We have always lived in the castle

Format:

Book

Title:

We have always lived in the castle

Author:

Jackson, Shirley, 1916-1965.

ISBN:

9780140071078

9780143129547

Publication Information:

New York, Viking Press [1962]

Physical Description:

214 p. 21 cm.

General Note:

A novel.

Summary:

Merricat Blackwood lives on the family estate with her sister Constance and her uncle Julian. Not long ago there were seven Blackwoods -- until a fatal dose of arsenic found its way into the sugar bowl one terrible night. Acquitted of the murders, Constance has returned home, where Merricat protects her from the curiousity and hostility of the villagers. Their days pass in happy isolation until cousin Charles appears. Only Merricat can see the danger, and she must act swiftly to keep Constance from his grasp.

Subject(s):

Sisters -- Fiction.

Cousins -- Fiction.

Murder -- Investigation -- Fiction.

Social isolation -- Fiction.

American fiction -- 20th century.

Genre:

Gothic fiction (Literary genre)

Fiction

Psychological fiction

Gothic fiction.

Psychological fiction.

Added Corporate Author:

Ralph Ellison Collection (Library of Congress)

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... McMinnville Public Library	Jackson, S.	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Dallas Public Library	Jackson, S. We	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Salem Main Library	Jackson, S.	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Woodburn Public Library	Jackson	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Merricat Blackwood lives on the family estate with her sister Constance and her uncle Julian. Not long ago there were seven Blackwoods--until a fatal dose of arsenic found its way into the sugar bowl one terrible night. Acquitted of the murders, Constance has returned home, where Merricat protects her from the curiousity and hostility of the villagers. Their days pass in happy isolation until cousin Charles appears. Only Merricat can see the danger, and she must act swiftly to keep Constance from his grasp.

Author Notes

Shirley Jackson was born in San Francisco, California on December, 14, 1919. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Syracuse University in 1940. Much of her writing was done during the years she was raising her children. She is best-known for the short story The Lottery, which was first published in 1948 and adapted for television in 1952 and into play form in 1953.

Her published works include articles, nonfiction prose, plays, poetry, seven novels, and fifty-five short stories. Her other works include Life among the Savages, Raising Demons, The Haunting of Hill House, which was adapted to film, and We Have Always Lived in the Castle. She died on August 8, 1965 at the age of 45.

(Bowker Author Biography)

Reviews (2)

School Library Journal Review

Jackson's novel about two sisters who retreat into their ancestral home after the rest of their family is poisoned is a natural next step for students who have already enjoyed the pleasurable shock of the author's "The Lottery." © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publisher's Weekly Review

Since the mysterious death of four family members, the superstitious Mary Katherine "Merricat" Blackwood, her ailing uncle Julian, and agoraphobic sister Constance have lived in a bizarre but contented state of isolation. But when cousin Charles arrives in search of the Blackwood fortune, a terrible family secret is revealed. Bernadette Dunne's reading is flawlessly paced and suspenseful. The voices she provides the cast of characters are spot on: precocious Merricat is haunted and increasingly desperate; Constance is doting but detached; Uncle Julian is both pleasantly dotty and utterly unnerving; and Charles is the conniving villain listeners will love to hate. A treat for fans of mystery and suspense. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved