Jen

I wanted to update that I have just started reading Jackson's "The Haunting of Hill House" because I enjoyed "Castle" so much. This is about the 3rd or so book of the Gothic fiction genre that I have ever read- I am excited to be exploring this genre! Lets hope it doesn't scare me too much!

I think I like the Julian/Helen Clarke/Mrs. Wright scene so much because it is one of the few scenes that had me laughing. The rest of the book is enjoyable but not so comical as that particular scene - and it is so easy to visualize! I also have to wonder- how long did the Blackwood girls live in their house? Did the house withstand time and weather for them to live out their days? I am assuming we don't have answers because it doesn't really belong to this story or the message that Jackson was sending... but you have to wonder! What would they have done if their house collapsed? Why not move to the dreaded summer house?

1. Who was your favourite character and why? I don't think I have a favorite character, maybe Jonas, I just didn't LOVE any of the characters? I feel like Merricat is too quirky, Constance is too wishy-washy, and Uncle Julian while funny was so far gone that I just felt sorry for him. I loved to hate Charles in all of his fakeness, and even though I knew that Merricat was responsible for the fire, I liked to blame Charles for it (just like Merricat). 2. Was there a particular part you enjoyed / disliked more than the rest? I really enjoyed the scene when Uncle Julian was telling the story of the night everyone died to Mrs. Wright. It was very funny to hear Helen Clarke get all worked up about it, while Mrs. Wright was beside herself in curiosity. All the while Constance and Merricat sort of watched it all unfold, while Uncle Julian had his stage. I disliked the part when Merricat went to the summer house- I really found that whole part to be boring, maybe I'm missing something significant, but I just didn't really enjoy that part. 3. Was this the first book you've read in this genre / by this author, has it encouraged you to read more? Yes, I've never read anything like this, and I liked it! I like the way Shirley Jackson writes, it is very easy to read, and you can tell that every word is meaningful. I think I may read more of Jackson's works in the future. 4. Were there any parts / ideas you struggled with? I struggled with Constance and how trusting she was towards Charles. It was extremely frustrating to me (and I think Merricat as well) that Constance allowed Charles to fool her and even alter how she treated Uncle Julian and Merricat. Charles had no right to assume control of how things ran after only a few days in their house (as a guest) and Constance just fed right into it. I was also sort of annoyed with the repetition in Merricat's narration the many references to death and visualizing people dead, going to the moon, and being chilled - to me it started to get sort of old after a while. 5. Overall, was reading the book an enjoyable experience? I didn't love the book, but I liked it very much. It wasn't the sort of book where I couldn't put it down, but I also maintained a great interest in the characters and what was going to happen next. It was interesting to see the change in how the villagers treated the Blackwoods after the fire. The Blackwoods were the same people and acted and lived much the same - but once their house and belongings were damaged the villagers felt very differently about them. I second that! Why the need for arsenic?! b. Do you feel as if your views on a subject have changed / have you had life changing revelation reading this text? I don't think there are any revelations going on for me especially not life changing. I have been pondering the theme of how things aren't always as they appear. The Blackwoods appear to have everything: a huge expensive house, money, fancy belongings; when really all they have is each other (not even their sanity). Charles appeared to have good intentions but really was just a jerk and didn't even try hard to hide his true colors! c. What major emotion did the story evoke in you? I mostly felt pity for the Blackwoods, they were (fairly or unfairly) targeted by the villagers, lived in fear, and allowed Charles to take advantage of them. d. At what point did you decide if you liked the book or not? I liked it after reading the synopsis - I was so intrigued by the plot! Then I liked it even more when I fell in love with Jackson's writing style. e. If you could change anything, what would it be and why? I want to know more about what happened before the arsenic murder. The unanswered question: Why did Merricat poison her family? We can see why she was pushed to act on the Charles situation- but why her own family? She seems to talk favorably about her parents, and her and Constance both value their families belongings like treasure. So what was the catalyst?

I am also about half way through the book, and enjoying it very much! So far Merricat and her compulsions have been a little irksome yet intriguing to me, right now, I suspect she is the arsenic killer... but who knows!