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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
I... I um... I'm struggling to review this. I think I may possibly kinda sort of really maybe love it but on the other hand I very possibly hate it. I mean, Carol, kind of a bitch, no? Waving her red flags** all up in poor Therese's face. And, at the risk of the hisses from the wider and more judgemental reading community, I'm really glad I watched the film first otherwise I don't think I could have followed much of what was going on. Seriously, what's with the wacky style there, Highsmith? Exhausting. But at the same time, it was gorgeous. The scene setting. The 50s backdrop. The pacing of the last 70 pages. The ending. Delicious.
That three stars is going to bug me though. Really it deserves one star but also five. I don't know.
** she's patronising, her mood swings gave me whiplash never mind poor Therese, she's vague then gets angry when poor Therese doesn't know what the fuck is going on and she makes her feel like she's not good enough because she has the cheek to be young.
That three stars is going to bug me though. Really it deserves one star but also five. I don't know.
** she's patronising, her mood swings gave me whiplash never mind poor Therese, she's vague then gets angry when poor Therese doesn't know what the fuck is going on and she makes her feel like she's not good enough because she has the cheek to be young.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
3 or 4 stars. the writing was very beautiful and atmospheric, though some scenes felt a little unnecessary (particularly at the start of the book it was quite slow), and i didn’t always feel particularly connected to the characters. i think i prefer the movie, but still worth the read.
There were some obvious differences between the film and the novel, but it wouldn't be fair to say that one was 'better' than the other. I did, however, enjoy the film far more than the novel, which is a rarity. I found that the romance progressed too quickly in the novel, and lacked the motivation and spark that was captured in the film–and that was what I'd expected to shine in the novel.
Highsmith opens the novel with a stunning depiction of the retail worker's inner dilemma: to 'run or rot here'. Theres feels utterly smothered by her job, her boyfriend, and her dreams, and the reader gets a sense of this with Highsmith's diverse sentence length and syntax. It was an absolute joy to read, and really kickstarted my reading.
Her relationships with men were more interesting, too. They suggest that she's prepared to 'perform her role as a woman', but what she's actually seeking is a stability she was denied as a child. Of course there's something terribly wrong with the situation that both terrifies and confuses Theres here, but she doesn't care enough for anything else to justify walking away (until Carol enters). I feel this aspect would have brought depth to Theres's character if it had been explored better in the film, for I felt film Theres was very much a 'deer in the headlights' character.
Read this novel.
Highsmith opens the novel with a stunning depiction of the retail worker's inner dilemma: to 'run or rot here'. Theres feels utterly smothered by her job, her boyfriend, and her dreams, and the reader gets a sense of this with Highsmith's diverse sentence length and syntax. It was an absolute joy to read, and really kickstarted my reading.
Her relationships with men were more interesting, too. They suggest that she's prepared to 'perform her role as a woman', but what she's actually seeking is a stability she was denied as a child. Of course there's something terribly wrong with the situation that both terrifies and confuses Theres here, but she doesn't care enough for anything else to justify walking away (until Carol enters). I feel this aspect would have brought depth to Theres's character if it had been explored better in the film, for I felt film Theres was very much a 'deer in the headlights' character.
Read this novel.
Patricia Highsmith had a style that very much reflected the pulp writing style of her time, but she always manages to address her subject matter from a literary angle. Whether in a murder thriller or a lesbian romance, there’s always an element of deep contemplation that remains just shy of outright philosophizing. In The Price Of Salt, she maintains the quality of her writing elsewhere. The book kept reminding me of The Great Gatsby in a lot of elements, though it is more intimate to the protagonist and less tragic in the end.
Therese is a young artist who has been alone since she was a child, abandoned to a boarding school by a mother who didn’t want her after her father died when she was 8. She’s been living in the hustle and bustle of New York for a while now but she still senses some aspect of loss in comparison to what makes other people tick. In the midst of a lethargic depression, she is constantly wondering what it means to be in love and what the emotions tied to such a state might really feel like. She’s dated a lot of men and has had a long term boyfriend for about a year. Richard knows she doesn’t feel anything for him apart from a sort of friendly rapport, but he’s determined to wear her down by steady attrition to his charm. Then, when she’s working seasonally at a department store counter, her eyes lock with those of Carol, a wealthy socialite in the midst of a messy divorce.
From here, Therese begins to wildly pursue getting to know Carol. At first Carol, seems piqued by Therese and likes having her around for no reason. In what feels like a very typical romantic exchange of roles, the young girl and the older woman swing wildly in the roles they play in one another’s lives. Therese is going crazy, wanting to throw everything in life away just to be around Carol and wishing she knew Carol’s real feelings. Carol is aloof. At times she seems to be playing with Therese like she’s a toy. When at last they do become a romantic item, Therese swings wildly from jealousy to considering her career to wanting to disappear with Carol. The books seems to drag on in the second act as they travel the country on a long road trip together, but it finally reaches a satisfying and surprisingly happy ending in the final paragraphs.
The Price Of Salt deals with so many things beyond the then-taboo of same sex romance. The characters are complex and Therese does a ton of self-discovery as she comes through these experiences. The book explores the oppressive nature of men through the eyes of a fresh young girl in the big city getting to know nice guys who all assume they have the right answers for her, both in a relationship with her and in philosophizing for her on how to view the world and relationships. Once the romance starts, the book falls into territory I don’t tend to enjoy, filled with extreme emotions of “I’m in heaven, let this moment last forever!” or “I wish I’d never met you and I’d never been born!” I can’t really stand the extremes of the emotional pendulum in a story. At last, both Therese and Carol seem to change distinctly, to grow up and grow wiser without destroying one another. It is a rarity to read about a sort of romantic fling where the characters can still sit at the same table on the last page, and by that I was refreshed.
Therese is a young artist who has been alone since she was a child, abandoned to a boarding school by a mother who didn’t want her after her father died when she was 8. She’s been living in the hustle and bustle of New York for a while now but she still senses some aspect of loss in comparison to what makes other people tick. In the midst of a lethargic depression, she is constantly wondering what it means to be in love and what the emotions tied to such a state might really feel like. She’s dated a lot of men and has had a long term boyfriend for about a year. Richard knows she doesn’t feel anything for him apart from a sort of friendly rapport, but he’s determined to wear her down by steady attrition to his charm. Then, when she’s working seasonally at a department store counter, her eyes lock with those of Carol, a wealthy socialite in the midst of a messy divorce.
From here, Therese begins to wildly pursue getting to know Carol. At first Carol, seems piqued by Therese and likes having her around for no reason. In what feels like a very typical romantic exchange of roles, the young girl and the older woman swing wildly in the roles they play in one another’s lives. Therese is going crazy, wanting to throw everything in life away just to be around Carol and wishing she knew Carol’s real feelings. Carol is aloof. At times she seems to be playing with Therese like she’s a toy. When at last they do become a romantic item, Therese swings wildly from jealousy to considering her career to wanting to disappear with Carol. The books seems to drag on in the second act as they travel the country on a long road trip together, but it finally reaches a satisfying and surprisingly happy ending in the final paragraphs.
The Price Of Salt deals with so many things beyond the then-taboo of same sex romance. The characters are complex and Therese does a ton of self-discovery as she comes through these experiences. The book explores the oppressive nature of men through the eyes of a fresh young girl in the big city getting to know nice guys who all assume they have the right answers for her, both in a relationship with her and in philosophizing for her on how to view the world and relationships. Once the romance starts, the book falls into territory I don’t tend to enjoy, filled with extreme emotions of “I’m in heaven, let this moment last forever!” or “I wish I’d never met you and I’d never been born!” I can’t really stand the extremes of the emotional pendulum in a story. At last, both Therese and Carol seem to change distinctly, to grow up and grow wiser without destroying one another. It is a rarity to read about a sort of romantic fling where the characters can still sit at the same table on the last page, and by that I was refreshed.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Outing
Moderate: Infidelity, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Alcohol
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Suicidal thoughts