Comments on: Review: Life Among the Savages

By: sewa yoleme

sewa yoleme — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:43:35 +0000

Hill House (the book, not the movie) wasn’t scary at all. At most it was creepy, in that delicious tickle-up-the-spine way. Unsettling. But quiet. Subtle. The kind of story where you don’t know if the events are natural, supernatural, or in the observers’ heads. And with really meaty, interesting characters.

By: Dona

Dona — Fri, 09 May 2008 13:33:48 +0000

Wow — a visit from Sewa Yoleme — I am honored!

My daughter wants to write a screenplay for We Have Always Lived in the Castle. She (a junior in high school) considers it one of her favorite books — and she’s hyper-critical of books these days.

I need to read The Haunting of Hill House, however, the film really scared me, and I’m a little worried the book will too.

You’re right, I gave the 1999 film too much credit. Must have been Liam Neeson’s influence.

By: sewa yoleme

sewa yoleme — Fri, 09 May 2008 13:14:02 +0000

How strange. I recall a wonderful bit about a visit from a supercilious real estate agent (Jackson showed her the door, then wrote, "Of course I didn't push her down the stairs"), but I completely spaced that they ended up in Vermont. I guess when I read Jackson, Vermont wasn't even on my radar. You're right, Castle is wonderful; I even adapted it for the stage at one point. And for an intro, I'd recommend Castle over the ubiquitous Lottery any day. But for my money, The Haunting of Hill House was her masterpiece. I read it late, after Castle, Savages, Raising Demons, The Road through the Wall, and various short stories. But Hill House is unequaled for subtlety and quiet beauty amid the delicious frights. But we disagree on one point. The 1999 remake of Hill House wasn't mediocre. It was one of the most wretched things ever committed to celluloid, despite my admiration for several of the actors involved. Stick with the 1963 version which, while not quite as wonderful as the book, at least told the story with the proper mood and delicacy.

By: Dona

Dona — Fri, 09 May 2008 12:19:49 +0000

I’m finishing up all the books I’ve started but didn’t finish in the past year or so and this was one of them. Have you read We Have Always Lived in the Castle? I’d recommend that over Life Among the Savages, but both are good.

Actually Clare wants to visit Bennington this summer. We met someone at a college visit yesterday (Goucher College) who has a friend who was just accepted at Bennington.

By: indigo bunting

indigo bunting — Fri, 09 May 2008 11:26:51 +0000

Thanks for this. My buddy, Sewa Yoleme, is a huge SJ fan, and this is one of the books he’s recommended. I wonder if I’ll ever have time to read?

Funny to think of a place like Bennington as a “local college.”