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Available
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Publication
Publisher Unknown (1969)
Description
In her celebrated fiction, Shirley Jackson explored the darkness lurking beneath the surface of small-town America. But in Life Among the Savages, she takes on the lighter side of small-town life. In this witty and warm memoir of her family's life in rural Vermont, she delightfully exposes a domestic side in cheerful contrast to her quietly terrifying fiction. With a novelist's gift for character, an unfailing maternal instinct, and her signature humor, Jackson turns everyday family experiences into brilliant adventures.
User reviews
LibraryThing member London_StJ
In Shirley Jackson's obituary, a friend from the NY Times writes of the authors, "the fact was that she used a typewriter {and not the broomstick of legend}--and then only after she had completed her household chores." This image of the house-proud and "well prioritized" novelist has apparently
Her own writing, however, tells a different story. Of her family life, Jackson herself says, "Our major exports are books and children, both of which we produce in abundance. The children are Laurence, Joanne, Sarah and Barry: my books include three novels, The Road Through The Wall, Hangsaman, The Bird’s Nest, and a collection of short stories, The Lottery. Life Among the Savages is a disrespectful memoir of my children” (Twentieth Century Authors). The first page of Life Among the Savages echoes this view of her life: "When we moved into {our house} we had two children and about five thousand books; I expect that when we finally overflow and move out again we will have perhaps twenty children and easily half a million books ... This is the way of life my husband and I have fallen into, inadvertently..."
I found Jackson's "disrespectful memoir" to be truly delightful. Here she writes a collection of family stories and anecdotes that perfectly emphasize the minor frustrations and confusion of parenthood while maintaining a great sense of humor. Children are loud. And dirty. And have a tendency to say very inappropriate things - but then again, adults can be nervous and bumbling and completely inept when thrown into alien territory like parent-teacher conferences. For all the "disrespect" that Jackson claims, the book itself is simply grounded, and portrays a wonderfully contemporary attitude towards parenthood that I was able to relate to and enjoy.
Successfully raising a horde of children must require a good sense of humor, and Shirley Jackson has it in spades. I cannot wait to get to the sequel, Raising Demons.
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cast a long shadow on the perception of Shirley Jackson, painting her as a rather eccentric "Angel of the house." Her own writing, however, tells a different story. Of her family life, Jackson herself says, "Our major exports are books and children, both of which we produce in abundance. The children are Laurence, Joanne, Sarah and Barry: my books include three novels, The Road Through The Wall, Hangsaman, The Bird’s Nest, and a collection of short stories, The Lottery. Life Among the Savages is a disrespectful memoir of my children” (Twentieth Century Authors). The first page of Life Among the Savages echoes this view of her life: "When we moved into {our house} we had two children and about five thousand books; I expect that when we finally overflow and move out again we will have perhaps twenty children and easily half a million books ... This is the way of life my husband and I have fallen into, inadvertently..."
I found Jackson's "disrespectful memoir" to be truly delightful. Here she writes a collection of family stories and anecdotes that perfectly emphasize the minor frustrations and confusion of parenthood while maintaining a great sense of humor. Children are loud. And dirty. And have a tendency to say very inappropriate things - but then again, adults can be nervous and bumbling and completely inept when thrown into alien territory like parent-teacher conferences. For all the "disrespect" that Jackson claims, the book itself is simply grounded, and portrays a wonderfully contemporary attitude towards parenthood that I was able to relate to and enjoy.
Successfully raising a horde of children must require a good sense of humor, and Shirley Jackson has it in spades. I cannot wait to get to the sequel, Raising Demons.
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LibraryThing member Storm_Constantine
If you want real insight into the amazing life of Shirley Jackson - which is like something from one of her own novels - then read the biography 'Private Demons: The Life of Shirley Jackson' by Judy Oppenheimer. The anecdotal autobiographies Ms Jackson penned, 'Life Among the Savages' and 'Raising
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Demons' are humorous snapshots of her life and her family, which I believe she sold like a serial to a magazine or newspaper. They lack the darkness investigated by Oppenheimer, and make out that the Jackson household was filled with more sweetness and light than perhaps was the case, but both books are written with wit and style, so worth a read simply for that. Show Less
LibraryThing member saltypepper
Imagine the very, very best "mommy blog," only written in the late 1940's and early 1950's, and you being to have an inkling of what Jackson's Life Among the Savages is. It is simultaneously of its time and timeless all at once.
Jackson writes very well, as anyone who has read The Haunting of Hill
Jackson writes very well, as anyone who has read The Haunting of Hill
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House and/or We Have Always Lived in the Castle knows. This book is something different though, as it deals with the daily life of this fairly average middle class family. Show Less
LibraryThing member KristySP
I browsed this book, rather than read it from start to finish. It was entertaining, elegantly written, but not profound or even very interesting. Jackson spent too much time poking fun at her own mothering skills and the crazy chaos of family life. It turned very predictable about a third in--which
Still, she is a lovely writer and some of the stories were funny.
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is why I decided to skim! Still, she is a lovely writer and some of the stories were funny.
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LibraryThing member bragan
Shirley Jackson's humorous 1953 memoir about raising children in a large, old house in Vermont. Very light and fluffy, but entertaining, with writing that ranges from mildly amusing to downright delightful. Jackson has a remarkable talent for capturing the way young children actually talk and act,
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which is very different from the portrayals you usually see in fiction. Although my main reaction is to wonder, once again, how people with children do it. It seems damaging enough to one's life, sleep, and sanity today, never mind in an era with fewer modern conveniences and practically no expectation that a man will do anything to help. Honestly, there were times I felt exhausted just reading it. Show Less
LibraryThing member BooksCatsEtc
Very entertaining, tho I still prefer Jackson's fiction to her non-fiction (a reverse of the usual for me). This book covers 7 yrs of her family life, going from an apt in NYC and 2 children to a large house in rural Vermont with 4 children. I would have rated it higher than 4 stars if it hadn't
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reminded me so vividly why I chose not to have children. Show Less
LibraryThing member NarratorLady
This is a supposedly non-fiction account of Shirley Jackson (she of the more famous "The Lottery" and "The Haunting of Hill House")and her husband, raising their chidren in Vermont. They begin with two children and end with four: in between we have the eviction from their New York apartment, the
Jackson is a wonderful writer, no question, and plenty of people have enjoyed this book which has been in print since 1948. She lets the children take over, much as they do in life, and little Sally's query "What's your name?" to every family member, over and over, may have been charming in real life but not so much on the page.
It's pretty interesting from a historical standpoint: until mother learns to drive and they buy a car, they are all transported everywhere by taxi. The laundry is "sent out" - even though mother laboriously darns overalls and passes them down, cross stitching the name on them while crossing out the previous wearer's name. Shirley always seems to be reading a mystery which may be a euphemism for taking time out to write a mystery, since we are talking about a working mother. I don't suppose the mothers of the 1940s were interested in reading about that.
The whole thing made me nostalgiac for a woman who wrote on the same subject but with great humanity, hilarity and self deprecation. My own mother used to cut out her columns and send them to me at college, with items underlined that she herself often said, like "Put a sweater on, I'm cold."
Oh how I loved Erma Bombeck.
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renting of the Vermont house, the purchase of their first car and Shirley's driving lessons and reams and reams of pages of the children's dialogue. Anyone with young children can identify with the way they can take over conversation - and life. I remember thinking I should have a notebook and pen around my neck to write down the funny things they said. But that was to tell my husband about them later - not to put them in a book.Jackson is a wonderful writer, no question, and plenty of people have enjoyed this book which has been in print since 1948. She lets the children take over, much as they do in life, and little Sally's query "What's your name?" to every family member, over and over, may have been charming in real life but not so much on the page.
It's pretty interesting from a historical standpoint: until mother learns to drive and they buy a car, they are all transported everywhere by taxi. The laundry is "sent out" - even though mother laboriously darns overalls and passes them down, cross stitching the name on them while crossing out the previous wearer's name. Shirley always seems to be reading a mystery which may be a euphemism for taking time out to write a mystery, since we are talking about a working mother. I don't suppose the mothers of the 1940s were interested in reading about that.
The whole thing made me nostalgiac for a woman who wrote on the same subject but with great humanity, hilarity and self deprecation. My own mother used to cut out her columns and send them to me at college, with items underlined that she herself often said, like "Put a sweater on, I'm cold."
Oh how I loved Erma Bombeck.
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LibraryThing member TadAD
I haven't read this book in 35 years and I thought that it held up well. As Jackson recounted the vicissitudes of parenting…all with a clear, self deprecating sense of her own questionable skills in that arena…I found the same blend of affection and humor I had remembered. Despite the
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differences between the America of the 1950s and the America of today, the situations are timeless and it's clear why this book has remains such a charmer. Show Less
LibraryThing member andyray
thisis a what-the-kiddies-and-i-did- in-New Hmpshire-last-summer book. f ackson hadn'g saved it with her ironic houmor, it probably wojldn't have been printed./she wrote in in one lon gstream of newsprin t it seems, and let the editors do as they will. nfortuantely, the editors erfe too scaref of
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hirley's holy name that they just ledt it flowing like suet down a trash chute/ made it through but ovefr a period of a few days and that is not good for me, or other reading people. Show Less
LibraryThing member satyridae
This book was hilarious. Haven't thought of it in ages, glad one of my friends commented on someone else's review. I'm moving it to my re-read pile. It will be fun to read as a mother!
LibraryThing member kirstiecat
I was really shocked to find that this book (as well as Raising Demons) was really more of a slice of life collection of stories where Shirley relates the motherhood side of raising 4 children. It is witty and interesting in an Erma Bombeck sort of way but nowhere near the brilliance of other
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Shirley Jackson works. Still, if you like her style, it's probably still worth reading in order to get a sense of her more normal day to day life and what it was like raising kids in the 1950s on America's east coast. Show Less
LibraryThing member EllenAvondale
A lovely way to spend an afternoon. Ms. Jackson portrayed her family in a loving, humorous way. While I know how it all ended up in real life, it was still a fun read, a loving tribute from a mom to her loud and loving family. Evocative of "Please Don't Eat the Daisies" and other such movies/books
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of the time. Show Less
LibraryThing member Ellen1213
A lovely way to spend an afternoon. Ms. Jackson portrayed her family in a loving, humorous way. While I know how it all ended up in real life, it was still a fun read, a loving tribute from a mom to her loud and loving family. Evocative of "Please Don't Eat the Daisies" and other such movies/books
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of the time. Show Less
LibraryThing member castironskillet
One of my favorite books of all time. I have read this three times and probably will again. Shirley Jackson's accounting of her life when her children were young is funny, interesting, and relatable.
LibraryThing member fefferbooks
Um.... I guess I've decided I'm not really a short story person. "Savages" has a bit of a narrative thread running through, which saves it from boring me to death like most short story collections, but I guess I really want my reading to have an arc from beginning to end, and not just little ones
Overall, Jackson is witty and observant and extremely clever. I was lost, at times, trying to figure out what her children's nonsense meant--I could have used a little more help/realization that she didn't know, either and we were on the same page--but generally, as a middle-aged parent, most things were relateable and funny.
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throughout with no real purpose or denouement. I found some portions of this book extraordinarily funny, and others were just...there. But there wasn't a point to the "there," because it wasn't explication for any central plot or--see what I mean? I guess I just don't love short stories. Overall, Jackson is witty and observant and extremely clever. I was lost, at times, trying to figure out what her children's nonsense meant--I could have used a little more help/realization that she didn't know, either and we were on the same page--but generally, as a middle-aged parent, most things were relateable and funny.
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LibraryThing member stephaniechase
Funny, quirky, and maybe better as a long magazine piece than a book, I still very much enjoyed Jackson's description of the everyday chaos of life with small children.
LibraryThing member TheDivineOomba
So this is a book that is bitter sweet - Shirley has a way of describing the day to day absurdity that comes with being a stay at home mom in the 50's with children and and a husband. This book is funny, Incredibly funny. Her observations about her children, her husband, and her neighbors is spot
The narrator (never named, but assumed to be a fictional Shirley Jackson), typical for a 1950's woman, does everything home related. From shopping for clothes to making sure the house is clean. In stories where she is juggling multiple tasks and her husband is reading the newspaper on the couch, without helping, makes me incredibly angry. When the narrator goes to the hospital to give birth, the receptionist changes her occupation from writer, to housewife.
Of course, its a different time, and I shouldn't be so critical, but assuming the narrator is a fictionalized version of the author, imagine what stories could have been written, if she just had a bit of help.
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on, but also with a sarcastic undertone that makes this book incredibly sad.The narrator (never named, but assumed to be a fictional Shirley Jackson), typical for a 1950's woman, does everything home related. From shopping for clothes to making sure the house is clean. In stories where she is juggling multiple tasks and her husband is reading the newspaper on the couch, without helping, makes me incredibly angry. When the narrator goes to the hospital to give birth, the receptionist changes her occupation from writer, to housewife.
Of course, its a different time, and I shouldn't be so critical, but assuming the narrator is a fictionalized version of the author, imagine what stories could have been written, if she just had a bit of help.
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LibraryThing member g33kgrrl
A hilarious-but-delightful account of motherhood, small-town life, and more. As expected, my favorite part was the writing about birth at the time. It took me a good few minutes to realize the bit about walls rushing past was her being moved from a labor room to a delivery room; it's still such an
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odd thing to do. Show Less
LibraryThing member CasualFriday
In Life Among the Savages, Shirley Jackson recounts her life with her husband and three children when they move from New York City to rural Vermont. No, it's not "The Lottery," it is funny and homespun and just sardonic enough. Originally published in 1953, it is a compilation of pieces published
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in women's magazines such as Good Housekeeping. Writing for that market, Jackson is careful to present herself as a "housewife" rather than as a serious writer who was the family's main breadwinner. I didn't find this as uproariously funny as some readers do, but I liked Jackson's unsentimental yet loving account of her kids, and I was amused and sometimes aghast at some of the seriously dated aspects: a cigarette smoking mom who leaves sugary juice by her children's bedside table, for example, her cheerfully throwing her kids in the car, sans sea tbelts, when she has just learned to drive, and her husband's distance from most aspects of child rearing (well, maybe that last is not so dated). Show Less
LibraryThing member jostie13
Delightful.
LibraryThing member carlahaunted
Re-read: just as delightful the second time 'round. Highly recommended as a refreshing antidote to perfect-mommy books and blogs, for Jackson admits to mistakes, fears, annoyances, anger, and the desire, to paraphrase my grandmother, to throw up her hands and run out the back door.
Grandma's full
Dix Hill was local slang for the Dorothea Dix Psychiatric Hospital.
Grandma's full
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saying bears documentation in this context, for Jackson could have said it herself. When the family would have her at wits' end, Grandma would threaten to throw up her hands and run out the back door, and not stop until she reached Dix Hill. Dix Hill was local slang for the Dorothea Dix Psychiatric Hospital.
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LibraryThing member carlahaunted
Re-read: just as delightful the second time 'round. Highly recommended as a refreshing antidote to perfect-mommy books and blogs, for Jackson admits to mistakes, fears, annoyances, anger, and the desire, to paraphrase my grandmother, to throw up her hands and run out the back door.
Grandma's full
Dix Hill was local slang for the Dorothea Dix Psychiatric Hospital.
Grandma's full
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saying bears documentation in this context, for Jackson could have said it herself. When the family would have her at wits' end, Grandma would threaten to throw up her hands and run out the back door, and not stop until she reached Dix Hill. Dix Hill was local slang for the Dorothea Dix Psychiatric Hospital.
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LibraryThing member viviennestrauss
not my favorite by Shirley Jackson - I think I'll stick to her fiction
LibraryThing member kayanelson
Wow, I have a hard time relating this light hearted memoir to the Shirley Jackson who wrote The Lottery. Also comparing to the recent movie about her also. But it was a delightful book and a nice snapshot of raising children in those simpler times.
LibraryThing member Carol420
I first read Shirley Jackson’s [The Haunting of Hill House] when I was 17 years old. We won’t go into how many years ago that was but even as a 17-year-old I couldn’t wait to read more of this delicious horror dished out by this author. It wasn’t until these many years later that I
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discovered that my “go-to” horror author at that time...also had a comical side. This little treasure tells an amusing story of life in chilly...often times, frozen Vermont. With this being my Shirley Jackson, there has to be a shiver underneath all the domestic goings-on. We meet a housekeeper that frosts her cookies with "Repent, Sinner" frosting. Another borrows a few bucks and flees town with her felon boyfriend. Let's not miss out learning about the kids that are all excited about their next visit to "Pudge" over the hill, where the children live beneath the water of the pond and an afternoon visit might take years. Shirley Jackson left her legacy to her readers before the age of 50... so I felt so fortunate to not only have her scary stories like [The Haunting of Hill House] and [We Have Always Lived in The Castle], but to visit this other lesser seen side of Ms. Jackson with this supremely funny little book. Show Less
Subjects
Original publication date
1953
Other editions
Life Among the Savages by Shirley Jackson (Paperback)