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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
3.5
Spoiler
"One must never place a loaded rifle on the stage if it isn't going to go off. It's wrong to make promises you don't mean to keep." -- I was waiting for Chekhov's gun the entire book, and it didn't happen ☹️
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
None of this felt like love at any point and it barely felt like there was any passion either. It had potential, but it ultimately felt flat, pushing pathetic. Felt more like the story of a girl-crush pushed to obsession than any sort of self-discovery/coming-of-age/forbidden love story. At the same time, I can see where Therese can be relatable and potentially cathartic. She does, after all, find a ray of hope in an otherwise joyless existence as she goes about her day-to-day pretending to fit in.
Carol's side of the story was much more interesting and complex, but we don't ever get to see her thought process. There's a chance I would have loved this story if it had been told from her perspective as she has so many more consequences to gauge in her search for meaning and happiness. Her decisions have weight and her actions drive the story so much more than Therese.
Carol's side of the story was much more interesting and complex, but we don't ever get to see her thought process. There's a chance I would have loved this story if it had been told from her perspective as she has so many more consequences to gauge in her search for meaning and happiness. Her decisions have weight and her actions drive the story so much more than Therese.
emotional
Rewatching Carol is a Christmastime tradition for me, and this year I decided that I should finally get around to reading the novel that inspired what I consider to be the swooniest holiday movie ever.
The plot follows seasonal shop girl Therese as she becomes entangled with Carol, a glamorous thirtysomething in the midst of a contentious divorce. Though Carol gets top billing in the retitle, the story is Therese's: her growing consciousness of what she wants from life and relationships, her varying states of dependence and independence, and her coming into herself as a woman. Book Therese was significantly more interesting to me than movie Therese, likely because although she is physically passive for a lot of the things happening to and around her, she's internally processing everything, and the book grants the reader access to those thoughts and conflicts.
I related a lot to Therese, to her insecurities and doubts and realizations. There were multiple instances where I thought, "Yes, that's exactly how that feels, that's exactly what it's like." And I love moments like that, when I feel kinship to queer history.
I also love that Highsmith flouted the conventions of her time to give this novel a hopeful ending. And that the prose is so well-crafted, each detail selected so carefully. I just really love this book. It makes me want to wear a fur coat at a Christmas tree stand and go on a cross-country road trip.
The plot follows seasonal shop girl Therese as she becomes entangled with Carol, a glamorous thirtysomething in the midst of a contentious divorce. Though Carol gets top billing in the retitle, the story is Therese's: her growing consciousness of what she wants from life and relationships, her varying states of dependence and independence, and her coming into herself as a woman. Book Therese was significantly more interesting to me than movie Therese, likely because although she is physically passive for a lot of the things happening to and around her, she's internally processing everything, and the book grants the reader access to those thoughts and conflicts.
I related a lot to Therese, to her insecurities and doubts and realizations. There were multiple instances where I thought, "Yes, that's exactly how that feels, that's exactly what it's like." And I love moments like that, when I feel kinship to queer history.
I also love that Highsmith flouted the conventions of her time to give this novel a hopeful ending. And that the prose is so well-crafted, each detail selected so carefully. I just really love this book. It makes me want to wear a fur coat at a Christmas tree stand and go on a cross-country road trip.
It was good, well written and definitely an exciting read. I do understand the fact that it was published in 1952, and that it was a different society. The age difference, however, makes me uncomfortable. The first 100 pages were pretty dull and hard to get through, and then it was extremely captivating.
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Cate Blanchett dans le rôle éponyme de l'adaptation de Todd Haynes est un flash de casting absolument exceptionnel. Et le film capture toute la mélancolie de ce livre écrit sous un nom d'emprunt, au sujet tabou pour l'époque, d'une finesse que j'ai rarement rencontrée en lisant de la fiction.
Nuostabi knyga, apie dviejų žmonių meilę. Ir neužkliuvo man, kad ji netradicinė, kaip visiems įprasta. Norėjau rašyti graži meilės istorija, tačiau supratau, kad ji nebuvo tokia labai graži, ar rožėm klota, ir ne, ne todėp, kad tuo laiku išvis tai buvo neįmanoma, bet dėl jų tarpusavio santykių, kurie drįsčiau teigti buvo šiek tiek "toksiški", gal Tereza dar buvo per daug jauna ir naivi, o Kerol subrendus ir jautė "mamos" vaidmenį, o gal abi jautė spaudimą iš aplinkos, nežinosim. Bet iki pabaigos, jų santykiai kaip drąstiški amerikietiški kalneliai, vienu metu - myliu be proto, kitu - nekenčiu.
Ir man nepatiko Terezos "prisigalvojimai", kai iš intonacijos sprendžia, ką kiti iš tikrųjų mąsto, na negalima taip (žinau tai, nes pati taip elgiuosi kartais, labai blogas dalykas, nes dažniausiai klysti
Ir man nepatiko Terezos "prisigalvojimai", kai iš intonacijos sprendžia, ką kiti iš tikrųjų mąsto, na negalima taip (žinau tai, nes pati taip elgiuosi kartais, labai blogas dalykas, nes dažniausiai klysti
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It was a fine read and I understand the hype but it was a bit too cryptic for me if that makes sense? Idk I just didn't love it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Stalking
Moderate: Toxic relationship