We Have Always Lived In The Castle [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Shirley Jackson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1968

Hardcover with dust jacket. Large type edition. 8.5 by 11 inches.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 214 pages
• Publisher: Viking Press; Large Type edition (1968)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670753769
• ISBN-13: 978-0670753765
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,305,981 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars THE FAMILY THAT STICKS TOGETHER...STAYS TOGETHER..., August 14, 2004

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Lawyeraau (Balmoral Castle) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: We Have Always Lived In The Castle (Hardcover)

I found this book to be a little disappointing, especially in light of the fact that Time magazine, at one time, had named it one of the ten best novels of the year.

The story revolves around a family that has sustained a major tragedy. Apparently, most of the family was murdered at supper one day via the introduction of arsenic into their food. Only three family members survive, sisters Constance and Mary Catherine Blackwood, and their elderly Uncle Julian. Constance, who always cooked for her family, was charged with their murder but acquitted at trial. The surviving three Blackwoods now live in splendid isolation in their mansion, as they are reviled by the villagers.

Mary Catherine, the younger sister known affectionately as Merricat, is a strange girl. Bright, imaginative, and compulsive, she has an assortment of rituals that she carries out in her daily activities, which are somewhat limited. She rarely ventures beyond the curtilage of her stately home, except for trepidaciously entering the village to get necessary supplies. Her sister Catherine, however, never ventures beyond the immediate perimeter of her home, though this is clearly something that she wishes to do. Uncle Julian is an invalid, living out his remaining days trying to figure out the mystery behind what had happened to his family that caused them all to be poisoned.

They are truly alone, except for the rare visitors who knew their family prior to the tragedy that took place. Even these few visitors are almost too much for them. Still, Constance does her best to entertain them, although Merricat clearly wishes they would not come. Their highly structured world, however, is slowly torn apart, when Charles, a cousin, comes to visit them. He inveigles and tantalizes Constance with visions of having a normal life. Needless to say, Merricat and Charles do not get along, as she perceives him to be the enemy, seeking to disrupt her orderly, though dysfunctional, world.

The writing style is spare, taut, and, at times, quite compelling, as well as darkly humourous. Still, what happens to Constance and Merricat is no real surprise. What is problematic is one never really understands what makes Constance tick nor what makes Merricat do what she does. There is no resolution in the book, leaving the reader to fill in the blanks. While this a moderately enjoyable work, readers would do better to seek out Ms. Jackson's dazzling novel, "The Lottery", a much better and more satisfying book.