We Have Always Lived in the Castle cover art

We Have Always Lived in the Castle

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We Have Always Lived in the Castle

By: Shirley Jackson
Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne
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About this listen

Shirley Jackson’s deliciously unsettling novel about a perverse, isolated, and possibly murderous family takes readers deep into a labyrinth of dark neurosis, macabre humor, and gothic atmosphere.

Six years after four family members died suspiciously of arsenic poisoning, the three remaining Blackwoods—elder, agoraphobic sister Constance; wheelchair-bound Uncle Julian; and eighteen-year-old Mary Katherine, or, Merricat—live together in pleasant isolation. Merricat has developed an idiosyncratic system of rules and protective magic to guard the estate against intrusions from hostile villagers. But one day a stranger arrives—cousin Charles, with his eye on the Blackwood fortune—and manages to penetrate into their carefully shielded lives. Unable to drive him away by either polite or occult means, Merricat adopts more desperate methods, resulting in crisis, tragedy, and the revelation of a terrible secret.

Jackson’s novel emerges less as a study in eccentricity and more—like some of her other fictions—as a powerful critique of the anxious, ruthless processes involved in the maintenance of normalcy itself.

©1962 Shirley Jackson (P)2010 Blackstone Audio, Inc. Genre Fiction Gothic Horror Literary Fiction Mystery Suspense Thriller & Suspense Scary Fiction Emotionally Gripping Heartfelt Mind-bending Cats

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Critic reviews

“At certain moments, quietly, in quick, subtle transitions of tone, Miss Jackson can summon up stark terror, make your blood chill and your scalp prickle....To all the classic paraphernalia of the spook story, she adds a touch of Freud….” ( New York Times Book Review)
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Haunting and Brilliant storytelling. Hooked after the first chapter. Listened to the whole thing without stop and loved it.

Masterful

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Would you consider the audio edition of We Have Always Lived in the Castle to be better than the print version?

I haven't read the print version, but I have read other Shirley Jackson books and I enjoyed hearing her words read aloud

What was one of the most memorable moments of We Have Always Lived in the Castle?

After the fire, when the townspeople surround the two sisters

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me feel quite tense and uncomfortable

Eerie and gripping

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I didn't know what to expect from this book as I chose it randomly because of the cover. The story doesn't really seem to get going, it is as of it has been written without much thought to the story. Overall, for me, it didn't hit the spot.

Just a little bit too weird!

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the story is fantastic and tragic. it made me cry, however, the reader sounds much older than the protagonist.

overall good book

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loved it left me wondering what happened to them in the end. strange but good .

great story

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Struggled to work out the point of this book or see where it was going, even at the end!
Really loved the reading by Shirley Jackson - perfect for the casual eeriness of this book.

excellent voice actor, but odd book

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it was very predictable but I found myself engrossed in the story and characters!

quite predictable but enjoyable nonetheless

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Why do the villagers hate the Blackwoods? Why does Constance never go out? Why was the sugarbowl washed out? This is a story full of mystery and you can never be sure what is real or imagined. Is Merrycat alive? How old are the sisters? What is Charles really up to?
I will need to read this again just to try and get a handle on the story but I suspect I will just encounter more mystery.
This is a stunning piece of American Gothic and has been perfectly narrated by Bernadette Dunne.
This is for lovers of magical writing that gives us more questions than answers and takes you into a world you will not forget.

An oppressive dream - or is it real?

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An eerily lovely book from the perspective of a young girl who only longs for life to continue as it does. She hopes to safeguard herself and her denuded family within the grounds of their old house with ritual acts and longworn habit.
Perfectly narrated, full of dread and charm.

Southern gentility with a spoonful of strangeness

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I really enjoyed this. She gets inside the head of the main characters and I love the darkness. Vivid descriptions bring it all to life. Some interesting twists too.

Dark. Interesting

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