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We Have Always Lived in the Castle Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition Shirley Jackson Thomas Ott Jonathan Lethem Books

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We Have Always Lived in the Castle Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition Shirley Jackson Thomas Ott Jonathan Lethem Books

'We Have Always Lived in the Castle,' is the tale of Merricat, Constance, and old Uncle Julian, who are outcasts and live secluded in a big, gothic house near a small village. Constance spends her days tending the garden and cooking. Merricat plays with the Cat, Jonas, and wanders around the grounds burying things as she tries to keep bad things from happening while looking for omens. Uncle Julian takes notes and feebly writes a book he's been working on for years regarding an incident that occurred long ago which altered their lives inbetween meals and naps.

The villagers have bad opinions of the tiny family and children tend to taunt them, while a few of the villagers do try to be friendly the family stays hidden and guards themselves against the cruel outside world.

A cousin decides to visit them after the patriarch of his divided family dies. Cousin Charles is a fortune hunter looking for the family fortune when he heads up to the old house and tries to weasel into the family and change things, but sometime's change isn't good and routines are the way they are for a reason.

Shirley Jackson's writing is spellbinding and polished in this novel. Discovering the secrets of the dark house and it's inhabitants are well worth an afternoon's read. It's interesting to note that according to the biography, Private Demons, writing, We Have Always Lived in the Castle, was one of the reasons that Shirley became agoraphobic in the last years of her life. Also, in regards to this story, in it Shirley described that she was both character's in the novel, Merricat and Constance, and the two characters represented her daughters as well.


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We Have Always Lived in the Castle Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition Shirley Jackson Thomas Ott Jonathan Lethem Books Reviews

I now want to read everything Shirley Jackson has ever written. Her last novel, We Have Always Lived in the Castle (published in 1962), is a dark and cool period mystery, following the wealthy Blackwood family in what seems like a century old New England. It’s hard to tell how old the narrator, Merricat Blackwood, is, or what her mental state reveals. She’s odd for sure, mad maybe, with a sharp eye for detail, and a shocking family tragedy in her past. The other main characters are her beautiful and mild elder sister, Constance, an elderly ill uncle Julian, and a motley cast of villagers and other high born. I was surprised and disturbed by each turn of events, and so I won’t say much more except that WHALitC is a short thrilling read and well worth your time. Ms. Jackson’s short story, The Lottery, garnered bags and bags of hate mail, when it came out in the New Yorker in 1948. You can bet that’s next on my list.
It’s amazing how Shirley Jackson can take the everyday and twist it somehow into a subtle and creepy tale. There’s an element of Gothic in her last book, We Have Always Lived in the Castle. What I also believe Jackson can accomplish so impeccably in her writing---and through her characters and their situations—is leaving an element of subjectivity and the “unknown” within. The reader is often left seeing various pieces of characters and context, but often must make their own conclusions and put some pieces together. To me, that makes for a remarkable reading experience.

The basis for this novel is a family, the Blackwoods, whose remaining family members have been ostracized by a small community. We learn why a terrible tragedy years before—poisoning, it seems—took the lives of everyone of the Blackwood clan excerpt three, Uncle Julian, Constance, and the narrator, Mary Katherine(aka “Merricat”). Constance was suspected, but ultimately acquitted of the poisoning. Living a life mainly of alienation away from the whispers of this town, the Blackwoods are able to manage. Merricat believes in such things as omens, and is vastly different compared to her sister, Constance. Uncle Julian is an invalid because he did have a bit of the poison that claimed the other Blackwoods’ lives, but not enough to kill him. This is a book that is difficult to reveal too much about plot without spoiling, but, when a certain cousin Charles suddenly arrives to the Blackwood home, the plot thickens.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle is very reminiscent of Jackson’s short story “The Lottery” in its themes of mob mentality. As the remaining family members by to go about their lives, they are often the subject of subtle and not so subtle taunts and threats.

There is a brilliantly atmospheric vibe to this novel. My feeling is that Shirley Jackson is incredibly underrated as an author, not being given quite the accolades she deserves. This book is one such example of her genius, an expertly crafted eerie tale with brilliant prose. It is a perfect book for a Halloween night.
DO NOT READ THE INTRODUCTION!!
I would give this story 5 stars, but the introduction ruined the story by spoiling every secret on the first page, so I have to rate this book a 4 star.
The story was gripping, unique, and quite dreamy. I had to know what would happen on each page. I will admit that I was rather upset with having read part of the introduction, because unfortunately, everything the author intended to be a twist had already been revealed to me.
'We Have Always Lived in the Castle,' is the tale of Merricat, Constance, and old Uncle Julian, who are outcasts and live secluded in a big, gothic house near a small village. Constance spends her days tending the garden and cooking. Merricat plays with the Cat, Jonas, and wanders around the grounds burying things as she tries to keep bad things from happening while looking for omens. Uncle Julian takes notes and feebly writes a book he's been working on for years regarding an incident that occurred long ago which altered their lives inbetween meals and naps.

The villagers have bad opinions of the tiny family and children tend to taunt them, while a few of the villagers do try to be friendly the family stays hidden and guards themselves against the cruel outside world.

A cousin decides to visit them after the patriarch of his divided family dies. Cousin Charles is a fortune hunter looking for the family fortune when he heads up to the old house and tries to weasel into the family and change things, but sometime's change isn't good and routines are the way they are for a reason.

Shirley Jackson's writing is spellbinding and polished in this novel. Discovering the secrets of the dark house and it's inhabitants are well worth an afternoon's read. It's interesting to note that according to the biography, Private Demons, writing, We Have Always Lived in the Castle, was one of the reasons that Shirley became agoraphobic in the last years of her life. Also, in regards to this story, in it Shirley described that she was both character's in the novel, Merricat and Constance, and the two characters represented her daughters as well.