Ratings5
Average rating4.2
Shirley Jackson is one of the most important American writers of the last hundred years. Since her death in 1965, her place in the landscape of twentieth-century fiction has only grown more exalted. As we approach the centenary of her birth comes this compilation of 56 pieces--more than forty never before published. Two of Jackson's children co-edited this volume, culling through the vast archives of their mother's papers at the Library of Congress, selecting only the very best for inclusion. Let Me Tell You brings together the deliciously eerie short stories Jackson is best known for, along with frank, inspiring lectures on writing; comic essays about her large, boisterous family; and whimsical drawings. Jackson's landscape here is most frequently domestic: dinner parties, household budgets and commutes, children's games and neighborly gossip. But this familiar setting is also her most subversive: She wields humor, terror, and the uncanny to explore the real challenges of marriage, parenting, and community--the pressure of social norms, the veins of distrust in love, the constant lack of time and space. This collection showcases Jackson's radically different modes of writing side by side, showing her to be a magnificent storyteller, a sharp, sly humorist, and a powerful feminist.--Adapted from book jacket.
Reviews with the most likes.
“since ninety percent of my life went on in my head anyway, I cannot see any point in remembering odd concrete items”
her nonfiction writing is so delightful to read. all of it is really, but i love nf a little too much and it was nice to finally get some of that here. her voice is so clear through everything she wrote, though. it's witty, atmospheric, sometimes (well, to me quite often) anxiety enducing, always sure and well thought out. ‘mrs spencer and the oberons' is one of my favorites of this collection as it has all of those qualities i just mentioned, yet there are many many other stories of hers just like it (as in, just as good). having now read what i believe is everything she published i'm even more in awe of her talent. publishers here need to hurry up bc i need to own all of her books. wild that for several decades essentially only hill house was translated here! but i'm glad that i can read her work as she wrote it.
paranoia / mrs. spencer and the oberons / it isn't the money i mind / the new maid / let me tell you / family treasures / the lie / showdown / the man in the woods / private showing / good old house / the ghosts of loiret / the real me / about the end of the world / memory and delusion / how i write.