You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
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
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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
reflective
fast-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
I fear that romance might not be for me ❤️
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really struggled to get through this. Right from the beginning it seemed disjointed to me. There was so much detail about nothing, describing scenes or events that have nothing to do with the story itself. For example, Therese going home with Mrs. Robichek for dinner and all that happened in that scene. I suppose it was to further illustrate what Mrs. Robichek's life was like and what Therese's life might be like if she continued to work in the department store, but I found it unnecessary and I think it really slowed the pacing of the story. I had already gotten the gist of Mrs. Robichek's life from the initial description of her in the department store, perhaps informed by my own experience working in a retail store.
I really can't understand how this book is so highly rated by most people, so I must be missing something. The only thing I appreciated about it was that it highlighted a queer relationship in an era that deemed queer relationships as abominations or deviant behavior. Which, unfortunately, we aren't far from to this day. I didn't find any of the characters to be particularly likable, except maybe Danny a little. I did enjoy his conversation with Therese about the nature of friendship and relating it to science.
I also watched the movie and was surprised to see that some people mentioned it being faithful to the book. I didn't find it so. The main characters were the same and the overarching plot was the same, but the details were so different. People had different jobs, some characters weren't in the movie at all, some scenes were completely different (such as confronting the detective), and some things happened in the movie that didn't happen in the book (such as Abby driving Therese in the car). I was inclined to rate this book one star, but after having seen the movie, I gave it two stars because it at least had some substance to it.
I can't say I recommend it based on my own experience. However, if you enjoy stories set in the 1950s and slice of life type stories that feature queer relationships, this might be for you.
I really can't understand how this book is so highly rated by most people, so I must be missing something. The only thing I appreciated about it was that it highlighted a queer relationship in an era that deemed queer relationships as abominations or deviant behavior. Which, unfortunately, we aren't far from to this day. I didn't find any of the characters to be particularly likable, except maybe Danny a little. I did enjoy his conversation with Therese about the nature of friendship and relating it to science.
I also watched the movie and was surprised to see that some people mentioned it being faithful to the book. I didn't find it so. The main characters were the same and the overarching plot was the same, but the details were so different. People had different jobs, some characters weren't in the movie at all, some scenes were completely different (such as confronting the detective), and some things happened in the movie that didn't happen in the book (such as Abby driving Therese in the car). I was inclined to rate this book one star, but after having seen the movie, I gave it two stars because it at least had some substance to it.
I can't say I recommend it based on my own experience. However, if you enjoy stories set in the 1950s and slice of life type stories that feature queer relationships, this might be for you.
I read this after I watched Carol and I was struck by all the differences and yet similarities exactly right. I read this a while ago, so it is not fresh in my mind but it was certainly interesting to read a novel that was much before its time.
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
challenging
inspiring
reflective
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:
Yes
Really liked the writing, it was quite evocative and engaging.
Didn't really connect to the main character.
Didn't really connect to the main character.
emotional
hopeful
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:
Complicated
a little slow at times but pretty good overall. age gap was… weird… but like hey the first novel depicting a homosexual romance where the two characters actually have a happy ending together? pretty slay if you ask me.
I found this book underwhelming - the prose was gorgeous throughout but I simply could not get invested in the relationship. There is nothing in the story that makes me want to root for these characters or their relationship - in fact I was left wondering why they were even together.