Ella and Jenna review “The Haunting of Hill House” and we disagree that it’s the Greatest Ghost Story Ever Told

This week as book three of our Spooky Reviews Series, we read The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

This novel tells the story of four seekers who arrive at a notoriously unfriendly house called Hill House: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of a “haunting”; Theodora, his lighthearted assistant; Eleanor, a friendless, fragile young woman well acquainted with poltergeists; and Luke, the future heir of Hill House. But Hill House has its own plans for its guests. 

Ella joins me on this episode to discuss: 

• Why we were left feeling disappointed and sad with this book. 
• Do we believe in ghosts? 
• Why, in this special case, the movie (or TV show) is truly so much better than the book. 

Open your book and press play on a podcast episode that will have you looking for spooky, scary skeletons around every corner. 

Mentioned in the Pairings section of the podcast:

• DRINK: Whiskey, Manhattan 
• TV SHOW - The Haunting of Hill House
• BOOK - Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, The Shining
• MOVIE -  It, Shirley, Monster House 

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Once you're done listening, hop onto our Instagram and TikTok @rwreadspodcast to give us your thoughts on the discussion and the book. We look forward to hearing from you! 

 

* Disclaimer *

At Red Wine Reads, we want to engage in the stories of people from all kinds of backgrounds and experiences. The value of books lies in the power of storytelling and sharing a range of perspectives. We don't want to just read what we know, we want to read stories that open our worldview. And in turn, that means getting into challenging, rewarding conversations. But we are not experts in any field — literature, race relations, politics, etc .— and we know that our reviews of these books come from a place of privilege. We encourage our community of readers to add to these conversations with their own thoughts, critiques, and questions. We want to open up a safe place for people. That being said, we also realize that getting into race, sexuality, gender, and other difficult topics can be triggering. We aim to include content warnings whenever they are applicable but we are not perfect. So as we continue to do our best, know you have the room to tell us when we can do better and even, if you want to, share resources with us. Let's learn, grow, and have fun together.