I remember reading The Lottery in a high school English class back in the 1960s. This chilling story about a stoning in a rural village stuck with me all these years and is pretty much as I remembered. I don't think I have read any of Jackson's other short stories but I have read and really enjoyed most of her novels including The Haunting of Hill House and We Have Always Lived in the Castle.
This story collection includes 24 other stories which are pretty much derived from everyday experiences. The locales of the stories range from New York City apartment dwellers to what could be peaceful life in the countryside. The stories tend to show the frustrations of everyday life mainly of women who are frustrated with their life or with their neighbors or children. These stories were published originally in 1949 and the prejudices of the time are also present especially in AFTER YOU, MY DEAR ALPHONSE and FLOWER GARDEN. There are also instances of mental illness like in THE TOOTH where a woman travels by bus to New York City for a tooth extraction and ends up not knowing or recognizing herself. (Another reason to fear the dentist!). One sign of the times that I noticed throughout the stories was the prevalence of smoking. Nearly every story had a reference to it.
I did enjoy most of these stories with Jackson's unique perspective on life. Some of them seemed to end rather abruptly without a resolution but I know that's often the case with short stories. I'll be looking forward to reading more Jackson - I have a copy of her nonfiction memoir about raising her family, Raising Demons, that I hope to get to soon.
This story collection includes 24 other stories which are pretty much derived from everyday experiences. The locales of the stories range from New York City apartment dwellers to what could be peaceful life in the countryside. The stories tend to show the frustrations of everyday life mainly of women who are frustrated with their life or with their neighbors or children. These stories were published originally in 1949 and the prejudices of the time are also present especially in AFTER YOU, MY DEAR ALPHONSE and FLOWER GARDEN. There are also instances of mental illness like in THE TOOTH where a woman travels by bus to New York City for a tooth extraction and ends up not knowing or recognizing herself. (Another reason to fear the dentist!). One sign of the times that I noticed throughout the stories was the prevalence of smoking. Nearly every story had a reference to it.
I did enjoy most of these stories with Jackson's unique perspective on life. Some of them seemed to end rather abruptly without a resolution but I know that's often the case with short stories. I'll be looking forward to reading more Jackson - I have a copy of her nonfiction memoir about raising her family, Raising Demons, that I hope to get to soon.
Back to all reviews by this member
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details
