Brought to you by Penguin. A darkly funny account of family life from the author of The Haunting of Hill House and The Lottery 'Sometimes, in my capacity as a mother, I find myself sitting open-mouthed and terrified before my own children' As well as being a master of the macabre, Shirley Jackson was also a pitch-perfect chronicler of everyday family life. In Life Among the Savages, her caustically funny account of raising her children in a ramshackle house in Vermont, she deals with rats in the cellar, misbehaving ...
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Brought to you by Penguin. A darkly funny account of family life from the author of The Haunting of Hill House and The Lottery 'Sometimes, in my capacity as a mother, I find myself sitting open-mouthed and terrified before my own children' As well as being a master of the macabre, Shirley Jackson was also a pitch-perfect chronicler of everyday family life. In Life Among the Savages, her caustically funny account of raising her children in a ramshackle house in Vermont, she deals with rats in the cellar, misbehaving imaginary friends, an oblivious husband and ever-encroaching domestic chaos, all described with wit, warmth and plenty of bite. 'Jackson's family chronicles have a genuinely subversive aspect ... Read today, her pieces feel surprisingly modern - mainly because she refuses to sentimentalize or idealize motherhood' The New York Times Book Review 'Comic masterpieces, laced with hints of the discontent that lies beneath' Guardian (c) Shirley Jackson 1953 (P) Penguin Audio 2020
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New. B-format paperback. Penguin Modern Classics . In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
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PLEASE NOTE, WE DO NOT SHIP TO DENMARK. New Book. Shipped from UK in 4 to 14 days. Established seller since 2000. Please note we cannot offer an expedited shipping service from the UK.
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PLEASE NOTE, WE DO NOT SHIP TO DENMARK. New Book. Shipped from UK in 4 to 14 days. Established seller since 2000. Please note we cannot offer an expedited shipping service from the UK.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Fine. B-format paperback. Penguin Modern Classics . In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Fine. B-format paperback. Penguin Modern Classics . In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
I was reading The Haunting of Hill House when I discovered that Author Shirley Jackson also wrote humorous short stories about her life in Vermont raising four children in the 40's and 50's. The stories were originally printed in popular magazines and collected in two books, Life Among the Savages and Raising Demons.
I am amazed that an author I love for her incredi-creepy, low key horror stories could also write such funny commentary on being a parent. From her son's daily stories about a naughty kid named Charles at school to her daughter's imaginings of being the second Mrs. Ellenroy who has 7 step-daughters all named Martha, the tales are cute and very entertaining. They are definitely tales from a different era, with Jackson talking about smoking a cigarette while in labor with one of her babies, lamenting her bad luck when hiring household help, and the necessity of purchasing demitasse cups to be a proper host. Her stories of the gigantic old house they rented in Vermont, conversations over bridge with friends, the antics of her children, and her failings as a housekeeper are light and funny. It was a perfect Sunday read for me. I smiled at her tales of household chaos while doing laundry, housework and getting ready for the new week in my own crazy house. :)
Jackson's sense of humor in this book reminds me of Erma Bombeck. She pokes fun at her family because sometimes laughter is needed to maintain sanity. One of my favorite parts of this book is when Jackson's husband is sitting on the sofa alone reading The Wizard of Oz to one of his daughter's imaginary friends, while his daughter is up in her room. Jackson asks her daughter why she isn't downstairs listening to the story. The little girl replies that she got bored so she left...but her friend stayed to listen. Too cute!
Even though they were written decades ago, I think most moms would identify with these stories. I certainly did!
