"Every Owns woman since Maria has inherited those clear grey eyes and the knowledge that there is no real defence against evil."

It took me a while to read this, I admit. I have seen the movie a countless times, and the book has been waiting on my shelf since last autumn. I always put together a list of books to read for the season and the completely ignore it. This year was no different, only I'm behind on posts as well. Alas...

So, let's get this out of the way - the movie is a PG version of the story. It's also simplified and abbreviated. Sally is still the responsible adult and Gillian is the selfish, fiery force of nature. Jimmy is still there, though his death goes down differently and his haunting is much more drawn-out, it's not a possession that is as dramatic as in the movie, but a slow burn that makes everyone act out. 

Sally's daughters, Antonia and Kylie, are more grown up, 15 and 16/17 respectively, and they are much more involved. Also, Sally moves away from the aunts' after her husbands death, not in, so the two old bats are not in the novel much, they are just mentioned in the backstory and they come in at the end.

"She never thought about whether or not she had privacy or happiness or anything else. She never dared to."

This is a story about four women figuring out who they are and their place in the world. Sally, who has always been responsible and put off her wants and needs for others learns to be a bit more selfish, to take something for herself. Gillian learns how to settle down, how to love and enjoy stability. Antonia learns to share the spotlight, to discover that there is more to her than her stunning looks. And Kylie goes through a dramatic change, turns into a swan from a duckling, only to realize that being a swan has its own burdens and that she need to be confident in who she is no matter her outward appearance. 

"She'll be removed forever, distant as stars, unhurt and untouched, forever and ever."

I truly loved this book, it gave me all the feelings of October without being too spooky or scary because that is the line I never cross when it comes to Halloween themed movies. I can completely understand why this is considered a classic and if you haven't given it a  chance yet, please do so now.