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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
(Spoiler, ja) Der Leseprozess war für mich anstrengend. Das Lesen hat mich derart gestresst, weil es dem Inhalt entspricht. Um 1950 wurden homosexuelle Beziehungen auch in New York noch nicht akzeptiert.
Ich dachte bis zum letzten Kapitel, dass das Buch das Schlechteste war, das ich seit langer Zeit gelesen habe. Aber: die historische Einordnung homosexueller Liebe ist so gut gelungen, dass der Stress, dem die Protagonistin ausgesetzt ist, auf mich als Leserin übertragen wurde. Es werden Aspekte wie Homosexualität als Phase, Homosexualität als schamhaftes Verlangen, als psychische Verirrung dargestellt. Und diese Bewertungen werden von insbesondere einer der Protagonistin nahestehenden Person getätigt, die vorgibt diese eig. bedingungslos zu lieben.
Ein weiterer Aspekt, der das Lesen anstrengend macht, ist die Beziehung der zwei Frauen. Im Grunde wird die Beziehung mit extremem Machtgefälle zwischen den Liebenden dargestellt, das erst im letzten Kapitel und für meinen Geschmack zu kurz reflektiert wird. Des Weiteren ist die grundsätzliche Anziehung zwischen den Frauen unverständlich für Leser:innen, weil sie sehr oberflächlich beschrieben wird. Die Teilaspekte, die detailreicher beschrieben werden, sind für Leser:innen nicht zu decodieren, weil man eben nur eine objektive Betrachterrolle zugeschrieben bekommt.
3 Sterne, weil die zeitliche Einordnung homosexueller Liebe extrem gut gelungen ist und auf eine Art ergreifend war, dass ich sie erst nicht anerkennen konnte. 3 Sterne, weil die Liebesgeschichte der zwei Frauen aus meiner Perspektive einfach nicht zeitgemäß ist und eher eine heterosexuelle Beziehung nachahmen will, anstatt sich von dieser Erwartung zu emanzipieren, so wie ich (und ich bin mir bewusst, dass es Gegenpositionen gibt) gesunde Liebesbeziehungen verstehe.
Ich dachte bis zum letzten Kapitel, dass das Buch das Schlechteste war, das ich seit langer Zeit gelesen habe. Aber: die historische Einordnung homosexueller Liebe ist so gut gelungen, dass der Stress, dem die Protagonistin ausgesetzt ist, auf mich als Leserin übertragen wurde. Es werden Aspekte wie Homosexualität als Phase, Homosexualität als schamhaftes Verlangen, als psychische Verirrung dargestellt. Und diese Bewertungen werden von insbesondere einer der Protagonistin nahestehenden Person getätigt, die vorgibt diese eig. bedingungslos zu lieben.
Ein weiterer Aspekt, der das Lesen anstrengend macht, ist die Beziehung der zwei Frauen. Im Grunde wird die Beziehung mit extremem Machtgefälle zwischen den Liebenden dargestellt, das erst im letzten Kapitel und für meinen Geschmack zu kurz reflektiert wird. Des Weiteren ist die grundsätzliche Anziehung zwischen den Frauen unverständlich für Leser:innen, weil sie sehr oberflächlich beschrieben wird. Die Teilaspekte, die detailreicher beschrieben werden, sind für Leser:innen nicht zu decodieren, weil man eben nur eine objektive Betrachterrolle zugeschrieben bekommt.
3 Sterne, weil die zeitliche Einordnung homosexueller Liebe extrem gut gelungen ist und auf eine Art ergreifend war, dass ich sie erst nicht anerkennen konnte. 3 Sterne, weil die Liebesgeschichte der zwei Frauen aus meiner Perspektive einfach nicht zeitgemäß ist und eher eine heterosexuelle Beziehung nachahmen will, anstatt sich von dieser Erwartung zu emanzipieren, so wie ich (und ich bin mir bewusst, dass es Gegenpositionen gibt) gesunde Liebesbeziehungen verstehe.
Book Club Read: I couldn't have been reading the ending in a more perfect place than Estes Park since so much of it is set in the mountains or western plains. The beginning of the book is even better than the first time now that I know the story. Highsmith foreshadows so many aspects of Therese's character and sexuality in her interactions with Richard and Danny before she goes on the road trip, and there's so many delicious, classic lines that Highsmith gives Therese in her internal monologue. She wants to be buried under the Hudson river driving with Carol. She wants Carol to smother her with a pillow. It's just freaky as hell, in the best way. And the ending of the book is perfect, too.
First Read: A few stylistic issues, namely how she sometimes makes it difficult to tell where and when the characters are at in the story. "It's Thursday." Really? How did I miss the other days of the week? The geographical details are often kind of ludicrous, too, especially to someone who is from many of the states that carol and Therese visit on their journey.
Still, this book describes infatuation and fear and love so well, and is so groundbreaking in treating gay characters like people that you have to read it. It gets that icy 50s tone so well, and beautifully shows the dark side of the era. The stylistic errors are kind of interesting, in a way. In the afterword, which I'd never usually read, Highsmith said she wrote the book 'in a fever' and that's what it feels like.
First Read: A few stylistic issues, namely how she sometimes makes it difficult to tell where and when the characters are at in the story. "It's Thursday." Really? How did I miss the other days of the week? The geographical details are often kind of ludicrous, too, especially to someone who is from many of the states that carol and Therese visit on their journey.
Still, this book describes infatuation and fear and love so well, and is so groundbreaking in treating gay characters like people that you have to read it. It gets that icy 50s tone so well, and beautifully shows the dark side of the era. The stylistic errors are kind of interesting, in a way. In the afterword, which I'd never usually read, Highsmith said she wrote the book 'in a fever' and that's what it feels like.
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“How was it possible to be afraid and in love... The two things did not go together. How was it possible to be afraid, when the two of them grew stronger together every day? And every night. Every night was different, and every morning. Together they possessed a miracle.”
“The Price of Salt” was published in 1952, and was one of the first books to describe a homosexual relationship and end without a suicide or a related outcome. •
Highsmith writes in the afterword that, after publication, she received loads of letters thanking her, as “The Price of Salt” brought new hope and a kind of representation that the LGBT community was not used to seeing.
Patricia Highsmith also says that she didn't want to be known as a “writer of lesbian books”, and that's why she published “The Price of Salt” under the pseudonym Claire Morgan. But “Carol” is so much more than a simple romance, because of the book itself and its meaning.
I fell in love with Patricia Highsmith's writing, her story and the characters she created, the way Therese evolves, in the same way I loved Todd Haynes' film (and which I want to rewatch now!). But I do have to say that within the two days that I’ve read this masterpiece, I had this one struggle which I’m sure off you all know: I want to continue reading but I don't want it to end.
This book will be one of those books to reread later in life, I’m sure of it
“The Price of Salt” was published in 1952, and was one of the first books to describe a homosexual relationship and end without a suicide or a related outcome. •
Highsmith writes in the afterword that, after publication, she received loads of letters thanking her, as “The Price of Salt” brought new hope and a kind of representation that the LGBT community was not used to seeing.
Patricia Highsmith also says that she didn't want to be known as a “writer of lesbian books”, and that's why she published “The Price of Salt” under the pseudonym Claire Morgan. But “Carol” is so much more than a simple romance, because of the book itself and its meaning.
I fell in love with Patricia Highsmith's writing, her story and the characters she created, the way Therese evolves, in the same way I loved Todd Haynes' film (and which I want to rewatch now!). But I do have to say that within the two days that I’ve read this masterpiece, I had this one struggle which I’m sure off you all know: I want to continue reading but I don't want it to end.
This book will be one of those books to reread later in life, I’m sure of it
“How was it possible to be afraid and in love... The two things did not go together. How was it possible to be afraid, when the two of them grew stronger together every day? And every night. Every night was different, and every morning. Together they possessed a miracle.”
“The Price of Salt” was published in 1952, and was one of the first books to describe a homosexual relationship and end without a suicide or a related outcome. •
Highsmith writes in the afterword that, after publication, she received loads of letters thanking her, as “The Price of Salt” brought new hope and a kind of representation that the LGBT community was not used to seeing.
Patricia Highsmith also says that she didn't want to be known as a “writer of lesbian books”, and that's why she published “The Price of Salt” under the pseudonym Claire Morgan. But “Carol” is so much more than a simple romance, because of the book itself and its meaning.
I fell in love with Patricia Highsmith's writing, her story and the characters she created, the way Therese evolves, in the same way I loved Todd Haynes' film (and which I want to rewatch now!). But I do have to say that within the two days that I’ve read this masterpiece, I had this one struggle which I’m sure off you all know: I want to continue reading but I don't want it to end.
This book will be one of those books to reread later in life, I’m sure of it
“The Price of Salt” was published in 1952, and was one of the first books to describe a homosexual relationship and end without a suicide or a related outcome. •
Highsmith writes in the afterword that, after publication, she received loads of letters thanking her, as “The Price of Salt” brought new hope and a kind of representation that the LGBT community was not used to seeing.
Patricia Highsmith also says that she didn't want to be known as a “writer of lesbian books”, and that's why she published “The Price of Salt” under the pseudonym Claire Morgan. But “Carol” is so much more than a simple romance, because of the book itself and its meaning.
I fell in love with Patricia Highsmith's writing, her story and the characters she created, the way Therese evolves, in the same way I loved Todd Haynes' film (and which I want to rewatch now!). But I do have to say that within the two days that I’ve read this masterpiece, I had this one struggle which I’m sure off you all know: I want to continue reading but I don't want it to end.
This book will be one of those books to reread later in life, I’m sure of it
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wow! I enjoyed this quite a bit and am so intrigued with it as the first lesbian novel to have a "relatively happy ending." The plot was slow but that didn’t really slow me down in reading it! Very interesting to think about what women’s queer relationships looked like / had to look like in the 50s. And I really enjoyed reading from Therese’s rollercoaster of a perspective during the whirlwind of her first love.
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
