The Lottery, and Other Stories

By: Shirley Jackson

Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell, Gabrielle de Cuir, Kathe Mazur, Stefan Rudnicki

Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins

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

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.

25 of 25 people found this review helpful

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.

8 of 8 people found this review helpful

moody , intriguing , entertaining

What did you love best about The Lottery, and Other Stories?

i love this writer! the pace of the story is unusually satisfying. a steady rhythm of words and ideas that thud, thud, thud, to make their story.

Who was your favorite character and why?

i liked the general malaise of the "modern woman". whether she was a housewife or a career woman much of her life and joy and energy was slowly drained away. i liked that because it is true and holds up a mirror and knowledge is power to change things.

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

the narrator didn't get bogged down in so much dialoge

Who was the most memorable character of The Lottery, and Other Stories and why?

the characters were very generic. it was their environment that was more memorable. there was almost a twighlight zone sketch drama about the stories.

Any additional comments?

surprised to see they were written in the 1930-1940's, especially with the similarity to of the lottery story to the now popular story of "the hunger games."

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

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.

11 of 14 people found this review helpful

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.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Everyone has an opinion

Did not really enjoy this collection. Maybe it would be better in print. Stories didn't go anywhere.

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.

unfinished

Hard to follow. wish there was more to the stories, they felt unfinished to me.

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!🤡)

Mostly Odd, Pointless

Almost without exception, these stories are a strange, bumbling lot.
"The Lottery" is a chilling classic that remains as shocking today as when it was first published in 1948. Similarly compelling is "Flower Garden", an ironic tale of racism and the hypocrisy of the townspeople who cling stubbornly to its miserable traditional tenets.
The rest of the collection, however, is pretty much a go-nowhere mish-mash.
I've always considered Jackson to be overrated as a writer, although her flawless grammar and precise language are jewels in a crumbling linguistic universe.

1 of 11 people found this review helpful

Includes s very shouty narrator

Shirley Jackson's stories are so disturbing - I only wish the shouty female narrator didn't disturb their telling quite so often.

4 of 5 people found this review helpful

Superb!

I have always enjoyed Shirley Jackson's writing, having started with her novels 'We have always lived at the Castle' and 'The Haunting of Hill House', then came across a reading of The Lottery on BBC Radio 4 and was immediately drawn in to her superb art of short story telling. I was delighted to find this anthology on Audible and loved each of the stories. Some are short sharp shocks delivered in a couple of pages; others are a longer burn which draw you deeper down as the layers of the characters begin to unfold to show their public and private selves, their interactions with each other, their communities, households and neighbours. These stories are often set against the the hum drum of every day life; over a coffee in the kitchen, cooking for a neighbour, moving to a new neighbourhood. The stories that play out, however, are quite chilling, often bizarre and uncomfortable and always captivating.

Each story is narrated very well, the collection of narrators bring the right level of light and dark into the story. They deliver various accents and genders without them sounding corny or contrived.

I have since purchased the book of the The Lottery and can wholly recommend this anthology to listeners and readers who have a fascination with the darker side of the human condition.