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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
khornstein1's review against another edition
5.0
Carson McCullers, where have you been all my life? My only previous connection with McCullers was having to have some idea of who she was for my English (MA) comprehensive exam. So I memorized a couple of lines describing her...A few months later, I picked up a copy of "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" and it has been on my bookshelf for the past 20 years, unread.
I did not expect to like this...the South, outsiders, undiscovered women writers (who have perhaps fallen by the wayside now that we read fiction by women all the time.) But this short novel is fantastic...something about the characters, mood, and the voice...which is both simple and completely profound at the same time, to wit: "All useful things have a price, and are bought only with money, as that is the way the world is run. You know without having to reason about it the price of a bale of cotton, or a quart of molasses. But no value has been put on human life; it is given to us free and taken without being paid for..."
The plot is strange, the ending haunting. Strange and haunting and for that reason, I plan to read this one again before book group. And then maybe finally pick up The Heart is a Lonely Hunter.
I did not expect to like this...the South, outsiders, undiscovered women writers (who have perhaps fallen by the wayside now that we read fiction by women all the time.) But this short novel is fantastic...something about the characters, mood, and the voice...which is both simple and completely profound at the same time, to wit: "All useful things have a price, and are bought only with money, as that is the way the world is run. You know without having to reason about it the price of a bale of cotton, or a quart of molasses. But no value has been put on human life; it is given to us free and taken without being paid for..."
The plot is strange, the ending haunting. Strange and haunting and for that reason, I plan to read this one again before book group. And then maybe finally pick up The Heart is a Lonely Hunter.
jess13jess's review against another edition
reflective
fast-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
5.0
spacecyanide's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jmcook's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
threeundertwopnw's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
casspro's review against another edition
5.0
This copy has been sitting in my collection for years and I have no idea why I took me so long to read it. Carson McCullers is everything a good Southern writer should be. Slow and rich, without pretension or put-on airs. And despite her regionalism, her stories seem to embody this every-man/every-place mentality. Her characters and stories could be from Memphis, or Portland, or Las Vegas, or Beaver Creek. Each story is completely contained within itself and yet, the collection flows effortless from one to the other. These stories are about great loves or great tragedies, or about heroic efforts or ridiculous circumstances. They are real and genuine and deal with the complex feeling that can arise when things get too simple. A brilliant collection that I have a feeling will become worn out with highlights and dog-eared pages over the next few years.
joyceontheroad's review against another edition
4.0
Loved these short stories. There’s a beautiful sadness in stories that leave you wondering about the meaning. Loved it.
lizawall's review against another edition
5.0
I really feel like I should have read all of Carson McCullers in middle school! But in a way I'm glad I didn't, because I get to now. These stories are crazy beautiful. It's like they were written by a clear-eyed angel. They have the flamboyant brutality of Flannery O'Connor but combined with like an equally intense seed of...compassion? I can only think of cheese-words to describe it, but trust me this is not cheese.