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

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"

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.

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.

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.

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.

Don't waste your time.

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

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.

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.

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!🤡)

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.

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.

Shite

Fantastic if you are a teenager with no interest in character development or well written prose. The stories are thin and the writing tedious. I managed two of the stories before giving up.

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.

Dreadful

The stories just don't seem to go anywhere. There's no reason why things happen. I just don't get why.

My First NiF Audiobook!

It was really educational to understand how an NiF is formed under one banner, but remains a standalone in each case.

The race issue was an interesting arc, along with the societal viewpoints on 'A Woman's Place'. Remembering this was 1948, it reeks of what should be outdated ideas but, almost 70+ years later, unfortunately, are not.

Not bad

well read, some of the stories don't make much sense, but overall not a bad listen

The uncomparable Shirley Jackson

wonderful short stories, extremely well performed. Powerful characters in ordinary situations extraordinarily observed and told.