The Bird's Nest Audiobook By Shirley Jackson, Kevin Wilson - foreword cover art

The Bird's Nest

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for $0.00
Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.

The Bird's Nest

By: Shirley Jackson, Kevin Wilson - foreword
Narrated by: Linda Jones, Mark Bramhall
Try for $0.00

$0.00/mo. after 3 months. Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $18.00

Buy for $18.00

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

Shirley Jackson's third novel, a chilling descent into multiple personalities.

Elizabeth is a demure 23-year-old wiling her life away at a dull museum job, living with her neurotic aunt, and subsisting off her dead mother’s inheritance. When Elizabeth begins to suffer terrible migraines and backaches, her aunt takes her to the doctor, then to a psychiatrist. But slowly, and with Jackson’s characteristic chill, we learn that Elizabeth is not just one girl - but four separate, self-destructive personalities. The Bird’s Nest, Jackson’s third novel, develops hallmarks of the horror master’s most unsettling work: tormented heroines, riveting familial mysteries, and a disquieting vision inside the human mind.

For more than 70 years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers and listeners trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

©2014 Shirley Jackson (P)2022 Penguin Audio Genre Fiction Horror Literary Fiction Psychological Thriller & Suspense Scary Fiction Exciting Suspense

Critic reviews

"Undeniably brilliant...superlative entertainment; much the best book Shirley Jackson has written." (New York Herald Tribune)

"Shirley Jackson's best novel...The Bird's Nest is brilliant, swift, at times immensely funny, and alternately frightening. Shirley Jackson's portrayal of a personality in disintegration is masterful." (Chicago Tribune)
Beautiful Writing • Compelling Storytelling • Excellent Narration • Psychological Depth • Multiple Perspectives
Highly rated for:
All stars
Most relevant  
A must-read. A unique and wondrous story, as expected from one of America’s greatest and most insightful authors. Writing this review to call out the excellent and pitch-perfect narration by Linda Jones. I’m a bit precious about Shirley Jackson and was wary that any performer could capture her tone and well, genius. Linda Jones nailed it. Not an easy task with the nature of the main character. Mark Bramhall also performs well, and it was the perfect decision to have the doctor’s passages narrated by a second performer.

Excellent story and narration

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I’ve seen some reviews of this book comparing it to other works of Shirley Jackson. This is a stand alone story, and as such I see no reason to compare it to the story of a burned out manor or to a haunted house. This book toys with mental health, as the others do, but in a more direct manor. The storytelling as done from multiple perspectives was great. It’s confusing enough that you don’t get all the answers you were searching for (because none of the storytellers really had all the answers on there own) but it explains enough for most questions to be answered, or at least inferred, satisfactorily enough. I anticipated answers every chapter, and I had to fight the urge to google search a synopsis of the story. I was surprised when it came to the end of the book, as it came so quickly. I was enthralled the entire time, and it’s made my day fly by. It will be added as a classic to my shelf, right next to the haunting of hill house, which is my favorite story of all. The birds nest has earned its position on this shelf

Confounding, in a good way

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I guess for its time it was a beautifully crafted story. Now in 2025, we’ve been exposed to many multiple personality stories. It wasn’t as compelling as “Fight Club” for example but it’s a fun story.

Very good dialog between the personalities

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Fascinating story of multiple personalities. A complicated story beautifully wrought. The Bird’s Nest is a forerunner of The Three Faces of Eve.

One of my favorites from Shirley Jackson

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Shirley Jackson is one of a kind! I had never heard of this one before and I’m so glad I discovered it. The reader was also excellent.

Loved this!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Foreward contained some spoilers--recommend skipping if you've never read the story. Really should've been an Afterward.

This book had some really strong moments. The author does a great job portraying the descent into madness. She employs a lot of techniques that serve to jar the reader and make you repeatedly rethink your assumptions.

Interesting & compelling characters. The voice actors were great. Especially impressed with the female reader's portrayal of multiple personalities.

Skip the Foreward--Great Book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I read The Bird’s Nest years ago, as a fan of Shirley Jackson, but it was never my favorite of her works. I loved it this time. It is really great as an audiobook. Both narrators captured/delivered Shirley Jackson’s humor in their portrayal of the doctor and aunt. It’s dated enough at this point to be a period piece by now, but the topics of mental illness and trauma are as relevant as ever.

Great audio version

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Shirley Jackson writes beautifully even if it’s about mental illness and split personalities. It’s a long, slow burn so patience is required. But really good. Dual narrators are excelling and a perfect match to the characters.

Classic Shirley Jackson!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This book dragged on for hours. The only character enjoyed was Mr Wright. I waited for a twist that never came…

No twist

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Stephanie Harmon
September 2023

What a story!! I would so love to know what the main character is doing now. I feel somewhat protective of her.
Jackson’s narrative talent and skill are impeccable!! The book’s narrators are magnificent!!

RIVETING!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews