Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #301095 in Books
• Published on: 2006-11-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 160 pages

Customer Reviews

Great Gothic Read
This is a satisfyingly macabre and sinister book. The family that live in the castle are supposedly a murderous bunch, and are definitely not your average neighbours. Mary Katherine Blackwood lives in an isolated house with her sister and their Uncle. The rest of their family died after being fed sugar laced with arsenic. It's Mary Katherine who tells their tale and the reader will soon be entranced by what she has to say, particularly in the events that follow the unwelcome stay of a cousin. A fantastic gothic read, full of humour and a little sadness too. I'll definitely be reading more by this author.

The most disturbing, heartbreaking novel I have ever read
I strongly believe that this is the greatest, most powerful horror novel ever written, and I would go so far as to rank it among the top five pieces of literature the world has ever known. It truly is the most disturbing, original, heartbreaking story I have ever read. It is almost impossible to describe, as are the emotions I feel having read it--it taps virtually every emotion I know of. Merricat is the most unusual, utterly tragic heroine in the universe of fiction. She lives happily with her older sister Constance, her uncle Julian, and her cat Jonas. The rest of the family died several years earlier, murdered with arsenic during the family's evening meal. Although Constance was suspected of the deed, she was acquitted. Nevertheless, the three Blackwoods live in total isolation, and Merricat's twice-weekly trips into the village for groceries are horribly taxing on her because the villagers all laugh at her and tease her mercilessly about the family's tragic history. Merricat likes to bury things and play with her cat and hide near the brook; Constance is perfectly content cooking for her family and keeping the house immaculately clean, and Uncle Julian devotes himself to writing a book about the murder of most of his family. The strange trio is happy and safe in their self-isolation until a cousin shows up at the door and brings ruin, despite Merricat's magical safeguards. The interrelationships of the sisters and uncle is often nonsensical yet very real and adorable. Cousin Charles is a greedy beast, yet only Merricat seems cognizant of this fact initially. The really despicable people are the villagers, however. Never tiring of their constant teasing and harassment of Merricat on her few public appearances, the utterly black heart of the mob is vividly shown toward the end of the book. The end of the novel is incredibly emotional and touching and brought tears to my eyes. I wish I could truly describe this novel, but the only words that can accomplish that are those of this mesmerizing book itself.

On the back of my older copy of this novel, the book is described as an item of black magic that will cast a spell upon the reader; never were truer words written. The psychology underlying all of Jackson's fiction is deeply complex, unique in literature, and maddeningly compelling. But there is also much tenderness to be found here alongside the pain and horror of the Blackwood family story. This is tragedy surpassing even the best work of Sophocles. Anyone who reads this novel and is not deeply affected emotionally is simply not human. If I could have reached into this fictional world and pulled Merricat, Constance, Julian, and Jonas out, I would have done so. The powerlessness I felt as a reader, quite unable to protect and comfort the characters, was truly agonizing, and it was sometimes all I could do to keep myself from getting up and running around the room in exasperation. Anyone feeling at all depressed really should not read this book; there is so much emotion stored in these pages that it really should come with a warning label.

Easily digested at one sitting
The story is written in very simple format, unravelling like a favorite and somewhat familiar mystery, and though largely predictable, the slim tome sticks to your hands by some supernatural force, and doesn't release you until the last page is turned and the last word read.

Mary Katherine Blackwood, known as Merricat, the main character, lives with her reclusive sister Constance and their Uncle Julian, the surviving members of a large family that came to a sad end through the consumption of arsenic laced sugar.

The intriguing Merricat tells the story, regaling the reader with her rituals, talismans and magic, but these alone are not enough to counteract the interloper, who threatens her familiar lifestyle, and tries to destroy the strong family unit.

The conclusion was not quite was I was expecting, being of macabre humor and vivid imagination, but was fitting and satisfying.

A haunting but not chilling read.

^AR