The four principal characters are excellently drawn, with Theodora and, especially, Eleanor, possessed of such a rich inner life that they truly live. Even minor players such as Mrs Dudley, Mrs Montague, and Arthur, transcend their function as caricatures and become believable.
But to me this ends up feeling more like a story about mental illnesses than the supernatural.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful
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- M. Bennett
- 01-31-19
Had hoped it would be better
Quite disappointed by this. I thought it would be scarier, instead I found it tedious and the voices just annoying at times.
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- Keith McCrea
- 01-23-19
A bit of a disappointment.
I had meant to read/listen this book for a long time and after the Netflix series from this book and my love for the movie The Haunting (1999) I was excited to start this book. However I found the story somewhat flat and I lost interest very quickly. I do think the film and TV series outshine this original story.
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- Ms. E. Crofts
- 01-22-19
I wish the main character wasn't so irratating!
I'm about half way through and I've just had to give up. The main character is so annoying, with the narrators little girl voice, that I think I'm going to try and read it instead...
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- JD
- 06-28-17
Scary?
Was told this was the pinnacle of horror stories. Given its age I can forgive some influence of nostalgia from other reviewers, but not every, nor entertaining. The reader was SUPERB.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
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- James
- 06-15-17
Aged Classic
Although certainly dated, The Haunting of Hill House is a thoroughly fantastic piece. Some sections of description - and this may simply be personal interpretation - display a certain lacking and muddled quality.
That aside however, the performance is an overall unexpectedly great one and the story itself is intriguing and drives the listener deeper.
Certainly I will listen to The Haunting of Hill House again in the future.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 12-29-18
Chilling
I'm not usually a big horror fan but this book had me captivated beginning to end. Jackson's picturesque descriptions with Dunne's expressive narration was incredible. The book owes a lot of its power to the fantastic characters. A classic.
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- Katie
- 11-28-18
Meh
I am not a fan. Was not interesting or exciting, and not even remotely scary.
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- Anonymous User
- 09-11-18
Excellent!!
Loved the subtle creation of uncertainty throughout the story. The great narration makes for a visceral experience.