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A Haunting on the Hill
From three-time Shirley Jackson, World Fantasy, and Nebula Award-winning author Elizabeth Hand comes the first-ever authorized novel set in the world of Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House.
Holly Sherwin has been a struggling playwright for years, but now, after receiving a grant to develop her play Witching Night, she may finally be close to her big break. All she needs is time and space to bring her vision to life. When she stumbles across Hill House on a weekend getaway upstate, she is immediately taken in by the mansion, which is nearly hidden outside a remote village. It’s enormous, old, and ever-so eerie—the perfect place to develop and rehearse her play.
Despite her own hesitations, Holly’s girlfriend, Nisa, agrees to join her in renting the house for a month, and soon a troupe of actors, each with ghosts of their own, arrive. Yet as they settle in, the house’s peculiarities are made known: strange creatures stalk the grounds, disturbing sounds echo throughout the halls, and time itself seems to shift. All too soon Holly and her friends are at odds not just with one another but with the house itself. It seems something has been waiting in Hill House all these years, and it no longer intends to walk alone.
Holly Sherwin has been a struggling playwright for years, but now, after receiving a grant to develop her play Witching Night, she may finally be close to her big break. All she needs is time and space to bring her vision to life. When she stumbles across Hill House on a weekend getaway upstate, she is immediately taken in by the mansion, which is nearly hidden outside a remote village. It’s enormous, old, and ever-so eerie—the perfect place to develop and rehearse her play.
Despite her own hesitations, Holly’s girlfriend, Nisa, agrees to join her in renting the house for a month, and soon a troupe of actors, each with ghosts of their own, arrive. Yet as they settle in, the house’s peculiarities are made known: strange creatures stalk the grounds, disturbing sounds echo throughout the halls, and time itself seems to shift. All too soon Holly and her friends are at odds not just with one another but with the house itself. It seems something has been waiting in Hill House all these years, and it no longer intends to walk alone.
337 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 3, 2023
About the author
Elizabeth Hand
179 books1,247 followersA New York Times notable and multiple award– winning author, Elizabeth Hand has written seven novels, including the cult classic Waking the Moon, and short-story collections. She is a longtime contributor to numerous publications, including the Washington Post Book World and the Village Voice Literary Supplement. She and her two children divide their time between the coast of Maine and North London.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,674 reviews
November 12, 2024
Initially, after hearing of the upcoming release of A Haunting on the Hill, the first-ever authorized novel to return to the world of Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House, I thought, this is either going to be amazing and nostalgic, or we're all going to hate it...
After reading it in a day, I'm happy to report, I loved it and though I wouldn't say it was nostalgic, it did successfully deliver the atmosphere I was hoping for.
It's funny because going in, I didn't read any reviews and honestly, I didn't even know what the overall rating for the book was since its release. I was surprised after I finished it and rated it, to see that the overall rating was only a 3.46.
It looks like I'm in the minority opinion again.
In this story, we follow Holly, a struggling playwright, her girlfriend, Nisa, a singer, their friend, Stevie, an actor, and a sort of washed-up starlet, Amanda, as they move into Hill House to work on the play Holly has been writing.
Holly rented the mansion for a month after seeing it for the first time while on a weekend getaway upstate. It just seemed like the perfect place to bring her play, The Witch of Edmonton, to life. It promises to be a next-level artistic experience for all involved.
From their very first tour of the house things seemed off, like the house has a spirit and mind of its own. Nevertheless, Holly isn't able to stop imagining them living and working amongst its gothic goodness. She feels inspired.
Thus, the lease is signed and all associated parties make their way to the property. It's showtime.
As with Jackson's original, I loved the feel of the house. Hand did a great job channeling the dreadful atmosphere and the more supernatural elements were appropriately paced and eerie. It was interesting to watch the house unravel each of the characters in their own unique way.
I did find the writing style a little uncomfortable at first, but then I started to see it more as Holly's perspective, her way of viewing the world and the unfolding events. It is how I could picture her relaying what was happening around her.
With that in mind, it began to flow a lot more easily for me.
Even though this was one of my most anticipated releases of the year, and I have had a hard copy since its release, I decided to wait for a copy of the audiobook from my local library in order to read it.
I had heard from a couple of different people that the audiobook was amazing and I couldn't agree more. It is a great production, with fabulous narration and sound effects that boosted my overall reading experience.
I'm not sure if I would have rated it as highly had I just read a hard copy, and unfortunately we'll never know, because I will never forget this listening experience. It was that good.
I also feel like the way this story is told, a bit slower and more subtle in the beginning, with a lot of character work towards the middle, then a rapid increase in supernatural occurrences as it races towards a rapid conclusion, lends itself well to the audio format.
It kept me engaged and I loved picturing the vivid imagery that Hand developed for us. I also enjoyed getting to know this cast of fairly unlikable characters.
The setting, the atmosphere, the relationships and their interactions, this all suited my tastes quite well. I walk away a very happy girl.
I'm already planning to read this again next year, most likely in the Fall. I am going to read Jackson's original, immediately followed by this. I think that could help to enhance the experience even more.
At the end of the day, I appreciate so much the story that Hand was able to create here. It had to have been a tremendous amount of pressure to take on this task and I think she did an incredible job with it.
After reading it in a day, I'm happy to report, I loved it and though I wouldn't say it was nostalgic, it did successfully deliver the atmosphere I was hoping for.
It's funny because going in, I didn't read any reviews and honestly, I didn't even know what the overall rating for the book was since its release. I was surprised after I finished it and rated it, to see that the overall rating was only a 3.46.
It looks like I'm in the minority opinion again.
In this story, we follow Holly, a struggling playwright, her girlfriend, Nisa, a singer, their friend, Stevie, an actor, and a sort of washed-up starlet, Amanda, as they move into Hill House to work on the play Holly has been writing.
Holly rented the mansion for a month after seeing it for the first time while on a weekend getaway upstate. It just seemed like the perfect place to bring her play, The Witch of Edmonton, to life. It promises to be a next-level artistic experience for all involved.
From their very first tour of the house things seemed off, like the house has a spirit and mind of its own. Nevertheless, Holly isn't able to stop imagining them living and working amongst its gothic goodness. She feels inspired.
Thus, the lease is signed and all associated parties make their way to the property. It's showtime.
As with Jackson's original, I loved the feel of the house. Hand did a great job channeling the dreadful atmosphere and the more supernatural elements were appropriately paced and eerie. It was interesting to watch the house unravel each of the characters in their own unique way.
I did find the writing style a little uncomfortable at first, but then I started to see it more as Holly's perspective, her way of viewing the world and the unfolding events. It is how I could picture her relaying what was happening around her.
With that in mind, it began to flow a lot more easily for me.
Even though this was one of my most anticipated releases of the year, and I have had a hard copy since its release, I decided to wait for a copy of the audiobook from my local library in order to read it.
I had heard from a couple of different people that the audiobook was amazing and I couldn't agree more. It is a great production, with fabulous narration and sound effects that boosted my overall reading experience.
I'm not sure if I would have rated it as highly had I just read a hard copy, and unfortunately we'll never know, because I will never forget this listening experience. It was that good.
I also feel like the way this story is told, a bit slower and more subtle in the beginning, with a lot of character work towards the middle, then a rapid increase in supernatural occurrences as it races towards a rapid conclusion, lends itself well to the audio format.
It kept me engaged and I loved picturing the vivid imagery that Hand developed for us. I also enjoyed getting to know this cast of fairly unlikable characters.
The setting, the atmosphere, the relationships and their interactions, this all suited my tastes quite well. I walk away a very happy girl.
I'm already planning to read this again next year, most likely in the Fall. I am going to read Jackson's original, immediately followed by this. I think that could help to enhance the experience even more.
At the end of the day, I appreciate so much the story that Hand was able to create here. It had to have been a tremendous amount of pressure to take on this task and I think she did an incredible job with it.
October 8, 2023
Unfortunately, this did not live up to expectations for me. As a huge fan of Shirley Jackson's work in general, and of the The Haunting of Hill House in particular, admittedly, A Haunting on the Hill had a lot to live up to. I'm also a big fan of Hand's other novel about young artists collaborating in a haunted house, Wylding Hall, so perhaps my expectations were unreasonably high.
The writing here is good enough, but unlike in Jackson's iconic work, most of the characters in Hand's new book are unbearable. I mean enough already Nisa with your obsession with the sound of your own voice.
I already know Hill House. I know the atmosphere and the dread. So I expected A Haunting on the Hill to take that strong foundation and build on it with more scenes of terror. Ultimately, the action is this book is limited to the final 5%, and the rest of the time is spent going round and round with these characters as they stew in their pettiness, jealousies and inflated egos. I guess Hand was trying to mimic Jackson's expertly crafted slow building psychological terror, but she didn't stick the landing for me.
The writing here is good enough, but unlike in Jackson's iconic work, most of the characters in Hand's new book are unbearable. I mean enough already Nisa with your obsession with the sound of your own voice.
I already know Hill House. I know the atmosphere and the dread. So I expected A Haunting on the Hill to take that strong foundation and build on it with more scenes of terror. Ultimately, the action is this book is limited to the final 5%, and the rest of the time is spent going round and round with these characters as they stew in their pettiness, jealousies and inflated egos. I guess Hand was trying to mimic Jackson's expertly crafted slow building psychological terror, but she didn't stick the landing for me.
September 20, 2023
I’m a huge Shirley Jackson fan and The Haunting of Hill House is one of my favorites. So of course I’m going to be a bit skeptical and extra critical of any author trying to tell a story about my beloved Hill House. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised with what Elizabeth Hand created here.
A Haunting on the Hill centers around struggling playwright Holly Sherwin. While on a weekend trip, Holly comes upon a hidden, gothic mansion and feels this would be the perfect place to work on her upcoming play. Along with her girlfriend Nissa and a couple of actor friends, Holly rents the house for a month to work on a play. Soon after the group arrives, the group discovers strange creatures on Hill House grounds, and at night they start hearing disturbing sounds. They soon realize that something has been waiting all these years in Hill House and it no longer intends to be alone.
First off this isn’t a retelling of Jackson’s Haunting of Hill House, instead, it’s more of a tribute to the story. I think Shirley Jackson fans will appreciate this one because if you pay close attention, Hand gave a few nods to Shirley Jackson’s original story.
Supernatural horror is my favorite type of horror, especially haunted house stories and A Haunting on the Hill delivered! The story is atmospheric with several classic horror elements including, witches, a witch’s familiar, demonic possession, and of course ghosts. The characterization was great and I enjoyed learning all of the characters' backstories. I also liked how the author made Hill House a character too.
I listened to the audiobook which was narrated by Carol Monda who did a fantastic job. If you decide to read this one, I highly recommend this format.
A Haunting on the Hill by Elizabeth Hand will be available on October 3. Many thanks to Libro.FM, and Hachette Audio for the gifted copy!
A Haunting on the Hill centers around struggling playwright Holly Sherwin. While on a weekend trip, Holly comes upon a hidden, gothic mansion and feels this would be the perfect place to work on her upcoming play. Along with her girlfriend Nissa and a couple of actor friends, Holly rents the house for a month to work on a play. Soon after the group arrives, the group discovers strange creatures on Hill House grounds, and at night they start hearing disturbing sounds. They soon realize that something has been waiting all these years in Hill House and it no longer intends to be alone.
First off this isn’t a retelling of Jackson’s Haunting of Hill House, instead, it’s more of a tribute to the story. I think Shirley Jackson fans will appreciate this one because if you pay close attention, Hand gave a few nods to Shirley Jackson’s original story.
Supernatural horror is my favorite type of horror, especially haunted house stories and A Haunting on the Hill delivered! The story is atmospheric with several classic horror elements including, witches, a witch’s familiar, demonic possession, and of course ghosts. The characterization was great and I enjoyed learning all of the characters' backstories. I also liked how the author made Hill House a character too.
I listened to the audiobook which was narrated by Carol Monda who did a fantastic job. If you decide to read this one, I highly recommend this format.
A Haunting on the Hill by Elizabeth Hand will be available on October 3. Many thanks to Libro.FM, and Hachette Audio for the gifted copy!
October 14, 2023
a disappointment on the hill
November 29, 2023
Do these characters or plot add anything to the iconic story we know so well? Not in my opinion.
Atmosphere is not bad, but could be better; most of the “horror” is at the end. There was one late scene I found that approached the feeling I had hoped for (when Nisa is singing alone and feels at one with the house because of the acoustics), but otherwise I didn't get much out of this. I am indifferent to the plot and ultimately didn’t find any of the characters compelling or nuanced, and frankly disliked most of them. Overall serviceable, but underwhelming.
Audio Notes: I really disliked the choices made for the audiobook. The haunted house noises added to the atmosphere for the most part, but making a big production of ordinary auto noises and such is annoying and distracting. The singing was fine the first couple of times, but the songs kept coming again and again and again, each more irritating and repetitive than the last. But most of all, I don’t know why Carol Monda was chosen as narrator, both her cigarette voice and the way she interpreted the text felt wrong for the character’s age and experience and modernity, and certainly didn’t lull me into the kind of spell Hill House is capable of casting.
Atmosphere is not bad, but could be better; most of the “horror” is at the end. There was one late scene I found that approached the feeling I had hoped for (when Nisa is singing alone and feels at one with the house because of the acoustics), but otherwise I didn't get much out of this. I am indifferent to the plot and ultimately didn’t find any of the characters compelling or nuanced, and frankly disliked most of them. Overall serviceable, but underwhelming.
Audio Notes: I really disliked the choices made for the audiobook. The haunted house noises added to the atmosphere for the most part, but making a big production of ordinary auto noises and such is annoying and distracting. The singing was fine the first couple of times, but the songs kept coming again and again and again, each more irritating and repetitive than the last. But most of all, I don’t know why Carol Monda was chosen as narrator, both her cigarette voice and the way she interpreted the text felt wrong for the character’s age and experience and modernity, and certainly didn’t lull me into the kind of spell Hill House is capable of casting.
Read
October 12, 2023Read 1/3 of the book and I give up!
I didn't connect with any of the characters. They were simply unlikeable and not in a good way.
I chose to read a book that is supposed to be scary (returns to the world of Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House (not)) and I ended up reading about the characters' sex life and who likes to sleep with women and men both and who doesn't. Up to where I read, nothing scary happened.
I didn't connect with any of the characters. They were simply unlikeable and not in a good way.
I chose to read a book that is supposed to be scary (returns to the world of Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House (not)) and I ended up reading about the characters' sex life and who likes to sleep with women and men both and who doesn't. Up to where I read, nothing scary happened.
October 31, 2023
THIS?!?!?!?!?!
This is the one hand-selected by The Shirley Jackson estate to carry her name?????
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This is the one hand-selected by The Shirley Jackson estate to carry her name?????
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Want to read
March 16, 2023"... the first-ever authorized novel to return to the world of Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House..."
I'm sorry, WHAT?!?!
July 26, 2024
Well, we return to Hill House made famous of course by the highly regarded Author Shirley Jackson. Now don’t shout at me, but I have not read her book. I know, terrible for an avid reader but now I really want to. I was pulled in as Neil Gaiman rates this and I am a big fan of his work.
The good bit about that is I had nothing to compare to. I went in with an open mind. This does build up slowly, so go with it, it’s not super spooky from page one, but it’s able to suck you in until parts begin to really hit the nerves.
The basic plot is that a group of people who are rehearsing for a play rent out Hill House which has had no residents for 60 years. It’s been a long time since a terrified family with children lived there (yes, that family from the Netflix TV series). It’s been rented out for short periods now and then but nobody leaves unscathed. It’s kept empty by the current owner who is fast to rent it out despite knowing what the impact will be.
Constant warnings to leave Hill House by an eccentric neighbour who knows the owner of the house go unheeded. In fact she’s a fabulous character. Think creepy witchy, all-knowing elderly woman with gifts to know and see what most don’t. She pops up through the book and I found her fascinating.
This theatre group are all unique. We have the play’s writer, two Actors (one male, one female) and a singer. Throw in a strange Chef and his partner who are hired to provide the food for the “guests” but flat out refuse to stay the night. Ever.
The characters are very well written. You connect with each one and see and hear them as very distinct personalities from each other. No blurry people here. I like that the book lets you enter their private thoughts and feelings, often in conflict with external impressions they put out to each other. There is very clever dialogue also that’s totally realistic. I could hear their conversations in my head.
This is a book that ratchets up the tension and atmospheric intensity as it goes. Don’t be dismayed if you think you are not getting your spooky fix early on. There are early glimpses of strange things there then it keeps building up very cleverly. The relationship dynamics between the characters are super intriguing. Nothing is straightforward and plenty of suspicious events keep occurring. This group should never, ever have entered this house. This house doesn’t want them there and by God does it show it.
After halfway I was REALLY on edge, I devoured the events on the pages and the Author very cleverly brings you into the visual, auditory and sensory strange events that are going on. This is a dark place. This is not gory horror, it’s not a jump out of your skin book. This is spooky, eerie, sinister atmospheric storytelling. The way the Author writes visual scenes is very commendable. I could see everything as if I was there (thank the Lord I wasn’t!). The sense of dread and knowing nothing good is coming really hooked me in.
As the house starts to impact each guest the relationships between them are impacted also. Will any or all make it out alive? It’s only rented for two weeks so what occurs is really happening very quickly in real time. I could tell some scenes would be linked back to the original Hill House story. Shirley Jackson readers would no doubt pull out more than I did.
This house is alive..and it’s not happy to have guests. It wants so much more from them than they should give. The past breathes in its walls.
As it barrels to the ending I was utterly immersed. The imagery and concepts are creepy and disturbing. There are no twee happy outcomes here to spoil the genre. I also did not expect final events so I loved that nothing was predictable! My only criticism, the only tiny one is I found the publishing of the lyrics to the songs being sung as part of the play in rehearsals unnecessary. It’s not frequent and a minor part of the book. So don’t let that put you off.
And oh my…you’ll NEVER look at a Hare (a big rabbit but not a rabbit) the same way ever again.
I enjoyed this very much and by not comparing it to Shirley Jackson’s original introduction to readers about Hill House I may have liked it more. So if you’ve read it perhaps try to read this with a fresh expectation. I could see this on Netflix for sure. A very solid 4 stars from me, Definitely recommended.
A big thanks to Little Brown Book Group, Sphere for my ARC via NetGalley.
Thanks so much for reading my review! If you’d like to connect you can follow me or please send me a friend request. 🐱I love to read other reviews and talk about books we are reading.
If you are an Author and you’d like me to consider reading and reviewing your book please just message me.
You can also find me on Twitter @bookishcats (I follow back) and on Amazon U.K. where I am a Top 500 Reviewer as Booklover Catlady.
The good bit about that is I had nothing to compare to. I went in with an open mind. This does build up slowly, so go with it, it’s not super spooky from page one, but it’s able to suck you in until parts begin to really hit the nerves.
The basic plot is that a group of people who are rehearsing for a play rent out Hill House which has had no residents for 60 years. It’s been a long time since a terrified family with children lived there (yes, that family from the Netflix TV series). It’s been rented out for short periods now and then but nobody leaves unscathed. It’s kept empty by the current owner who is fast to rent it out despite knowing what the impact will be.
Constant warnings to leave Hill House by an eccentric neighbour who knows the owner of the house go unheeded. In fact she’s a fabulous character. Think creepy witchy, all-knowing elderly woman with gifts to know and see what most don’t. She pops up through the book and I found her fascinating.
This theatre group are all unique. We have the play’s writer, two Actors (one male, one female) and a singer. Throw in a strange Chef and his partner who are hired to provide the food for the “guests” but flat out refuse to stay the night. Ever.
The characters are very well written. You connect with each one and see and hear them as very distinct personalities from each other. No blurry people here. I like that the book lets you enter their private thoughts and feelings, often in conflict with external impressions they put out to each other. There is very clever dialogue also that’s totally realistic. I could hear their conversations in my head.
This is a book that ratchets up the tension and atmospheric intensity as it goes. Don’t be dismayed if you think you are not getting your spooky fix early on. There are early glimpses of strange things there then it keeps building up very cleverly. The relationship dynamics between the characters are super intriguing. Nothing is straightforward and plenty of suspicious events keep occurring. This group should never, ever have entered this house. This house doesn’t want them there and by God does it show it.
After halfway I was REALLY on edge, I devoured the events on the pages and the Author very cleverly brings you into the visual, auditory and sensory strange events that are going on. This is a dark place. This is not gory horror, it’s not a jump out of your skin book. This is spooky, eerie, sinister atmospheric storytelling. The way the Author writes visual scenes is very commendable. I could see everything as if I was there (thank the Lord I wasn’t!). The sense of dread and knowing nothing good is coming really hooked me in.
As the house starts to impact each guest the relationships between them are impacted also. Will any or all make it out alive? It’s only rented for two weeks so what occurs is really happening very quickly in real time. I could tell some scenes would be linked back to the original Hill House story. Shirley Jackson readers would no doubt pull out more than I did.
This house is alive..and it’s not happy to have guests. It wants so much more from them than they should give. The past breathes in its walls.
As it barrels to the ending I was utterly immersed. The imagery and concepts are creepy and disturbing. There are no twee happy outcomes here to spoil the genre. I also did not expect final events so I loved that nothing was predictable! My only criticism, the only tiny one is I found the publishing of the lyrics to the songs being sung as part of the play in rehearsals unnecessary. It’s not frequent and a minor part of the book. So don’t let that put you off.
And oh my…you’ll NEVER look at a Hare (a big rabbit but not a rabbit) the same way ever again.
I enjoyed this very much and by not comparing it to Shirley Jackson’s original introduction to readers about Hill House I may have liked it more. So if you’ve read it perhaps try to read this with a fresh expectation. I could see this on Netflix for sure. A very solid 4 stars from me, Definitely recommended.
A big thanks to Little Brown Book Group, Sphere for my ARC via NetGalley.
Thanks so much for reading my review! If you’d like to connect you can follow me or please send me a friend request. 🐱I love to read other reviews and talk about books we are reading.
If you are an Author and you’d like me to consider reading and reviewing your book please just message me.
You can also find me on Twitter @bookishcats (I follow back) and on Amazon U.K. where I am a Top 500 Reviewer as Booklover Catlady.
February 13, 2024
I wish I could have loved this. It's a sequel to The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson set in today's world. I loved Wylding Hall by Elizabeth Hand, but this story fails to launch. From the start, there's all kinds of weirdness assaulting the four people who've rented Hill House and somehow they never get frightened enough to leave. They all have their own reasons for wanting the play they're rehearsing to go well, but I don't think any sensible person would have put up with the evil vibes for one second, let alone days. I couldn't go along with their perceived indifference to their danger.
December 27, 2023
"Hill House neither sleeps nor dreams. Shrouded within its overgrown lawns and sprawling woodlands, the long shadow of mountains and ancient oaks, Hill House watches. Hill House wakes."
Now doesn't that sound like a very creepy beginning to a haunted house book? Yessiree! And, to top it off, it's a homage to Shirley Jackson's beautifully created Haunting of Hill House.
Unfortunately this fails on many fronts but mostly it is in its awful and pretentious main characters that I just could not stand. At All. Nissa being my absolute least favorite. Listening to her constant singing was enough to drive me mad. Who needs ghosts?
Between the characters, the giant hares, the witches, all the "play" talk and it became too much and, dare I say, even boring. I skipped and skimmed my way to the end just to be done with this. I do believe Elizabeth Hand is a talented writer (Wylding Hall) this book just didn't hold my attention the way I thought it would. I will say that there are a couple of creepy and atmospheric scenes that I appreciated and for that I'll award another star. 3 stars!
Now doesn't that sound like a very creepy beginning to a haunted house book? Yessiree! And, to top it off, it's a homage to Shirley Jackson's beautifully created Haunting of Hill House.
Unfortunately this fails on many fronts but mostly it is in its awful and pretentious main characters that I just could not stand. At All. Nissa being my absolute least favorite. Listening to her constant singing was enough to drive me mad. Who needs ghosts?
Between the characters, the giant hares, the witches, all the "play" talk and it became too much and, dare I say, even boring. I skipped and skimmed my way to the end just to be done with this. I do believe Elizabeth Hand is a talented writer (Wylding Hall) this book just didn't hold my attention the way I thought it would. I will say that there are a couple of creepy and atmospheric scenes that I appreciated and for that I'll award another star. 3 stars!
August 6, 2023
OMG!!! This book is AMAZING!!! I’m currently reading this book and wow!! It’s so good! I started this book 2 days ago and I’m already almost done!!
Holly is a play write she found a script of a play that was written a while back and had the idea to do the play using her friends and asking an actress named Amanda Greer. She also wants to find a good place to get read for her play so while driving around Hillsdale she comes up to Hill House. Holly thinks she’s hit the lottery with finding this mansion, she thinks it’s the perfect place to rehearse her play.
Holly drives back to talk to her girlfriend Nisa and talks to her about renting Hill House, Nisa wasn’t interested at first but Holly talked her into just going to see it and taking it from there. They. Go to the realtors office and they speak to the owner of the house and convince her to rent it to the for 2 weeks while they get ready for the play. The realtor agrees and Holly signs the papers and gets the key to the house.
Holly and Nisa are very excited to get there. They have Hollys friend Stevie with them and when they finally get to Hill House Stevie can’t believe his eyes. They all go inside and pick their rooms. The housekeeper is there and greets them and brought them food and tells them that she and her husband will not go out there at night and tells them not to ask them to.
The group has no idea why the housekeeper has said that and won’t tell them why. After being there 2 days strange things start to happen that the group can’t explain. Do you think Hill House is haunted? Read to find out
Holly is a play write she found a script of a play that was written a while back and had the idea to do the play using her friends and asking an actress named Amanda Greer. She also wants to find a good place to get read for her play so while driving around Hillsdale she comes up to Hill House. Holly thinks she’s hit the lottery with finding this mansion, she thinks it’s the perfect place to rehearse her play.
Holly drives back to talk to her girlfriend Nisa and talks to her about renting Hill House, Nisa wasn’t interested at first but Holly talked her into just going to see it and taking it from there. They. Go to the realtors office and they speak to the owner of the house and convince her to rent it to the for 2 weeks while they get ready for the play. The realtor agrees and Holly signs the papers and gets the key to the house.
Holly and Nisa are very excited to get there. They have Hollys friend Stevie with them and when they finally get to Hill House Stevie can’t believe his eyes. They all go inside and pick their rooms. The housekeeper is there and greets them and brought them food and tells them that she and her husband will not go out there at night and tells them not to ask them to.
The group has no idea why the housekeeper has said that and won’t tell them why. After being there 2 days strange things start to happen that the group can’t explain. Do you think Hill House is haunted? Read to find out
October 23, 2023
I keep hovering between 2 and 3 stars. I'm going with 2 because of how excited I was and how let down I ended up feeling.
It all should have seemed ominous. Yet I felt a peculiar, almost perverse, exhilaration, the way I used to feel when I'd sit down at my laptop to write. Something is going to happen. I am going to make something happen.
Oh, how I wanted to love this book. I went into this book with spinning, wide open arms, ready and willing to place it on the shelf next to my copy of the original The Haunting of Hill House--metaphorically and, after I returned the library copy and bought my own book, literally.
But when I closed the book, all I could think was: "Well. Hm. That was... that."
A Haunting on the Hill takes place in the same world as Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House. In this sort-of sequel, a playwright (Holly) who is on the cusp of her greatest work rents Hill House so that she, her girlfriend-singer-lyricist (Nisa); an actor friend with a penchant for drugs and sleeping around (Stevie); and a veteran theater actor with a notorious past (Amanda) can do their first read-throughs of the work together.
Of course, Hill House being Hill House, things do not end well.
This is the first book approved by the Shirley Jackson estate to include the infamous Hill House, but overall, I feel that Hand's story did not live up to the original nor did it really feel like it "belonged" with Hill House.
The narrative style of the book is an issue. The book starts off in first person, which I was already wary of because it felt almost staccato at times compared to Jackson's 'Hill House' prose. But then, 77 pages and 23 chapters (the chapters are usually very short, IMO to the story's detriment) into the book, it suddenly changes perspective to third person limited. From that point on, each chapter is told from a different third person limited perspective or Holly's first person perspective. This feels very clunky and robbed the characters and story of a lot of power, in my opinion.
With the first book, we get to know Eleanor intimately. Here, the switching between first and limited third with 4 different characters meant we didn't get to know anyone in particular very well. And what we do know about them doesn't really pan out, in the end. Hand introduces all sorts of tantalizingly details that promise some type of pay-off, but none of them happen. Everything just... fizzles.
What we do know of the characters is... well. I feel there is a trend within the last 10 years or so to make horror characters unlikable. While Eleanor in the original can be annoying, it's in a way that pulls at our heartstrings; she's been isolated, stunted, treated poorly by others. We can see why she desperately clings to Theo, why she wants to belong. We understand Eleanor, even if in some ways, she can repulse us the way she eventually does the others in the novel.
All of the core 4 characters here are unlikable to the degree that it makes it hard to care when bad things happen. They are too much, taking stereotypes of theater people and ramping them up to greater heights. Everyone is selfish, narcissistic, grandiose, plotting to undermine everyone else when this production gets off the ground.
There were simply too many characters and too many stories to tell and, particularly with the relatively late-stage perspective changes, none of them "stuck" in the way Eleanor sticks in the original.
In some ways, it doesn't feel like Hand understood Hill House. There were numerous elements in the story that did not really match the foundation that Jackson created in the original.
The end really stood out
There are a few genuinely creepy moments in this book that had me sitting up straight and feeling my heart beat faster. But they didn't outweigh the clunky narrative style, the nasty characters who felt like weary spiteful caricatures right off the bat instead of good friends and girlfriends being impacted by the house's wrongness, the elements that clashed terribly with the original Hill House, and the overall fizzling of the end.
In the end, I was left cold, and not in the way I was hoping.
It all should have seemed ominous. Yet I felt a peculiar, almost perverse, exhilaration, the way I used to feel when I'd sit down at my laptop to write. Something is going to happen. I am going to make something happen.
Oh, how I wanted to love this book. I went into this book with spinning, wide open arms, ready and willing to place it on the shelf next to my copy of the original The Haunting of Hill House--metaphorically and, after I returned the library copy and bought my own book, literally.
But when I closed the book, all I could think was: "Well. Hm. That was... that."
A Haunting on the Hill takes place in the same world as Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House. In this sort-of sequel, a playwright (Holly) who is on the cusp of her greatest work rents Hill House so that she, her girlfriend-singer-lyricist (Nisa); an actor friend with a penchant for drugs and sleeping around (Stevie); and a veteran theater actor with a notorious past (Amanda) can do their first read-throughs of the work together.
Of course, Hill House being Hill House, things do not end well.
This is the first book approved by the Shirley Jackson estate to include the infamous Hill House, but overall, I feel that Hand's story did not live up to the original nor did it really feel like it "belonged" with Hill House.
The narrative style of the book is an issue. The book starts off in first person, which I was already wary of because it felt almost staccato at times compared to Jackson's 'Hill House' prose. But then, 77 pages and 23 chapters (the chapters are usually very short, IMO to the story's detriment) into the book, it suddenly changes perspective to third person limited. From that point on, each chapter is told from a different third person limited perspective or Holly's first person perspective. This feels very clunky and robbed the characters and story of a lot of power, in my opinion.
With the first book, we get to know Eleanor intimately. Here, the switching between first and limited third with 4 different characters meant we didn't get to know anyone in particular very well. And what we do know about them doesn't really pan out, in the end. Hand introduces all sorts of tantalizingly details that promise some type of pay-off, but none of them happen. Everything just... fizzles.
What we do know of the characters is... well. I feel there is a trend within the last 10 years or so to make horror characters unlikable. While Eleanor in the original can be annoying, it's in a way that pulls at our heartstrings; she's been isolated, stunted, treated poorly by others. We can see why she desperately clings to Theo, why she wants to belong. We understand Eleanor, even if in some ways, she can repulse us the way she eventually does the others in the novel.
All of the core 4 characters here are unlikable to the degree that it makes it hard to care when bad things happen. They are too much, taking stereotypes of theater people and ramping them up to greater heights. Everyone is selfish, narcissistic, grandiose, plotting to undermine everyone else when this production gets off the ground.
There were simply too many characters and too many stories to tell and, particularly with the relatively late-stage perspective changes, none of them "stuck" in the way Eleanor sticks in the original.
In some ways, it doesn't feel like Hand understood Hill House. There were numerous elements in the story that did not really match the foundation that Jackson created in the original.
The end really stood out
There are a few genuinely creepy moments in this book that had me sitting up straight and feeling my heart beat faster. But they didn't outweigh the clunky narrative style, the nasty characters who felt like weary spiteful caricatures right off the bat instead of good friends and girlfriends being impacted by the house's wrongness, the elements that clashed terribly with the original Hill House, and the overall fizzling of the end.
In the end, I was left cold, and not in the way I was hoping.
Read
November 11, 2023A HAUNTING ON THE HILL by Elizabeth Hand
Other Books I Enjoyed by This Author: Wyldling Hall (Highly recommend)
Affiliate Link: https://bookshop.org/a/7576/978031652...
Release Date: October 3rd, 2023
General Genre: Gothic, Thrillers, Suspense, Psychological
Sub-Genre/Themes: LBGTQ+, Haunted House, Playwritting/Acting, Actors, New York, Witches/Witchcraft, Singer/Songwriters, Paranormal
Writing Style: Accessible, Compelling, Alternating POVs
What You Need to Know: I read my physical edition from Night Worms. It was the hardcover book we sent out in October. Both Ashley & I were excited by the cover and the fact that Elizabeth Hand was granted permission to write this book set in the Shirley Jackson universe of Hill House. I was possibly even more excited because I had recently read Hand’s novella, Wyldling Hall on my trip to Hawaii earlier this year.
My Reading Experience:
I love a book with short chapters. I find it so much easier to keep the pace and momentum going if the pages fly by faster. There is a psychological reaction readers have to short chapters where we are constantly getting to the end of one chapter and concluding that there’s time for “just one more” so, this story was definitely enhanced by the short chapters.
I’m in my Gothic era, so I was marveling at all the similarities and common themes/tropes present. There was mention of witches and “the Witch-Finder General” early on, which took me straight back to Wakenhyrst, a book I absolutely love and had read before this.
Early on, I saw different actors that could play the roles of the main characters–this doesn’t happen with every book so when it does, it’s special and makes the ensemble cast come alive on the page. I saw Florence Pugh and Kristen Stewart as the leads, the couple, and Dan Levy as Stevie (literally perfect casting, Stevie has the best lines) and Winona Ryder as Amanda Greer.
I was enjoying this book right up to the 64% mark.
There was mention of a ruined tablecloth for the seventh time and my reading experience declined steadily from that point on. I remember asking myself, is this ruined tablecloth going to be the biggest paranormal event of this story? It wasn’t. There was more, but the paranormal events never quite lifted off the ground. So many potentially creepy elements were added and never quite fleshed out. Things happen that present questions in the reader’s mind that are never fully addressed later, which is frustrating.
The characters sometimes made odd decisions, the stakes didn’t seem high enough to warrant certain behavior in some situations and then in other circumstances, the characters behave irrationally despite evidence or warning staring them right in the face. It was inconsistent.
No complaints about Hand’s prose or ability to conjure mood and atmosphere–more just not going deep enough with the character development and not weaving together a strong enough plot to hold up to the iconic Hill House lore that all readers are bringing to this experience in the form of expectations.
Final Recommendation: This book is perfect for horror tourists looking to add a spooky/eerie haunted house book to their reading list in October. I would couple it with a re-read or a first-time read of The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson–the classic first, the modern retelling after, and then compare & contrast.
Comps: The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, Wyldling Hall by Elizabeth Hand, Darcy Coates books, Burnt Offerings by Robert Marasco
Other Books I Enjoyed by This Author: Wyldling Hall (Highly recommend)
Affiliate Link: https://bookshop.org/a/7576/978031652...
Release Date: October 3rd, 2023
General Genre: Gothic, Thrillers, Suspense, Psychological
Sub-Genre/Themes: LBGTQ+, Haunted House, Playwritting/Acting, Actors, New York, Witches/Witchcraft, Singer/Songwriters, Paranormal
Writing Style: Accessible, Compelling, Alternating POVs
What You Need to Know: I read my physical edition from Night Worms. It was the hardcover book we sent out in October. Both Ashley & I were excited by the cover and the fact that Elizabeth Hand was granted permission to write this book set in the Shirley Jackson universe of Hill House. I was possibly even more excited because I had recently read Hand’s novella, Wyldling Hall on my trip to Hawaii earlier this year.
My Reading Experience:
I love a book with short chapters. I find it so much easier to keep the pace and momentum going if the pages fly by faster. There is a psychological reaction readers have to short chapters where we are constantly getting to the end of one chapter and concluding that there’s time for “just one more” so, this story was definitely enhanced by the short chapters.
I’m in my Gothic era, so I was marveling at all the similarities and common themes/tropes present. There was mention of witches and “the Witch-Finder General” early on, which took me straight back to Wakenhyrst, a book I absolutely love and had read before this.
Early on, I saw different actors that could play the roles of the main characters–this doesn’t happen with every book so when it does, it’s special and makes the ensemble cast come alive on the page. I saw Florence Pugh and Kristen Stewart as the leads, the couple, and Dan Levy as Stevie (literally perfect casting, Stevie has the best lines) and Winona Ryder as Amanda Greer.
I was enjoying this book right up to the 64% mark.
There was mention of a ruined tablecloth for the seventh time and my reading experience declined steadily from that point on. I remember asking myself, is this ruined tablecloth going to be the biggest paranormal event of this story? It wasn’t. There was more, but the paranormal events never quite lifted off the ground. So many potentially creepy elements were added and never quite fleshed out. Things happen that present questions in the reader’s mind that are never fully addressed later, which is frustrating.
The characters sometimes made odd decisions, the stakes didn’t seem high enough to warrant certain behavior in some situations and then in other circumstances, the characters behave irrationally despite evidence or warning staring them right in the face. It was inconsistent.
No complaints about Hand’s prose or ability to conjure mood and atmosphere–more just not going deep enough with the character development and not weaving together a strong enough plot to hold up to the iconic Hill House lore that all readers are bringing to this experience in the form of expectations.
Final Recommendation: This book is perfect for horror tourists looking to add a spooky/eerie haunted house book to their reading list in October. I would couple it with a re-read or a first-time read of The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson–the classic first, the modern retelling after, and then compare & contrast.
Comps: The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, Wyldling Hall by Elizabeth Hand, Darcy Coates books, Burnt Offerings by Robert Marasco
June 26, 2024
Buckle up folks cause I have some strong ✨ f e e l i n g s ✨ about this one. As some of you may know, I am a hardcore Shirley Jackson fan and collector, which meant I was excited but trepidatious when I heard about this novel. Below are my personal thoughts and opinions. I will not be giving this a traditional score because I think it speaks for itself. This is just my personal opinion — you may love it! I encourage y’all to give it a go, but without further ado here are my raw thoughts…
The prose is just… so mundane. If this is supposed to be a sequel to Hill House, an official one at that, I expect more. It’s like Elizabeth Hand took one of the most iconic horror novels of all time and decided to make it a paint by numbers Thriller, by way of Riley Sager or someone equally drab.
The sheer number of one to three page chapters is nuts. Many of them could just be the same scene continued but the chapter break is there to artificially build suspense.
This feels like when Hollywood does a reboot or a sequel to a beloved movie from decades ago and changes the title slightly but takes away everything else that made the original special.
The closest comparison I can think of is The Blair Witch Project and Blair Witch (2016). The original film was unique in nearly every aspect and defined the future of the “Found Footage” genre. It was low budget and had this sense of creeping dread that ran throughout the whole film. It was character driven and the dialogue and way it was shot made you feel like you were going crazy. Blair Witch (2016) took that idea and made it a run of the mill horror film, peppered in some jump scares, gave us a cast of unlikeable characters, and took away any nuance that made the original a cult classic. It capitalized on the nostalgia of a pre-existing IP and ended up an empty husk of well-trodden ideas.
The subtly of the original was thrown out and replaced with a blatant haunting, with no question of whether it was all in our protagonist’s heads. The original was a haunted house story with (possibly) no ghosts and a cast of interesting characters that drive a beautifully written tale of madness. A Haunting on the Hill gives us a handful of half baked ideas, some bunnies, a cast of truly awful and uninteresting characters, and almost no connection to the original aside from a few Easter eggs. Why no direct reference to the events from the 50s? There were plenty of ways this story could have been written, if it had to be written at all, and this surely was one of them.
The prose is just… so mundane. If this is supposed to be a sequel to Hill House, an official one at that, I expect more. It’s like Elizabeth Hand took one of the most iconic horror novels of all time and decided to make it a paint by numbers Thriller, by way of Riley Sager or someone equally drab.
The sheer number of one to three page chapters is nuts. Many of them could just be the same scene continued but the chapter break is there to artificially build suspense.
This feels like when Hollywood does a reboot or a sequel to a beloved movie from decades ago and changes the title slightly but takes away everything else that made the original special.
The closest comparison I can think of is The Blair Witch Project and Blair Witch (2016). The original film was unique in nearly every aspect and defined the future of the “Found Footage” genre. It was low budget and had this sense of creeping dread that ran throughout the whole film. It was character driven and the dialogue and way it was shot made you feel like you were going crazy. Blair Witch (2016) took that idea and made it a run of the mill horror film, peppered in some jump scares, gave us a cast of unlikeable characters, and took away any nuance that made the original a cult classic. It capitalized on the nostalgia of a pre-existing IP and ended up an empty husk of well-trodden ideas.
The subtly of the original was thrown out and replaced with a blatant haunting, with no question of whether it was all in our protagonist’s heads. The original was a haunted house story with (possibly) no ghosts and a cast of interesting characters that drive a beautifully written tale of madness. A Haunting on the Hill gives us a handful of half baked ideas, some bunnies, a cast of truly awful and uninteresting characters, and almost no connection to the original aside from a few Easter eggs. Why no direct reference to the events from the 50s? There were plenty of ways this story could have been written, if it had to be written at all, and this surely was one of them.
November 27, 2023
4.5/5 Rounded Up
After seeing A Haunting on the Hill by Elizabeth Hand all over #Bookstagram I knew I had to read it, and I had completely forgotten about the fact that I also read Curious Toys by the same author. While that was mostly a miss for me, this was a huge win and I think the audiobook had a lot to do with it! As others have said, the audiobook is 1000% the way to experience this story and Carol Monda along with lots of sound effects, made it one to remember. I was getting incredibly creeped out as the book went on, and since I never knew when there would be some sound added, I found myself jumping at times. The audio is really the perfect accompaniment to the story, and I will be suggesting it to everyone.
The characters do make some incredibly poor decisions as the book goes on, but this didn't end up bothering me as much as it sometimes would, and I found myself completely wrapped up in this gothic tale. Full disclosure, I am now kicking myself for never reading The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, and now that I have read reviews, I wish I had read it first. I am going to read it soon for sure though, and it has to be saying something that this is the first approved novel ever to be allowed back in the world Jackson created. I loved every bit of the supernatural aspects of the story, and the hares were so weird and creative at the same time. A Haunting on the Hill would make an excellent choice for spooky season, but I am glad I listened to it now instead of waiting until next year! Best enjoyed inside a spooky house with your headphones on à la Stranger Things. 😉
🩸🔦🐇
After seeing A Haunting on the Hill by Elizabeth Hand all over #Bookstagram I knew I had to read it, and I had completely forgotten about the fact that I also read Curious Toys by the same author. While that was mostly a miss for me, this was a huge win and I think the audiobook had a lot to do with it! As others have said, the audiobook is 1000% the way to experience this story and Carol Monda along with lots of sound effects, made it one to remember. I was getting incredibly creeped out as the book went on, and since I never knew when there would be some sound added, I found myself jumping at times. The audio is really the perfect accompaniment to the story, and I will be suggesting it to everyone.
The characters do make some incredibly poor decisions as the book goes on, but this didn't end up bothering me as much as it sometimes would, and I found myself completely wrapped up in this gothic tale. Full disclosure, I am now kicking myself for never reading The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, and now that I have read reviews, I wish I had read it first. I am going to read it soon for sure though, and it has to be saying something that this is the first approved novel ever to be allowed back in the world Jackson created. I loved every bit of the supernatural aspects of the story, and the hares were so weird and creative at the same time. A Haunting on the Hill would make an excellent choice for spooky season, but I am glad I listened to it now instead of waiting until next year! Best enjoyed inside a spooky house with your headphones on à la Stranger Things. 😉
🩸🔦🐇
July 4, 2023
Pure perfection. Shirley would wholeheartedly approve!
February 3, 2024
Reentering the House
There was a fear. Fear of someone returning to tarnish the spirit of THE house. Shirley Jackson’s estate granted Elizabeth Hand permission to revisit Hill House. Sometimes things are best left undisturbed.
Shirley Jackson’s “The Haunting of Hill House” is a classic. In “Danse Macabre” Stephen King praised it as one of the most important horror novels of the 20th century. The 1963 film version, “The Haunting,” is my favorite horror film. It was later mangled in a 1999 treatment with Liam Neeson and Catherine Zeta-Jones– very CGI, not very Shirley.
In 2021, Ellen Datlow harvested a solid horror anthology, based on the style of Shirley Jackson, by the name of “When Things Get Dark.” A story that stood out, even among such terrific entries, was “For Sale by Owner,” by Elizabeth Hand. She is a well-established author and has won the Shirley Jackson Award a number of times– this was enough for me to approach it with an open mind.
Thankfully, this was not a retelling of the original story. “Haunting on the Hill” is a sequel only in location. The original characters are no longer around, this being decades after the original, so there is a new cast visiting. A theatrical group is creating a play, “Witching Night,” and decides to find inspiration by workshopping the production with a stay in an eerie old house.
The atmosphere is kept intact. The characters are pure theater people, each eccentric in their way, with insecurities and back stories. Holly is the playwright and the one funding this stay. Her girlfriend, Nisa, is composing the music and is endlessly singing. Stevie is the sound designer and has a role, as well. Amanda is an aging star looking for this part to return her to her glory days. Below the surface here we find Holly resenting Nisa for trying to grab too much credit, Nisa and Stevie are concealing an affair they have had, and Amanda is sure she hears everyone else whispering trash about her. Yes, you have egos ready to blow sky high.
The house does its thing and supernatural elements drive the cast against each other. It is hard to be sympathetic towards any of them and there are a lot of leftovers in these back stories which are never resolved. An element of witchcraft is suggested, though never really developed. Finally, it could just be me, but I was puzzled by the choice of large black rabbits being utilized as symbols of terror throughout the book.
“Haunting on the Hill” had a strong start but ultimately failed to pay off for me. It was not a trainwreck, it did nothing to sully Shirley Jackson’s creation, it just had a hard time measuring up.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Mulholland Books for providing a review copy in exchange for an honest review.
There was a fear. Fear of someone returning to tarnish the spirit of THE house. Shirley Jackson’s estate granted Elizabeth Hand permission to revisit Hill House. Sometimes things are best left undisturbed.
Shirley Jackson’s “The Haunting of Hill House” is a classic. In “Danse Macabre” Stephen King praised it as one of the most important horror novels of the 20th century. The 1963 film version, “The Haunting,” is my favorite horror film. It was later mangled in a 1999 treatment with Liam Neeson and Catherine Zeta-Jones– very CGI, not very Shirley.
In 2021, Ellen Datlow harvested a solid horror anthology, based on the style of Shirley Jackson, by the name of “When Things Get Dark.” A story that stood out, even among such terrific entries, was “For Sale by Owner,” by Elizabeth Hand. She is a well-established author and has won the Shirley Jackson Award a number of times– this was enough for me to approach it with an open mind.
Thankfully, this was not a retelling of the original story. “Haunting on the Hill” is a sequel only in location. The original characters are no longer around, this being decades after the original, so there is a new cast visiting. A theatrical group is creating a play, “Witching Night,” and decides to find inspiration by workshopping the production with a stay in an eerie old house.
The atmosphere is kept intact. The characters are pure theater people, each eccentric in their way, with insecurities and back stories. Holly is the playwright and the one funding this stay. Her girlfriend, Nisa, is composing the music and is endlessly singing. Stevie is the sound designer and has a role, as well. Amanda is an aging star looking for this part to return her to her glory days. Below the surface here we find Holly resenting Nisa for trying to grab too much credit, Nisa and Stevie are concealing an affair they have had, and Amanda is sure she hears everyone else whispering trash about her. Yes, you have egos ready to blow sky high.
The house does its thing and supernatural elements drive the cast against each other. It is hard to be sympathetic towards any of them and there are a lot of leftovers in these back stories which are never resolved. An element of witchcraft is suggested, though never really developed. Finally, it could just be me, but I was puzzled by the choice of large black rabbits being utilized as symbols of terror throughout the book.
“Haunting on the Hill” had a strong start but ultimately failed to pay off for me. It was not a trainwreck, it did nothing to sully Shirley Jackson’s creation, it just had a hard time measuring up.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Mulholland Books for providing a review copy in exchange for an honest review.
October 19, 2023
If an author truly must revisit the world that is Hill House, my only wish is that the author would honor it with the same brilliant gothic writing that Jackson gave it. As I had expected, that was not the case here.
I would like to applaud the author because it takes guts to take something so iconic and include it as a central part of your book—it’s a huge risk. Including the famous house in her story almost felt like a ploy, though, just to get readers to the book. And, I mean, hey, brava because it worked on me, as I know it will for many other readers who have adored Jackson’s Hill House.
It is important to note that this isn’t a retelling of Jackson’s story or even a sequel. Rather, it is more of an appreciative nod towards it. That said, you don’t need to read The Haunting of Hill House to benefit from reading this story. In fact, I think readers who haven’t read Hill House will probably enjoy this book more than readers (and lovers) of the classic. As a lover of the original work, I found it impossible not to draw comparisons between the two and I think that is where a lot of the problem lies. For me, at least.
✺ What I liked:
-Colorful, haunting cover.
-Paranormal happenings and supernatural beings, duh.
-The action in the second half of the book.
-Evadne’s witchy vibes.
✺ What I didn’t like:
-Short chapters are normally a win for me but a lot of these chapters were cut short for the sake of creating a false sense of suspense when the story could have just continued on.
-The characters. For a group of adults, they sure acted like a bunch of adolescents.
-Hand never got to the nitty gritty about WHY the house is haunted which is, dare I say, essential for a haunted house story.
-The whole “actors gather in a house to rehearse a play” thing was a miss for me. It just wasn’t very interesting.
✺ Nods to the OG:
-Set in the town of Hillsdale.
-Brief mention of how Eleanor died (though it didn’t mention her by name).
-I don’t know if it was the author’s intention but one could argue that the LGBT+ MC was inspired by Theodora’s often-speculated sexuality.
-Each room had a color (which is easily overlooked in this book if you haven’t read Jackson’s rendition), but Stevie is staying in the “yellow room” which was our good old friend, Dr. Montague’s room.
-Melissa, the housekeeper, and her husband do not stay at the house after dark, same as Mrs. and Mr. Dudley from Jackson’s story.
-The use of the name Nell in Holly’s first play.
-Cold spot in the nursery is the same.
(I’m sure that I missed some but these are the ones that stood out to me.)
Overall, this book wasn’t great but it wasn’t terrible, it’s just kind of… there… existing. It was tolerable but nothing to write home about… Ultimately, my love for The Haunting of Hill House overshadowed my enjoyment. 2.5 stars.
I would like to applaud the author because it takes guts to take something so iconic and include it as a central part of your book—it’s a huge risk. Including the famous house in her story almost felt like a ploy, though, just to get readers to the book. And, I mean, hey, brava because it worked on me, as I know it will for many other readers who have adored Jackson’s Hill House.
It is important to note that this isn’t a retelling of Jackson’s story or even a sequel. Rather, it is more of an appreciative nod towards it. That said, you don’t need to read The Haunting of Hill House to benefit from reading this story. In fact, I think readers who haven’t read Hill House will probably enjoy this book more than readers (and lovers) of the classic. As a lover of the original work, I found it impossible not to draw comparisons between the two and I think that is where a lot of the problem lies. For me, at least.
✺ What I liked:
-Colorful, haunting cover.
-Paranormal happenings and supernatural beings, duh.
-The action in the second half of the book.
-Evadne’s witchy vibes.
✺ What I didn’t like:
-Short chapters are normally a win for me but a lot of these chapters were cut short for the sake of creating a false sense of suspense when the story could have just continued on.
-The characters. For a group of adults, they sure acted like a bunch of adolescents.
-Hand never got to the nitty gritty about WHY the house is haunted which is, dare I say, essential for a haunted house story.
-The whole “actors gather in a house to rehearse a play” thing was a miss for me. It just wasn’t very interesting.
✺ Nods to the OG:
-Set in the town of Hillsdale.
-Brief mention of how Eleanor died (though it didn’t mention her by name).
-I don’t know if it was the author’s intention but one could argue that the LGBT+ MC was inspired by Theodora’s often-speculated sexuality.
-Each room had a color (which is easily overlooked in this book if you haven’t read Jackson’s rendition), but Stevie is staying in the “yellow room” which was our good old friend, Dr. Montague’s room.
-Melissa, the housekeeper, and her husband do not stay at the house after dark, same as Mrs. and Mr. Dudley from Jackson’s story.
-The use of the name Nell in Holly’s first play.
-Cold spot in the nursery is the same.
(I’m sure that I missed some but these are the ones that stood out to me.)
Overall, this book wasn’t great but it wasn’t terrible, it’s just kind of… there… existing. It was tolerable but nothing to write home about… Ultimately, my love for The Haunting of Hill House overshadowed my enjoyment. 2.5 stars.
November 8, 2023
well, it wasn't.
----------
if you were able to get permission from the shirley jackson estate to use hill house in your own novel then this better be the greatest book of all time
----------
if you were able to get permission from the shirley jackson estate to use hill house in your own novel then this better be the greatest book of all time
January 7, 2024
4.5/5 stars, a worthy tribute
“Do you know why certain houses make people feel uneasy?” Nisa rolled her eyes and cut in. “because they’re obviously haunted!”
“No. It’s because we can’t tell whether they’re actually a threat. I heard it on a podcast. If you were to open the door to Hill House and see a dead body or a collapsed ceiling, you’d refuse to enter. But nothing here is obviously wrong. It’s just all slightly wrong. Which makes it harder to know for us if its safe.”
Any modern author attempting a take on/tribute to a well-beloved classic is bound to kick up some dust, for better or worse. When I, a huge Shirley Jackson-fan, heard there was an officially licensed by the Jackson-trust-fund tribute novel to my all-time favourite classic Hill House on the way, I was equal parts excited and skeptical. Inviting any comparisons to a classic, for with my love has grown over years and multiple rereads, is a surefire way to set a book up for disappointment, so I tried to temper expectations.
I’m so happy to say; this was a homage that does the original justice. Eerie, haunting, gothic, and enough of its own thing that it doesn’t completely sink away in the large tracks of its predecessor. Thematically and emotionally, it doesn’t have the same deep-rooted effect on me like The Haunting of Hill House had, but it still managed to bring out some of the same vibes and made for a completely immersive and unsettling read.
Years after the original events of Hill House, completely new cast of characters returns to the iconic mansion. This time, it’s not a scholarly interest in the paranormal that connects them, but a stage play about a witching trial they’re developing together. Playwright Holly Sherwin been a struggling for a breakthrough for years, but now, after receiving a grant to develop her play, The Witch of Edmonton, she may finally be close to her big break. All she needs is time and space to bring her vision to life. When she stumbles across Hill House on a weekend getaway upstate, she is immediately taken in by the ornate, if crumbling, gothic mansion. Joined by her girlfriend/leadsinger and composer Nisa, and a small cast of actors to play the leads, she takes up residence between the walls of Hill House. As tensions rise amongst these artists, getting immersed deeper and deeper into their roles, strange events unfold around the premises. As it turns out, Hill House reputation for madness and tragedy is more warranted than they anticipated…
As mentioned: I liked the choice of taking on different themes and a different flavour of madness, rather than rehashing the same ones the originally already did perfectly. Shirley Jacksons stay at Hill House was an introverted one, coloured by melancholy, obsession and isolation. Elizabeth Hand’s madness is more theatrical one, more extroverted and driven by ambition. It’s the mania to Jacksons depression, so to speak. That contrast sets it apart enough to stand on its own, whilst Hill House as the catalyst still justifies its connection. To me, this is the best way to do a tribute to a masterpiece: honoring its spirit, but respecting its territory. Elizabeth Hand feels to have recognized that the original didn’t need improving or adding to. The Haunting of Hill House is strong enough to walk the halls of its own universe alone. Yet for those who want to experience it, there’s now a new ghost to uncover in there too…
Note with regards to the formatting: I personally combined reading the physical copy with listening to the Hachette Audio and recommend both. The audiobook’s narration is superb and audio-effects and excellent voice work really bring the story to life.
“Do you know why certain houses make people feel uneasy?” Nisa rolled her eyes and cut in. “because they’re obviously haunted!”
“No. It’s because we can’t tell whether they’re actually a threat. I heard it on a podcast. If you were to open the door to Hill House and see a dead body or a collapsed ceiling, you’d refuse to enter. But nothing here is obviously wrong. It’s just all slightly wrong. Which makes it harder to know for us if its safe.”
Any modern author attempting a take on/tribute to a well-beloved classic is bound to kick up some dust, for better or worse. When I, a huge Shirley Jackson-fan, heard there was an officially licensed by the Jackson-trust-fund tribute novel to my all-time favourite classic Hill House on the way, I was equal parts excited and skeptical. Inviting any comparisons to a classic, for with my love has grown over years and multiple rereads, is a surefire way to set a book up for disappointment, so I tried to temper expectations.
I’m so happy to say; this was a homage that does the original justice. Eerie, haunting, gothic, and enough of its own thing that it doesn’t completely sink away in the large tracks of its predecessor. Thematically and emotionally, it doesn’t have the same deep-rooted effect on me like The Haunting of Hill House had, but it still managed to bring out some of the same vibes and made for a completely immersive and unsettling read.
Years after the original events of Hill House, completely new cast of characters returns to the iconic mansion. This time, it’s not a scholarly interest in the paranormal that connects them, but a stage play about a witching trial they’re developing together. Playwright Holly Sherwin been a struggling for a breakthrough for years, but now, after receiving a grant to develop her play, The Witch of Edmonton, she may finally be close to her big break. All she needs is time and space to bring her vision to life. When she stumbles across Hill House on a weekend getaway upstate, she is immediately taken in by the ornate, if crumbling, gothic mansion. Joined by her girlfriend/leadsinger and composer Nisa, and a small cast of actors to play the leads, she takes up residence between the walls of Hill House. As tensions rise amongst these artists, getting immersed deeper and deeper into their roles, strange events unfold around the premises. As it turns out, Hill House reputation for madness and tragedy is more warranted than they anticipated…
As mentioned: I liked the choice of taking on different themes and a different flavour of madness, rather than rehashing the same ones the originally already did perfectly. Shirley Jacksons stay at Hill House was an introverted one, coloured by melancholy, obsession and isolation. Elizabeth Hand’s madness is more theatrical one, more extroverted and driven by ambition. It’s the mania to Jacksons depression, so to speak. That contrast sets it apart enough to stand on its own, whilst Hill House as the catalyst still justifies its connection. To me, this is the best way to do a tribute to a masterpiece: honoring its spirit, but respecting its territory. Elizabeth Hand feels to have recognized that the original didn’t need improving or adding to. The Haunting of Hill House is strong enough to walk the halls of its own universe alone. Yet for those who want to experience it, there’s now a new ghost to uncover in there too…
Note with regards to the formatting: I personally combined reading the physical copy with listening to the Hachette Audio and recommend both. The audiobook’s narration is superb and audio-effects and excellent voice work really bring the story to life.
October 21, 2023
Shirley Jackson must be rolling in her grave. This novel takes her iconic Hill House and puts it in the hands of four thoroughly unlikable, self-centered, and frankly stupid protagonists. It is not scary. It is not suspenseful. It’s just plain boring. I waited the entire book for something to happen and the climax made me actually laugh, it was so anti-climactic. There’s a ton of half-formed side arcs that are never further explained or resolved. The tablecloth stain? The amber rings? The hares? The bruises on the caretakers face? The angry cook? The spinning figure in the woods? What? To further add to the insult- I partially listened to this one with Audible and the narrator is just so wrong for the story. Holly, the main character, is supposed to be in her 30s but the narrator sounds easily 50-60+ and it takes so much away from the story trying to reconcile the voice and the character. Also, she sings. Badly. AND there’s a bunch of cheesy, over-produced sound effects in the audiobook which are totally unnecessary and distracting. Such a let-down, as I’m a huge Shirley Jackson fan and was anticipating a spooky return to Hill House.
October 22, 2023
A worthy sequel
Beautiful story telling. The atmosphere is spot on. Dread, fear, claustrophobia. The feeling and knowing something very bad is wrong with Hill House but finding out after its too late. I love this just as much as I do the original and would read this again.
Beautiful story telling. The atmosphere is spot on. Dread, fear, claustrophobia. The feeling and knowing something very bad is wrong with Hill House but finding out after its too late. I love this just as much as I do the original and would read this again.
October 23, 2023
TW: Drinking, covid mention, drugs, language, sexual assault of a minor, suicide (mention), mental illness, sex
*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:Holly Sherwin has been a struggling playwright for years, but now, after receiving a grant to develop her play, The Witch of Edmonton, she may finally be close to her big break. All she needs is time and space to bring her vision to life. When she stumbles across Hill House on a weekend getaway upstate, she is immediately taken in by the ornate, if crumbling, gothic mansion, nearly hidden outside a remote village. It’s enormous, old, and ever-so eerie—the perfect place to develop and rehearse her play. Despite her own hesitations, Holly’s girlfriend, Nisa, agrees to join Holly in renting the house out for a month, and soon a troupe of actors, each with ghosts of their own, arrive. Yet as they settle in, the house’s peculiarities are made known: strange creatures stalk the grounds, disturbing sounds echo throughout the halls, and time itself seems to shift. All too soon, Holly and her friends find themselves at odds not just with one another, but with the house itself. It seems something has been waiting in Hill House all these years, and it no longer intends to walk alone . . .
Release Date: October 3rd, 2023
Genre: Horror
Pages: 336
Rating: ⭐
What I Liked:
1. Short chapters
2. The cover is cool
3. Same world as Hill House
4. I did like the that there was a same sex couple
What I Didn't Like:
1. Chapters end in odd spots
2. Omgosh I hated the acting play aspect of this book
3. Boring
4. I don't like any of the characters
Overall Thoughts:
Something felt as though it was missing from this book that The Haunting had.
Parts about the plays were dry and boring to me. I don't care about plays so page after page of them was just boring to me.
All the characters just feel so one dimensional to me.
One of my favorite things about the Haunting of Hill House was how fast we see Eleanor start to break down. She's already pulled down emotionally from the abuse she suffered from taking care of her mother. Then we jump into that her sister is trying to sell the house she lives in within a few days of their mother dying. Then we jump into her going to the House. I just feel like in this book there's none of that desperation; there is no sadness. It all just feels like these uppity rich people just want to go and make a play based on someone else's misery. It was hard for me to feel for the characters because I didn't care for the characters. They're so New York that they come off full of themselves and like they deserve everything. Case in point Holly sees the House and then decides that she's going to go and rent it even though there's no signage saying that this house is for rent. Then Nisa, her girlfriend even goes and they start telling this realtor that they are going to rent the house and then it happens. I rolled my eyes at that.
And then the buildup to get to the house and actually get them into the house feels so drawn out that I absolutely felt like I was losing interest. I struggled to want to carry on reading about these people.
I'm sorry I ended up having a dnf this at 50%. I just could not read about them talk acting and the play anymore. It all just became so annoying and boring. These characters were so dull. I knew that there was going to be some parts that talked about acting but I didn't expect it to be the only thing these people could even talk about. It's like these characters didn't have a life or personality beyond the play and their parts.
Final Thoughts:
This was not what I expected. It was so different from what I thought I was getting. The overuse of drugs and drinking took me out of that this was even supposed to be in the same world of Hill House. It reminded me of the movie franchise using the name but then totally butcher everything about it.
I did have the book and the audiobook. I read the book when I wasn't doing things and put the audiobook on when I didn't have my hands free; I preferred the book. I think its nice to have a book that has sound effects on it but if a book is written on its original format and can't stand on its own than you shouldn't rate it higher because of the audiobook.
Another thing - the book says it; "The first-ever novel authorized to return to the world of Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House" What does that even mean? Is the book copyright protected that no one can mention characters or the house from the original novel? I did find a good article saying that all it means is that Shirley Jackson's family said "Go ahead just pay us and you can use it." New York Times Article
I am so so disappointed that I didn't like this book. I love Shirley Jackson and I loved The Haunting of Hill House, but this book should not be associated with it. It just ends up being sex, drugs, and this stupid play.
It reminded me so much of Mona Awad's Alls Well. Now she was able to write a book that had plays in that was interesting and I enjoyed that book.
I will say that I did like that there was a same sex couple. Shirley Jackson had Nell in her book and since it was the late 50s wasn't able to come out and say she was gay, but it was hinted at in the book and the wonderful movie from the 60s.
IG | Blog
Thanks to Netgalley (ebook) and Mulholland Books (physical book) for this advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:Holly Sherwin has been a struggling playwright for years, but now, after receiving a grant to develop her play, The Witch of Edmonton, she may finally be close to her big break. All she needs is time and space to bring her vision to life. When she stumbles across Hill House on a weekend getaway upstate, she is immediately taken in by the ornate, if crumbling, gothic mansion, nearly hidden outside a remote village. It’s enormous, old, and ever-so eerie—the perfect place to develop and rehearse her play. Despite her own hesitations, Holly’s girlfriend, Nisa, agrees to join Holly in renting the house out for a month, and soon a troupe of actors, each with ghosts of their own, arrive. Yet as they settle in, the house’s peculiarities are made known: strange creatures stalk the grounds, disturbing sounds echo throughout the halls, and time itself seems to shift. All too soon, Holly and her friends find themselves at odds not just with one another, but with the house itself. It seems something has been waiting in Hill House all these years, and it no longer intends to walk alone . . .
Release Date: October 3rd, 2023
Genre: Horror
Pages: 336
Rating: ⭐
What I Liked:
1. Short chapters
2. The cover is cool
3. Same world as Hill House
4. I did like the that there was a same sex couple
What I Didn't Like:
1. Chapters end in odd spots
2. Omgosh I hated the acting play aspect of this book
3. Boring
4. I don't like any of the characters
Overall Thoughts:
Something felt as though it was missing from this book that The Haunting had.
Parts about the plays were dry and boring to me. I don't care about plays so page after page of them was just boring to me.
All the characters just feel so one dimensional to me.
One of my favorite things about the Haunting of Hill House was how fast we see Eleanor start to break down. She's already pulled down emotionally from the abuse she suffered from taking care of her mother. Then we jump into that her sister is trying to sell the house she lives in within a few days of their mother dying. Then we jump into her going to the House. I just feel like in this book there's none of that desperation; there is no sadness. It all just feels like these uppity rich people just want to go and make a play based on someone else's misery. It was hard for me to feel for the characters because I didn't care for the characters. They're so New York that they come off full of themselves and like they deserve everything. Case in point Holly sees the House and then decides that she's going to go and rent it even though there's no signage saying that this house is for rent. Then Nisa, her girlfriend even goes and they start telling this realtor that they are going to rent the house and then it happens. I rolled my eyes at that.
And then the buildup to get to the house and actually get them into the house feels so drawn out that I absolutely felt like I was losing interest. I struggled to want to carry on reading about these people.
I'm sorry I ended up having a dnf this at 50%. I just could not read about them talk acting and the play anymore. It all just became so annoying and boring. These characters were so dull. I knew that there was going to be some parts that talked about acting but I didn't expect it to be the only thing these people could even talk about. It's like these characters didn't have a life or personality beyond the play and their parts.
Final Thoughts:
This was not what I expected. It was so different from what I thought I was getting. The overuse of drugs and drinking took me out of that this was even supposed to be in the same world of Hill House. It reminded me of the movie franchise using the name but then totally butcher everything about it.
I did have the book and the audiobook. I read the book when I wasn't doing things and put the audiobook on when I didn't have my hands free; I preferred the book. I think its nice to have a book that has sound effects on it but if a book is written on its original format and can't stand on its own than you shouldn't rate it higher because of the audiobook.
Another thing - the book says it; "The first-ever novel authorized to return to the world of Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House" What does that even mean? Is the book copyright protected that no one can mention characters or the house from the original novel? I did find a good article saying that all it means is that Shirley Jackson's family said "Go ahead just pay us and you can use it." New York Times Article
I am so so disappointed that I didn't like this book. I love Shirley Jackson and I loved The Haunting of Hill House, but this book should not be associated with it. It just ends up being sex, drugs, and this stupid play.
It reminded me so much of Mona Awad's Alls Well. Now she was able to write a book that had plays in that was interesting and I enjoyed that book.
I will say that I did like that there was a same sex couple. Shirley Jackson had Nell in her book and since it was the late 50s wasn't able to come out and say she was gay, but it was hinted at in the book and the wonderful movie from the 60s.
IG | Blog
Thanks to Netgalley (ebook) and Mulholland Books (physical book) for this advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
October 15, 2023
Elizabeth Hand nos lleva de vuelta a Hill House, sesenta años después, un grupo de actores de teatro alquilan Hill House para sus ensayos.
"La mayoría de las casas duermen y casi todas sueñan: con conflagraciones y celebraciones, nacimientos y suelos pandeos; de pasos de niños y tablillas que necesitan reparación, de mascotas enfermas y pintura descascarada, velatorios y bodas y ventanas que ya no protegen de la lluvia y la nieve sino que les dan la bienvenida, furtivamente, cuando no hay nadie en casa para darse cuenta. Hill House no duerme ni sueña. Envuelta entre sus prados descuidados y extensos bosques, las largas sombras de las montañas y los robles centenarios, Hill House observa. Hill House espera."
"La mayoría de las casas duermen y casi todas sueñan: con conflagraciones y celebraciones, nacimientos y suelos pandeos; de pasos de niños y tablillas que necesitan reparación, de mascotas enfermas y pintura descascarada, velatorios y bodas y ventanas que ya no protegen de la lluvia y la nieve sino que les dan la bienvenida, furtivamente, cuando no hay nadie en casa para darse cuenta. Hill House no duerme ni sueña. Envuelta entre sus prados descuidados y extensos bosques, las largas sombras de las montañas y los robles centenarios, Hill House observa. Hill House espera."
May 30, 2024
I had such high expectations for this book, as "the first-ever authorized novel to return to the world of Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House," but boy was I disappointed. While I appreciated Jackson's work for its psychological horror and thematic depth, this book fell seriously short in those areas. The pacing was imbalanced, with minimal tension or horror until the abrupt ending. The themes, such as ageism and misogyny, were only briefly mentioned and not explored in depth. Moreover, the characters were unlikable and lacked profundity, making the story very difficult to enjoy.
One of the main characters, Nissa, was particularly frustrating for me to read due to her extremely egotistical and annoying nature. Nissa's behaviour reinforces long-held negative stereotypes about both theatre kids and bisexuals, which I, a former theatre kid and current bisexual, found deeply frustrating and mildly offensive. Her characterization and the lack of logical progression in her story arc further contributed to my dissatisfaction. Nissa's ultimate fate felt unearned and lacked emotional impact while throwing away the perfect opportunity to tie up her character arc with poetic justice.
Ultimately, I felt the book squandered its potential and failed to deliver on its promise of a compelling horror story. Despite a well-performed audiobook (presumably by someone with a theatre background who was forced to read this ridiculous caricature), the book's flaws far outweighed any positives, leaving me with a sense of missed opportunities and unfulfilled expectations.
Watch the Halloween reading vlog here for my full Nissa-induced rant: https://youtu.be/0vphkBXq6zs
Representation: several lesbian and bisexual characters, including the protagonist. Bisexual characters reinforce negative stereotypes of bisexuality.
Trigger/Content Warnings: infidelity, death, suicidal ideation, drug abuse, child sexual abuse, grooming
You can find me on...
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You can join our book club over on Patreon...
PBB Book Club
Thank you to Libro.fm for the influencer copy.
One of the main characters, Nissa, was particularly frustrating for me to read due to her extremely egotistical and annoying nature. Nissa's behaviour reinforces long-held negative stereotypes about both theatre kids and bisexuals, which I, a former theatre kid and current bisexual, found deeply frustrating and mildly offensive. Her characterization and the lack of logical progression in her story arc further contributed to my dissatisfaction. Nissa's ultimate fate felt unearned and lacked emotional impact while throwing away the perfect opportunity to tie up her character arc with poetic justice.
Ultimately, I felt the book squandered its potential and failed to deliver on its promise of a compelling horror story. Despite a well-performed audiobook (presumably by someone with a theatre background who was forced to read this ridiculous caricature), the book's flaws far outweighed any positives, leaving me with a sense of missed opportunities and unfulfilled expectations.
Watch the Halloween reading vlog here for my full Nissa-induced rant: https://youtu.be/0vphkBXq6zs
Representation: several lesbian and bisexual characters, including the protagonist. Bisexual characters reinforce negative stereotypes of bisexuality.
Trigger/Content Warnings: infidelity, death, suicidal ideation, drug abuse, child sexual abuse, grooming
You can find me on...
Youtube | Instagram | TikTok
You can join our book club over on Patreon...
PBB Book Club
Thank you to Libro.fm for the influencer copy.
September 28, 2024
HELLO spooky season!! 🖤 I can’t even tell you how excited I was to read this!! Thank you @mulhollandbooks for my gorgeous gifted copy!! 🥰 I mean this cover!! 🔥🔥 Right??? 😍🫶
Okay so I have not read Shirley Jackson. 😬 I know. 🙄 Let me tell you… I can’t wait to read The Haunting of Hill House now. 😍 Thanks to Elizabeth Hand I am pretty much am obsessed with Hill House…. I mean who wouldn’t be? 🖤
They were told to leave… but they didn’t..😬…so I guess they will reap whatever the house on the hill dishes out. 😳… ALOT… Get ready for a walk on the wildside. This house has been empty wayyy too long.. and it has been waiting..for them. EEK 😱
Guys this is a creeptastic read. Perfect for spooky 👻 season. I couldn’t put it down. What did I love??
✅ Atmospheric
✅ GOTHIC vibes
✅ Giant Hares 🐰 .. Yes you heard right 😉
✅ 🧙♀️ Witchy vibes
✅All kinds of crazy
Holly rents this old grand mansion… hoping to get the creepy vibe inspiration for her play that she is writing. She definitely gets more than she bargained for. 😳 THAT ENDING!! 😳🤯🤯🤯 SO good!!
Okay so I have not read Shirley Jackson. 😬 I know. 🙄 Let me tell you… I can’t wait to read The Haunting of Hill House now. 😍 Thanks to Elizabeth Hand I am pretty much am obsessed with Hill House…. I mean who wouldn’t be? 🖤
They were told to leave… but they didn’t..😬…so I guess they will reap whatever the house on the hill dishes out. 😳… ALOT… Get ready for a walk on the wildside. This house has been empty wayyy too long.. and it has been waiting..for them. EEK 😱
Guys this is a creeptastic read. Perfect for spooky 👻 season. I couldn’t put it down. What did I love??
✅ Atmospheric
✅ GOTHIC vibes
✅ Giant Hares 🐰 .. Yes you heard right 😉
✅ 🧙♀️ Witchy vibes
✅All kinds of crazy
Holly rents this old grand mansion… hoping to get the creepy vibe inspiration for her play that she is writing. She definitely gets more than she bargained for. 😳 THAT ENDING!! 😳🤯🤯🤯 SO good!!
February 1, 2024
This contemporary queer horror novel is the first authorized return to Shirley Jackson’s iconic queer horror The Haunting of Hill House from 1959. Same setting, totally new characters doing something different in the house (rehearsing a play about a witch). I had high expectations of this one, and they were pretty much met -- I wanted a bit less action pre-house and a little more buildup to the climax.
But Hand does an amazing job creating a spooky atmosphere and I found the borderline unlikable characters and their relationships with each other fascinating. The audiobook version is outstanding, with a great voice actor performance and sound effects that really added to the mood.
But Hand does an amazing job creating a spooky atmosphere and I found the borderline unlikable characters and their relationships with each other fascinating. The audiobook version is outstanding, with a great voice actor performance and sound effects that really added to the mood.
October 26, 2023
The audiobook is great! The narrator sings and there are background sounds. I liked that. I go back and read the song verse and it's good.
The story however wasn't very interesting. I listened to the whole story so that was really good on my part. If I read, I worry I would have stopped but the narrator did a great job. The haunting portion, I don't get it. Maybe because I haven't read Hill House so I don't understand what's all that with the nursery and colors. There's mentioned of witches and demons which their play is based on but it wasn't very exciting.
This story followed Holly, a struggling playwright. Her girlfriend is Nisa and she sings well. They had a small getaway where Holly found Hill House and loved the eerie look about it so she decided to rent it for two weeks to work on her new play. She invited two other actors to move in to this mansion with her and her girlfriend. When they are there, the people living in the area related to the owner warned them that the house is not safe. Asked them to leave. The play brought out the characters in the actors and they loved it but the house seems to haunt everyone individually. In the end, one person from the group ended up unexpectedly not present.
Thank you Libro.fm for the complimentary audiobook. Thank you Novelsuspects for the opportunity to read and review.
The story however wasn't very interesting. I listened to the whole story so that was really good on my part. If I read, I worry I would have stopped but the narrator did a great job. The haunting portion, I don't get it. Maybe because I haven't read Hill House so I don't understand what's all that with the nursery and colors. There's mentioned of witches and demons which their play is based on but it wasn't very exciting.
This story followed Holly, a struggling playwright. Her girlfriend is Nisa and she sings well. They had a small getaway where Holly found Hill House and loved the eerie look about it so she decided to rent it for two weeks to work on her new play. She invited two other actors to move in to this mansion with her and her girlfriend. When they are there, the people living in the area related to the owner warned them that the house is not safe. Asked them to leave. The play brought out the characters in the actors and they loved it but the house seems to haunt everyone individually. In the end, one person from the group ended up unexpectedly not present.
Thank you Libro.fm for the complimentary audiobook. Thank you Novelsuspects for the opportunity to read and review.
October 15, 2023
Whisper it, but I actually enjoyed this a lot more than The Haunting of Hill House. It uses the setting of Shirley Jackson’s novel beautifully, while also playing to Elizabeth Hand’s own strengths, and established style, as a horror writer. Stumbling across Hill House on a drive in the country, playwright Holly thinks she’s found the perfect venue in which to rehearse and workshop what she hopes will be her breakthrough play, Witching Night. Holly is joined by the cast – her talented yet capricious younger girlfriend, Nisa, and a pair of actors, has-been Amanda and never-was Stevie – and at first, rehearsals go wonderfully: the house’s atmosphere perfectly complements the play’s tale of witchcraft. But there’s the matter of the staff who refuse to stay overnight, the hostile woman who lives in a neighbouring trailer, and the terrifyingly huge black hares Holly keeps glimpsing (a brilliant addition). As tensions increase, Hill House’s influence begins to feel less like an illumination of Witching Night’s themes and more like an infection. Everyone in the book has their own ghosts, cleverly feeding into their own personal hauntings. I was frequently reminded of Hand’s previous, equally good (if not better) novel Wylding Hall; clearly, sticking a bunch of creatives in a haunted house makes for a foolproof horror formula in her hands.
I received an advance review copy of A Haunting on the Hill from the publisher through Edelweiss.
I received an advance review copy of A Haunting on the Hill from the publisher through Edelweiss.
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