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
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved this. I laughed, I cried. I did lots of reading about the book when I was done. It hits all the marks!
p.s. these women were positively addicted to checking into as many hotels as possible
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
🌟🌟🌟🌟
I loved this, it felt like an important read from an LGBT perspective but also it was just a pleasure. I found it difficult to connect to the characters a little at first as they were both holding back so much, which is par for the course of the times. There was also quite a lot of fatphobia out of the bat which again I think is because of when it was written. Overall, the yearning and obsession of your first love was captured perfectly.
I loved this, it felt like an important read from an LGBT perspective but also it was just a pleasure. I found it difficult to connect to the characters a little at first as they were both holding back so much, which is par for the course of the times. There was also quite a lot of fatphobia out of the bat which again I think is because of when it was written. Overall, the yearning and obsession of your first love was captured perfectly.
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
emotional
reflective
sad
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
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is not a book I would have chosen for myself. (My husband chooses the audiobooks we listen to together, and I suspect he was thinking it would be more along the lines of Strangers on a Train.) I typically don’t enjoy romance or books that are almost all emotion - which Carol definitely is. However, I am so glad we listened to this remarkable story.
The story begins slowly. Therese, the viewpoint character, is a young woman trying to get her start in the world and figure out who she is. She struggles with the conflict between her own truth (which is far more than her sexual orientation) and who society expects her to be. As such, her emotions are all over the place.
When she meets Carol, an older woman going through a divorce, Therese becomes obsessed. Carol appears to return her affection, but they keep their friendship just that - friends. When they take a road trip together, they finally allow their love to blossom. But their bubble is crushed when Carol’s divorce proceedings take a nasty turn.
And that is the part that sticks with me - their struggle with society. The book was published in 1952. As much as the LGBTQ community struggles with acceptance from some groups in American society today, this book makes it clear how far we have come. It was truly dangerous to love a member of the same gender. I have always known this on an intellectual level, and have been angry at the injustice, but Carol made me realize how heartbreaking it could be on an emotional level.
For those of you who live in your emotions more than I do, this probably isn’t news to you. However, if you are like me, one who lives in your intellect, reading this story will make you understand emotionally, how truly tragic life could be for the LGBTQ community 70 years ago.
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
adventurous
dark
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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:
No
wow!! such a happy ending
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Misogyny, Lesbophobia, Outing
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Infidelity, Sexual content, Sexual violence
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
I have read this classical lesbian-romance and don’t regret it, but I also don’t recommend it: the characters are flat and underdeveloped. The movie is superior than the book.
One of my favorite things about this book was the remarkable atmosphere told with such ease. You can feel the Spirit of the 40s 50s era in this book, smokey and sensual. I love what the author did with the environment. Reflecting the character’s fears and ambitions with seemly quite and innocent scenes, but the underbelly was full of detail. The writing is excellent, as of right now, it’s one of my favorites. It’s crisp and very easy to understand. The beginning of the story, and the end of the story we’re the most interesting. It almost had a slight thriller vibe towards the end. The story however, did suffer from a saggy middle. I felt bored between the 40%-60% marks wishing for a little more drama. I was also not really rooting for the romance till around the end of book. I understood why the main character loved Carol, and it wasn’t quite insta love, but something about the romance didn’t spark for me till we got past that saggy middle. Or maybe that was just me reserving my heart in case the book had the gay sad ending trope. (I’m glad it didn’t)