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Sundial
Sundial | Shirley Jackson
32 posts | 25 read | 52 to read
Before there was Hill House, there was the Halloran mansion of Jackson's stunningly creepy fourth novel, The SundialWhen the Halloran clan gathers at the family home for a funeral, no one is surprised when the somewhat peculiar Aunt Fanny wanders off into the secret garden. But then she returns to report an astonishing vision of an apocalypse from which only the Hallorans and their hangers-on will be spared, and the family finds itself engulfed in growing madness, fear, and violence as they prepare for a terrible new world. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
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review
ReadingOver50
The Sundial | Shirley Jackson
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Mehso-so

I was hoping for more. Slow to start, some obscenely rich people decide that the world will end, and they are the only ones who will survive. The characters were so unlikable. I did find myself interested towards the end. I wanted to see what would happen. Unfortunately the ending was a disappointment for me.

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Awesome photo 📷 2y
LitStephanie Love your booktray. 2y
94 likes2 comments
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emmaturi
Sundial | Shirley Jackson
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Pickpick

This was an fascinating story, it has a dystopian feel with lots of sinister goings on. It's definitely a weird story and even though it's a short read at just over 200 pages, you need to take your time to understand all the happenings.

28 likes1 stack add
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Bertha_Mason
The Sundial | Shirley Jackson
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Bertha_Mason
The Sundial | Shirley Jackson

"“This is all very well,” Essex said, “but I do not see how it will keep out flying saucers.”
“I could put up signs,” Mrs. Halloran said irritably, “reading ‘NO LANDING OF INTERSTELLAR AIRCRAFT PERMITTED HERE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.‘ If any spaceships land on my lawn we will give them Aunt Fanny and Miss Ogilvie. I am really very angry, Essex; Miss Ogilvie, with her wanton chattering, has very nearly sent us all to Saturn.”"

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Bertha_Mason
The Sundial | Shirley Jackson

“The sight of one‘s own heart is degrading; people are not meant to look inward—that‘s why they‘ve been given bodies, to hide their souls.”

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Bertha_Mason
The Sundial | Shirley Jackson
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Bertha_Mason
The Sundial | Shirley Jackson

""I want to tell you,” Aunt Fanny said and then—to the embarrassed surprise of everyone in the room, none of whom had ever had any occasion to believe that Aunt Fanny was capable of a single, definite, clear-cut, unembellished act—Aunt Fanny fainted."

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Bertha_Mason
The Sundial | Shirley Jackson

"This was fear so complete that Aunt Fanny, once Frances Halloran, stood with nothing but ice to clothe her; was there something there? Something? Then she thought with what seemed shocking clarity: it is worse if it is not there; somehow it must be real because if it is not real it is in my own head; unable to move, Aunt Fanny thought: It is real."

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Bertha_Mason
The Sundial | Shirley Jackson

Shirley Jackson's family dynamics and dialogue are, as usual, to die for. Like Edward Albee meets The Addams Family.

6 likes1 stack add
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Bertha_Mason
The Sundial | Shirley Jackson
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Bertha_Mason
The Sundial | Shirley Jackson

""Essex.” Mrs. Halloran turned easily in her chair and leaned her head back comfortably. “I want to hear how you wasted your youth. Only the scandalous parts.”
“The path gets straighter and narrower all the time,” Essex said. “The years press in. The path becomes a knife edge and I creep along, holding on even to that, the years closing in on either side and overhead.”"

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Kimbono
The Sundial | Shirley Jackson
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Saturday morning reading soundtrack #readingsoundtrack

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LeahBergen
The Sundial | Shirley Jackson
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It‘s here! Thank you so much, @AlizaApp , for this lovely #CupidGoesPostal parcel.💕 You chose two perfect (long anticipated) picks from my TBR! The tea-drinking dinosaur socks are awesome 😆😆 and the candle smells wonderful. The notepad and pens are so cute and I‘ll try my best to make the sweets last a day or two! 😉 Thanks, again! 💕💕

A great big THANK YOU to @BookishMarginalia for organizing. You‘re the best! 😘😘

BookishMarginalia 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 5y
AlizaApp Yay so glad it arrived!! Enjoy 📚❤️📚 5y
batsy Amazing books 😍 5y
See All 9 Comments
Tanisha_A So cool! 😍 5y
BiblioLitten Wow! 😍 5y
Cathythoughts Fabulous ♥️♥️♥️ 5y
rubyslippersreads Tea-Rex socks! ❤️🦖😄 5y
LeahBergen @rubyslippersreads Silly me. Of COURSE they are! 😂😂 5y
Reviewsbylola So lovely! 5y
110 likes9 comments
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Blueberry
The Sundial | Shirley Jackson
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Shirley Jackson likes to write about being trapped in #houses. I wonder if she had some traumatic event in a house once.

#NewHogwartsAdventure @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @vkois88

vkois88 We Have Always Lived In the Castle... such a good one 6y
Reggie Oooh I know this one because I looked her up after reading one of her books for our #screamsbymail group. She was agoraphobic for a large part of her life. 6y
Blueberry @Reggie Wow, how interesting. Thanks for that. 6y
54 likes3 stack adds3 comments
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Blueberry
The Sundial | Shirley Jackson
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Shirley Jackson sure does write some weird stuff.

59 likes2 stack adds
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respekt1111
The Sundial | Shirley Jackson
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Lunch time reading about the end of the world

29 likes1 stack add
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TaciturnWhenReading
The Sundial | Shirley Jackson
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Closing in on Halloween with the Hallorans. 🎃 👻

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Jaya
The Sundial | Shirley Jackson

Bananas in the way only Jackson did it. Just started, and the matriarch of the creepy old house has already pushed her son down the stairs so she can have sole control of the estate. No one thinks this is odd except the daughter in law, who asks her kid if she wishes grandma was dead, and is answered promptly in the affirmative. That‘s page 1. Whoo boy

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melanieapril
The Sundial | Shirley Jackson
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Another great creepy cover for a Shirley Jackson novel.

vivastory I'll be reading this in a couple months, it looks fantastic 7y
2 likes1 comment
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DeborahSmall
The Sundial | Shirley Jackson
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Thank FUCK my husband was at Tesco when my Amazon man came tonight😳. I feel slightly bad at today's #bookmail 🙈 I still have a few gifts to buy and 9 books arrived for me, another 8, for sister and daughter!! But look at those Shirley Jackson editions, they are so lovely. Waiting on another 3 of them. 📚💞😍😩

DeeLew 😍😍 7y
Martta The queen of the damned is so good! 7y
LauraBeth 😂😂nicely done 👏 7y
See All 18 Comments
LeahBergen 😂😂😂 7y
Libby1 😂😂😂 7y
Laura317 There really needs to be some sort of way to let the delivery folks know when our spouses are out so they can secretly deliver our stuff. THIS is why I ship everything to my work!!🙊 7y
Cinfhen 😂😂😂I share your grief😬 7y
DeborahSmall @Cinfhen @LeahBergen @Laura317 @Libby1 @Martta @LauraBeth @DeeLew I have hidden the packaging, my paper recycling bin was full after 2 days of Amazon deliveries at the weekend. I hate putting card/paper in the regular bin but that's the price I'm paying for over indulging 😂❤️📚 7y
tapgurl I like how he's the Amazon man. Not the mail man!!! Haha 7y
DeborahSmall @tapgurl Because I'm Amazon prime, I do have an Amazon man and the regular post man lol. The postman parks at my house as I've always got parcels then collects his mail from van and walks the rest of the street 😂. Only downside to Prime service is they deliver right up until 8 at night, harder to hide my purchase 💞 7y
tapgurl I have prime too! Does that mean I have an Amazon man? I never noticed 7y
DeborahSmall @tapgurl maybe depends on where you live. When I went Prime I started getting Amazon only deliveries. If I buy from The Wordery or Book Depository on Amazon it comes in the regular mail. You would notice. It's like having 2 postmen lol 7y
Eyglo 😂💪 7y
ReadingEnvy They're so beautiful!! 7y
Suet624 Love this post and the comments about the Amazon man. 7y
DeborahSmall @Suet624 my Amazon man thinks he's funny, last Friday I was in my library reading, my sofa faces away from the window so I didn't see him, instead of ringing the doorbell he banged on the friggin window. He thought it was hilarious, I Definitely threatened to kill him if he did it again (in a nice way of course)💖 7y
tpixie Yikes!! 7y
72 likes18 comments
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julianabrina
The Sundial | Shirley Jackson
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3 likes1 stack add
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CherylDeFranceschi
The Sundial | Shirley Jackson
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KaraDunn
The Sundial | Shirley Jackson
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WHAT IS THIS WORLD?

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Dorianna
The Sundial | Shirley Jackson
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I love creepy children in books.

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Dorianna
The Sundial | Shirley Jackson
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Maybe I shouldn't have laughed at that. But I kinda did.

DeborahSmall Good I was laughing as I read it 😂 7y
Dorianna @DeborahSmall This is why I love Shirley Jackson. She had an understanding of that dry dark Addams Family kind of humor. 7y
DeborahSmall I've never read her but definitely plan to 👍🏼 7y
16 likes3 comments
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Litlady
The Sundial | Shirley Jackson
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Pickpick

Shirley Jackson has my heart. I didn't like The Sundial as well as The Haunting of Hill House but it still should be more recognized IMO. It's the gothic haunted-house tale, old time drawing room, creepy and apocalyptic vibe you would expect from Dame Jackson. Also, her humor and wit shine on with some of the characters here even at their most cruel and shallow. Think of Oscar Wilde meets Clue meets the perfect B-movie. #AllHallowsRead @Litsy

27 likes2 stack adds
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Litlady
The Sundial | Shirley Jackson
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A pumpkin spice latte, some SJ and a cookie. I think I have this shift at B&N handled. On a side note - Robert Beatty of Sarafina and the Black Cloak YA fame will be doing a signing tomorrow!! *Squee*

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RealLifeReading
The Sundial | Shirley Jackson
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Pickpick

The Halloran clan have gathered for a funeral and Aunt Fanny disappears off to the garden only to reappear again with news of her vision - the world is ending! But if they stay in the house they'll be ok! There is a little bit of everything in this book - gothic, a comedy of manners, an apocalypse, and a bit of a haunted mansion feel. Top it off with a crew of selfish foolish characters and you've got this weird, dark, funny and merciless book.

Chrisbookarama Yay!!! 😃 8y
AmyS I ❤️ this picture! 8y
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Titania This picture! I love Shirley Jackson but haven't read this one. Adding it to the list! 8y
GemLThompson This is a truly great pic! Stopped me in my tracks! 8y
Laalaleighh 📚 8y
LeahBergen Beautiful photo (and I haven't read this Jackson yet 😳) 8y
Coleen ❤️ this pic! 8y
106 likes18 stack adds9 comments
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RealLifeReading
The Sundial | Shirley Jackson
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Fave place to relax is probably my bed after a long day with the kids. It isn't very much to look at. So I decided to share my fave spot at the library! I love window seats! The library is right next to the Central Park, which has a lovely lake (2mile walk around the lake) and several playgrounds. This picture was taken in winter or early spring when it was drizzling. We haven't seen rain here in ages! #augustphotochallenge #augustofpages

BekahB Oh I love a good window seat! 8y
Alisnazzy My bed is my favorite place too, but I need to clean my room so I chose another place to show lol 8y
DebinHawaii Window seats are the best! 👍 8y
Megabooks Wonderful view! 8y
Onioons Ha, I was reading & looking at the pic thinking you had a bed in a library! #livingthedream 8y
108 likes5 comments
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RealLifeReading
The Sundial | Shirley Jackson
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I'm kinda behind on my medal pursuit for the #bookisholympics! Finished my first book last night and onto my second. This opens promisingly.

In the first paragraph: "Young Mrs Halloran, looking after her mother-in-law, said without hope, "Maybe she will drop dead on the doorstep. Fancy, dear, would you like to see Granny drop dead on the doorstep?"

Blair_Reads Hahaha 8y
BekahB I love that cover! 8y
DiruVamp Shirley Jackson 😍 8y
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RealLifeReading @Blair_Reads it's a good start! 😀 8y
RealLifeReading @BekahB isn't it great? 8y
RealLifeReading @DiruVamp love her book. I also really want to read about her life! 8y
DiruVamp @RealLifeReading I haven't read a book of hers that I didn't love! I've never come across any type of biography or memoir have you? That would be amazing! 8y
RealLifeReading @DiruVamp and also she wrote a kind of memoir? Haven't read it yet but seems to be like a memoir 8y
DiruVamp @RealLifeReading I haven't read either but they both sound amazing! I will definitely check them out thank you!! 👏🏻😀 have you read Private Demons? What did you think? 8y
79 likes5 stack adds10 comments
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wisebravegirl
The Sundial | Shirley Jackson
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Having a pretty good morning, obviously.

Robothugs Those doughnuts look delicious. 😍 8y
wisebravegirl @Robothugs oh, they were. 👌 8y
46 likes5 stack adds2 comments
review
CherrySimpso
The Sundial | Shirley Jackson
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Pickpick

I have started to devour the novels of Shirley Jackson and while I sometimes feel like I'm trudging through it a little I always am sad when I reach the last page.