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5.0 out of 5 stars
good, Jul 11 2002
This wasnt her best, but if your new to Shirley Jacksons writing style, this is one to read.
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3.0 out of 5 stars
It's the end of the world as we know it, April 8 2002
Even as great a writer as Shirley Jackson has to have a worst book (worst being a relative term, of course), and The Sundial would seem to be Jackson's. The story never had a strong Jackson feel to it because the characters were fairly shallow and unworthy of this reader's sympathy. As an outcast myself, I expect to find at least one troubled soul with which to identify and commiserate when I read Jackson. I initially had trouble distinguishing between the different characters because none of them were very deeply developed. While the occasional gripe or maudlin sentiment caught my attention, I found that I did not care for or about any of the dozen or so individuals described here. The Sundial is basically a weird end-of-the-world novel; the young Mr. Halloran has just died, and his mother now assumes the coveted role of head of household (due to her own husband's infirmities). As she begins to assert her authority and basically throw a few people out of "her" house, old Aunt Fanny encounters the ghost of her father, who warns her that the world is about to end, but that he will protect everyone who stays in the house. As several people begin to believe the truth of the premonition (including Mrs. Halloran), everyone is allowed to remain there. The number is increased by an obnoxiously loud friend of the Mrs. Halloran's and her two daughters, a strange girl sent by her father for temporary housing, and a gentleman whose background escapes me. These people, as might be expected, do not get along with each other very well at all. Mrs. Halloran, born of a low station, increasingly annoys her companions by assuming a dictatorial air, eventually insisting on wearing a crown. The novel leads up to the fateful day when the prophecy is supposed to be fulfilled.While there are elements of humor in the conversations and interactions of characters who dislike one another as much as these do, there is no deep psychological meaning to be gleaned from the story. No character strikes me as real or more than remotely human, and the general attitude expressed as to the imminent end of the world is a much different reaction than I would expect of anyone. I have been reluctant to see other Jackson novels end, but I had no trouble putting this book down once I turned the final page. For someone wondering what Shirley Jackson is all about, I would not suggest reading this novel as an introduction; this one really does not fit the mold of her other major works. A Jackson fan such as myself will want to read The Sundial, of course, simply because Shirley Jackson wrote it, and it is quite likely that some will get more out of this book than I did.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
a good creepy tale, Oct 13 2000
This is an especially appropriate book to read as we stand poised on the edge of a new millennium. An odd assortment of kin and hangers-on gather in a gothic mansion as, initially drawn by the lure of the family fortune, they get drawn into a sort of group apocalyptic psychosis. They end up burning an extensive library of books to make room for the food and supplies they are stocking up on and spend time their time planning out future mating arrangements, to guarantee the continuance of the race, and writing their own differing accounts of what is happening. This may not be one of Jackson's greatest works, but as always, the story can be read either straight, for its entertainment value, or as a palimpsest, with hidden meanings lurking just below the surface. It could be a comment on religion or on 1950's nuclear hysteria or on any number of things; Jackson simply provides a creepy tale, delivered with wit and style, and it's up to readers to draw their own conclusions. GRADE: B-
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