Reviews

The Ballad of the Sad Café and Other Stories by Carson McCullers

shimmery's review against another edition

5.0

Another re-read of a favourite. Nobody gets or has articulated unrequited love and longing quite like Carson McCullers. Her writing on the lover and beloved in the title story gets me every time I read it - so perceptive and true. The final story in the collection offers an antidote to that painful longing — investing all the love and hope you have stored up inside you on every little detail in the world (a tree, a rock, a cloud) rather than a person you don’t know or who doesn’t love you.

Simply beautiful, but also very amusing and at other times sad.

millimil1enary's review against another edition

reflective medium-paced

4.0

jgurniak's review against another edition

4.0

Such a pity these are short stories and not full length novels. I would love to read longer versions of all of these stories.

royalflu's review against another edition

3.5

pretentious quotes are my love language and i got what i wanted 

zahrahazmi's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

nadakhaledhp's review against another edition

3.0

من احزن واكأب الروايات.
صاحبة مقهى عاشت طول عمرها وحيدة ولفترة قصيرة وثقت بالشخص الخطأ اللي خسرها كل اللي بنته، بس هل دي تعتبر خسارة ولا هى كانت مبسوطة فعلا بضمها وحمايتها للأحدب لما ظهر في حياتها لأول مرة.
في كره للنسّاج مش قادرة اتخطاه نهائي. سواء بسبب عجرفته او بسبب بثه لسمومه وكره في اللي حواليه.
اخيرا، كتير في حياتنا بنسمح لاشخاص غلط انهم يخدوا امتيازات مش من حقهم. العلاقة اللي صورهتها الكاتبة علاقة مسمومة كطبق العصيدة الاخير اللي سابه النساج للآنسة أميليا. مش قادرة اذا كان غباء أميليا ام غباء الأحدب اللي سارعت في انهاء اخر شئ ممتع وجميل في تلك البلدة الصغيرة لكن الأكيد ان شخصية أميليا القوية خوفت اللي حواليها منها لدرجة انهم معرفوش يساعدوها حتى في أضعف اوقاتها وعلى الرغم انهم كلهم يكنوا ليها حب واعتزاز واعتراف بأفضلها عليهم. فعلا الانسان عدو نفسه.

nicolebeans's review against another edition

“the ballad of the sad cafe” (titular story) was not my thing.
some of the others were giving otessa moshfegh if she was even a little entertaining (sorry).
and some were pretty epic insights into the human experience

jennyoo's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

evergardenwall's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

pwc1919's review against another edition

dark emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5