Status
Available
Publication
Tallahassee, Fla. : Naiad Press, 1984.
Description
A chance encounter between two lonely women leads to a passionate romance in this lesbian cult classic. Therese, a struggling young sales clerk, and Carol, a homemaker in the midst of a bitter divorce, abandon their oppressive daily routines for the freedom of the open road, where their love can blossom. But their newly discovered bliss is shattered when Carol is forced to choose between her child and her lover. Highsmith's sensitive treatment of fully realized characters who defy stereotypes about homosexuality marks a departure from previous lesbian pulp fiction. Erotic, eloquent, and suspenseful, this story offers an honest look at the necessity of being true to one's nature.The Price of Salt is the basis for the upcoming film Carol, starring Rooney Mara, Cate Blanchett, and Kyle Chandler, to be released December 18, 2015.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member gbill
An outstanding book because of its honest and unabashed acceptance of a lesbian relationship, something quite remarkable for 1952, but also because of the lovely little touches in Patricia Highsmith’s writing. Her story includes elements of emotional tension, grace, and passion that are true to
Quotes:
On January:
“It was all things. And it was one thing, like a solid door. Its cold sealed the city in a grey capsule. January was moments, and January was a year. January rained the moments down, and froze them in her memory: the woman she saw peering anxiously by the light of a match at the names in a dark doorway, the man who scribbled a message and handed it to his friend before they parted on the sidewalk, the man who ran a block for a bus and caught it. Every human action seemed to yield a magic. January was a two-faced month, jangling like jester’s bells, crackling like snow crust, pure as any beginning, grim as an old man, mysteriously familiar yet unknown, like a word one can almost but not quite define.”
On love:
“I feel I am in love with you … and it should be spring. I want the sun throbbing on my head like chords of music. I think of a sun like Beethoven, a wind like Debussy, and birdcalls like Stravinsky. But the tempo is all mine.”
On (happy) memories:
“But there were other days when they drove out into the mountains alone, taking any road they saw. Once they came upon a little town they liked and spent the night there, without pajamas or toothbrushes, without past or future, and the night became another of those islands in time, suspended somewhere in the heart or in the memory, intact and absolute. Or perhaps it was nothing but happiness, Therese thought, a complete happiness that must be rare enough, so rare that very few people ever knew it.”
On pleasure:
“Then Carol slipped her arm under her neck, and all the length of their bodies touched, fitting as if something had prearranged it. Happiness was like a green vine spreading through her, stretching fine tendrils, bearing flowers through her flesh. She had a vision of a pale white flower, shimmering as if seen in darkness, or through water. Why did people talk of heaven, she wondered.”
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all sorts of romantic relationships, and there is a universality to it. At the same time, in showing how these two women are treated, thought of as deviants and harassed across the country by a private investigator, it represents a huge step forward for the LGB community by simply showing them as two people in love. I love how they are not romanticized though, and they are complete characters. Bravo to Highsmith for standing up to her publishers and simply writing a great story with honesty, rather than trying to capitalize on her success from ‘Strangers on a Train.’ Quotes:
On January:
“It was all things. And it was one thing, like a solid door. Its cold sealed the city in a grey capsule. January was moments, and January was a year. January rained the moments down, and froze them in her memory: the woman she saw peering anxiously by the light of a match at the names in a dark doorway, the man who scribbled a message and handed it to his friend before they parted on the sidewalk, the man who ran a block for a bus and caught it. Every human action seemed to yield a magic. January was a two-faced month, jangling like jester’s bells, crackling like snow crust, pure as any beginning, grim as an old man, mysteriously familiar yet unknown, like a word one can almost but not quite define.”
On love:
“I feel I am in love with you … and it should be spring. I want the sun throbbing on my head like chords of music. I think of a sun like Beethoven, a wind like Debussy, and birdcalls like Stravinsky. But the tempo is all mine.”
On (happy) memories:
“But there were other days when they drove out into the mountains alone, taking any road they saw. Once they came upon a little town they liked and spent the night there, without pajamas or toothbrushes, without past or future, and the night became another of those islands in time, suspended somewhere in the heart or in the memory, intact and absolute. Or perhaps it was nothing but happiness, Therese thought, a complete happiness that must be rare enough, so rare that very few people ever knew it.”
On pleasure:
“Then Carol slipped her arm under her neck, and all the length of their bodies touched, fitting as if something had prearranged it. Happiness was like a green vine spreading through her, stretching fine tendrils, bearing flowers through her flesh. She had a vision of a pale white flower, shimmering as if seen in darkness, or through water. Why did people talk of heaven, she wondered.”
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LibraryThing member ALincolnNut
Working at a department store counter during the Christmas season rush, young Therese Belivet assists a well-dressed woman in purchasing a doll. Somehow intrigued, Therese sends the woman a greeting card as a lark. To her surprise, the woman responds with an invitation to lunch. From that chance
Written in the early 1950s, "The Price of Salt" was a scandalous book about a lesbian relationship between a young woman and a middle-aged wife and mother. Written by Patricia Highsmith, a prolific author whose most famous books, "Strangers on a Train" and "The Talented Mr. Ripley," have been made into movies, the daring novel is reputed to have inspired Vladimir Nabokov to write "Lolita."
From the beginning, the romance between Therese and Carol is threatened by numerous obstacles. Aside from the age difference, Therese is stuck with a boyfriend she does not love, pursuing a career in theater design that has barely begun. Carol has a daughter upon whom she dotes, a husband she wishes to divorce, and protective best friend who fears the consequences of her desires. Even so, the two women quickly bond and embark on a lengthy road trip together.
As with any relationship, there are hiccups along the way caused by misunderstandings and miscommunications. Quickly, though, the illicit nature of the relationship causes headaches for both women in their relationships with other people. Most obvious is how the romantic affair threatens Carol's relationship with her daughter she very much loves.
Although told from the point of view of Therese, who is somewhat naïve, the story is deftly and subtly handled, filled with characters who are believable and whose reactions to the situation ring true. Elegantly written with a poetic melancholy, the book is filled with great sympathy for its main characters despite the steep obstacles their relationship faces. The combination is riveting, resulting in an emotional and suspenseful page-turner.
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meeting, a deep relationship grows between these two women unhappy with their lives.Written in the early 1950s, "The Price of Salt" was a scandalous book about a lesbian relationship between a young woman and a middle-aged wife and mother. Written by Patricia Highsmith, a prolific author whose most famous books, "Strangers on a Train" and "The Talented Mr. Ripley," have been made into movies, the daring novel is reputed to have inspired Vladimir Nabokov to write "Lolita."
From the beginning, the romance between Therese and Carol is threatened by numerous obstacles. Aside from the age difference, Therese is stuck with a boyfriend she does not love, pursuing a career in theater design that has barely begun. Carol has a daughter upon whom she dotes, a husband she wishes to divorce, and protective best friend who fears the consequences of her desires. Even so, the two women quickly bond and embark on a lengthy road trip together.
As with any relationship, there are hiccups along the way caused by misunderstandings and miscommunications. Quickly, though, the illicit nature of the relationship causes headaches for both women in their relationships with other people. Most obvious is how the romantic affair threatens Carol's relationship with her daughter she very much loves.
Although told from the point of view of Therese, who is somewhat naïve, the story is deftly and subtly handled, filled with characters who are believable and whose reactions to the situation ring true. Elegantly written with a poetic melancholy, the book is filled with great sympathy for its main characters despite the steep obstacles their relationship faces. The combination is riveting, resulting in an emotional and suspenseful page-turner.
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LibraryThing member BrokenTune
‘Don’t you want to forget it, if it’s past?’
‘I don’t know. I don’t know just how you mean that.’
‘I mean, are you sorry?’
‘No. Would I do the same thing again? Yes.’
‘Do you mean with somebody else, or with her?’
‘With her,’ Therese said. The corner of her mouth went up
‘But the end was a fiasco.’
‘Yes. I mean I’d go through the end, too.’
‘And you’re still going through it.’
Therese didn’t say anything.
Patricia Highsmith got the idea for Carol (or The Price of Salt as it was named originally) shortly after her first novel, Strangers on a Train was published. She lived in New York at the time, was depressed, and in need of money. She took a job as a sales assistant in a department store and, one day, met a lady customer in a mink coat. The stranger in the store made such a strong impression on her that it gave her an idea for a new book. An onset of fever (from chickenpox) shortly after the encounter helped with the writing.
I have no idea if the fever really had anything to do with the writing or whether this is just my impression but the story of Therese Belivet and Carol Aird had a feverish quality that had me hooked from the start and had me lose sleep because I had to know how the story would end. Yes, this was another one of those books where I had to stay up all night to finish it, even though the two protagonists were difficult to like at times.
Therese is in her early twenties (I think), stuck in a dead-end sales job, has aspirations of becoming a stage designer, and generally seems to lack empathy for any of the people around her. Carol, on the other hand, is a relatively well-off divorcee who gives off an air of detachment. It is only in the course of their story that we get to see behind the veneer that both characters put up for different reasons - one out of immaturity and one out of a need for self-defence .
However, likable characters is not what Highsmith's books are about. For me, Highsmith's books are primarily about one thing - intensity. This is the aspect that has appealed to me most in her novels. And although the plot and thematic focus of Carol depart from the thriller genre that her publishers wanted her to follow, there is certainly enough "suspense" writing to have kept me reading until the wee hours. In particular, there are two scenes, where I sat on the edge of my seat: one in the later part of the book where I found myself yelling at Therese because she was behaving so childish it drove me mad, and one that had me glued to page thinking that if it were a scene in a film, the theatre audience would collectively gasp and fall silent to see what happens next:
"‘Crawl in the back and get the gun,’ Carol said.
Therese did not move for a moment.
Carol glanced at her. ‘Will you?’
Therese did agilely in her slacks over the seat back, and dragged the navy blue suitcase on to the seat. She opened the clasps and got out the sweater with the gun. ‘Just hand it to me,’ Carol said calmly.
‘I want it in the side pocket.’
She reached her hand over her shoulder, and Therese put the white handle of the gun into it, and crawled back into the front seat. The detective was still following them, half a mile behind them, back of the horse and farm wagon that had turned into the highway from a dirt road.
Carol held Therese’s hand and drove with her left hand. Therese looked down at the faintly freckled fingers that dug their strong cool tips into her palm. ‘I’m going to talk to him again,’ Carol said, and pressed the gas pedal down steadily ."
This scene alone is one of the reasons I really want to see the film version and I am miffed that I didn't get a chance to see it at our local cinema.
I know that a few readers have found the book slow moving and boring, but I kinda liked the understated pace. It added to the feel of a 1950s road trip into the middle of nowhere, which, I thought, was also an appropriate metaphor for the relationship between Therese and Carol - a journey that lacked company, landmarks, or sign posts.
In the Afterword (written in 1989) of the edition I read, Highsmith wrote that she "like[s] to avoid labels. It is American publishers who love them."
As mentioned above, after the publication of her first novel, Strangers on a Train, Highsmith's publishers wanted to see her establish herself in the thriller genre. They rejected her manuscript of Carol and urged her to write another thriller. Defying her publisher's request, Highsmith offered to release the book under an alias and sought out another publisher who would to publish a lesbian romance novel that dared to criticise contemporary American society in 1952.
Considering that this could have been the end of a writing career that had not even started, yet, and considering that presumably there would also have been some backlash to her personal exposure, I truly admire Highsmith's insistence on getting the book published.
The publication itself is not the only break with commercial wisdom that happened with Carol. Highsmith also broke with the convention of how she described her characters as ordinary women, how she re-evaluated the importance of home life and family, and asked the specific question of what price people would pay to even attempt living a life of their own design. As such, I must admit that I actually preferred the book's original title: The Price of Salt.
"In the middle of the block, she opened the door of a coffee shop, but they were playing one of the songs she had heard with Carol everywhere, and she let the door close and walked on. The music lived, but the world was dead. And the song would die one day, she thought, but how would the world come back to life? How would its salt come back?"
‘I don’t know. I don’t know just how you mean that.’
‘I mean, are you sorry?’
‘No. Would I do the same thing again? Yes.’
‘Do you mean with somebody else, or with her?’
‘With her,’ Therese said. The corner of her mouth went up
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in a smile.‘But the end was a fiasco.’
‘Yes. I mean I’d go through the end, too.’
‘And you’re still going through it.’
Therese didn’t say anything.
Patricia Highsmith got the idea for Carol (or The Price of Salt as it was named originally) shortly after her first novel, Strangers on a Train was published. She lived in New York at the time, was depressed, and in need of money. She took a job as a sales assistant in a department store and, one day, met a lady customer in a mink coat. The stranger in the store made such a strong impression on her that it gave her an idea for a new book. An onset of fever (from chickenpox) shortly after the encounter helped with the writing.
I have no idea if the fever really had anything to do with the writing or whether this is just my impression but the story of Therese Belivet and Carol Aird had a feverish quality that had me hooked from the start and had me lose sleep because I had to know how the story would end. Yes, this was another one of those books where I had to stay up all night to finish it, even though the two protagonists were difficult to like at times.
Therese is in her early twenties (I think), stuck in a dead-end sales job, has aspirations of becoming a stage designer, and generally seems to lack empathy for any of the people around her. Carol, on the other hand, is a relatively well-off divorcee who gives off an air of detachment. It is only in the course of their story that we get to see behind the veneer that both characters put up for different reasons
However, likable characters is not what Highsmith's books are about. For me, Highsmith's books are primarily about one thing - intensity. This is the aspect that has appealed to me most in her novels. And although the plot and thematic focus of Carol depart from the thriller genre that her publishers wanted her to follow, there is certainly enough "suspense" writing to have kept me reading until the wee hours. In particular, there are two scenes, where I sat on the edge of my seat: one in the later part of the book where I found myself yelling at Therese because she was behaving so childish it drove me mad, and one that had me glued to page thinking that if it were a scene in a film, the theatre audience would collectively gasp and fall silent to see what happens next
"‘Crawl in the back and get the gun,’ Carol said.
Therese did not move for a moment.
Carol glanced at her. ‘Will you?’
Therese did agilely in her slacks over the seat back, and dragged the navy blue suitcase on to the seat. She opened the clasps and got out the sweater with the gun. ‘Just hand it to me,’ Carol said calmly.
‘I want it in the side pocket.’
She reached her hand over her shoulder, and Therese put the white handle of the gun into it, and crawled back into the front seat. The detective was still following them, half a mile behind them, back of the horse and farm wagon that had turned into the highway from a dirt road.
Carol held Therese’s hand and drove with her left hand. Therese looked down at the faintly freckled fingers that dug their strong cool tips into her palm. ‘I’m going to talk to him again,’ Carol said, and pressed the gas pedal down steadily
This scene alone is one of the reasons I really want to see the film version and I am miffed that I didn't get a chance to see it at our local cinema.
I know that a few readers have found the book slow moving and boring, but I kinda liked the understated pace. It added to the feel of a 1950s road trip into the middle of nowhere, which, I thought, was also an appropriate metaphor for the relationship between Therese and Carol - a journey that lacked company, landmarks, or sign posts.
In the Afterword (written in 1989) of the edition I read, Highsmith wrote that she "like[s] to avoid labels. It is American publishers who love them."
As mentioned above, after the publication of her first novel, Strangers on a Train, Highsmith's publishers wanted to see her establish herself in the thriller genre. They rejected her manuscript of Carol and urged her to write another thriller. Defying her publisher's request, Highsmith offered to release the book under an alias and sought out another publisher who would to publish a lesbian romance novel that dared to criticise contemporary American society in 1952.
Considering that this could have been the end of a writing career that had not even started, yet, and considering that presumably there would also have been some backlash to her personal exposure, I truly admire Highsmith's insistence on getting the book published.
The publication itself is not the only break with commercial wisdom that happened with Carol. Highsmith also broke with the convention of how she described her characters as ordinary women, how she re-evaluated the importance of home life and family, and asked the specific question of what price people would pay to even attempt living a life of their own design. As such, I must admit that I actually preferred the book's original title: The Price of Salt.
"In the middle of the block, she opened the door of a coffee shop, but they were playing one of the songs she had heard with Carol everywhere, and she let the door close and walked on. The music lived, but the world was dead. And the song would die one day, she thought, but how would the world come back to life? How would its salt come back?"
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LibraryThing member ConnieJo
I picked this up because it sounded so unlike everything else Highsmith had ever written, and I wanted to see how she did a relatively serious-minded love story.
I didn't really care for it, mostly because I just couldn't grow to love the main character and I dislike this kind of romance, where
I also had a love/hate relationship with the romance between Therese and Carol. Parts of it were extremely passionate, and I liked a lot of the ways they met up, traveled, and kept running into one another, and I really liked the pre-trip parts where Therese was literally thinking of nothing but Carol, but as I mentioned earlier, the fact that Therese was constantly, CONSTANTLY going over things in her head as to what she should say and do and what Carol may do in response drove me up the wall. I dislike that type of story though, so it probably doesn't really reflect on this book in particular.
A lot of the characters were really well-written and played their parts in the story nicely. Therese's boyfriend, Carol's best friend and former lover Abbey, Carol's husband Harge, the older woman that worked at Therese's department store that terrified her, and the possible male romantic interest for Therese that lingered throughout the story were all quite well done.
The ending was fantastic. After all the trouble the two of them ran into with investigators following them on the road, their separation, and Therese's thought process at the end of the novel were all great. I enjoyed those parts quite a bit, and I liked the eventual ending.
I didn't really care for it, mostly because I just couldn't grow to love the main character and I dislike this kind of romance, where
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every action is second-guessed again and again as to how the lover will take it. I also very much disliked the way she treated her boyfriend at the end of their relationship, but he was also insistent on not breaking up, so there really wasn't too much she could do about it.I also had a love/hate relationship with the romance between Therese and Carol. Parts of it were extremely passionate, and I liked a lot of the ways they met up, traveled, and kept running into one another, and I really liked the pre-trip parts where Therese was literally thinking of nothing but Carol, but as I mentioned earlier, the fact that Therese was constantly, CONSTANTLY going over things in her head as to what she should say and do and what Carol may do in response drove me up the wall. I dislike that type of story though, so it probably doesn't really reflect on this book in particular.
A lot of the characters were really well-written and played their parts in the story nicely. Therese's boyfriend, Carol's best friend and former lover Abbey, Carol's husband Harge, the older woman that worked at Therese's department store that terrified her, and the possible male romantic interest for Therese that lingered throughout the story were all quite well done.
The ending was fantastic. After all the trouble the two of them ran into with investigators following them on the road, their separation, and Therese's thought process at the end of the novel were all great. I enjoyed those parts quite a bit, and I liked the eventual ending.
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LibraryThing member EdGoldberg
There is so much to say about The Price of Salt and yet there's not much to say. If you've seen the movie Carol, based upon the Highsmith book, you know the basic story. The basic plot and many aspects of the story follow straight from the book. Yet, many aspects of the movie veer away from the
What you don't get from Carol that you do get from The Price of Salt is the darkness of the book, of Carol's and Therese's lives both apart and together. You don't get the fact that Therese is the prime mover in really starting and actually sustaining the relationship between them. In the movie, Therese is more mild. In The Price of Salt is much less so.
There are also many aspects of the book that were changed. For instance, in the book, Danny, a physicist kisses Therese. In the movie, it is his brother aspiring film writer Phil, who does the kissing and making comments about particles attracting and repelling each other--definitely a physicist's thought process. It just made more sense in the book version.
The scene at the end was also changed in the film. In Carol, Therese goes to Phil and Danny's party. In the book, she goes to an actress's party, an actress who more than likely was going to hit on Therese. It is then, realizing that there are other lesbians in the world, that she realizes what Carol means to her. Again, the context in the book has more meaning.
There are probably a few more meaningful changes from book to film that I can't think of at the moment. There seems to be some difference of opinion as to whether Carol and Therese really love each other, especially in the book, and whether they last as a couple. I choose to think that they do.
I love both the book and the film but in my opinion, they portray different aspects of the love between Carol and Therese. I've watched the movie several times. I intend to read the book again. The first time, I read for the story. Now I'd like to read for the nuances.
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book.What you don't get from Carol that you do get from The Price of Salt is the darkness of the book, of Carol's and Therese's lives both apart and together. You don't get the fact that Therese is the prime mover in really starting and actually sustaining the relationship between them. In the movie, Therese is more mild. In The Price of Salt is much less so.
There are also many aspects of the book that were changed. For instance, in the book, Danny, a physicist kisses Therese. In the movie, it is his brother aspiring film writer Phil, who does the kissing and making comments about particles attracting and repelling each other--definitely a physicist's thought process. It just made more sense in the book version.
The scene at the end was also changed in the film. In Carol, Therese goes to Phil and Danny's party. In the book, she goes to an actress's party, an actress who more than likely was going to hit on Therese. It is then, realizing that there are other lesbians in the world, that she realizes what Carol means to her. Again, the context in the book has more meaning.
There are probably a few more meaningful changes from book to film that I can't think of at the moment. There seems to be some difference of opinion as to whether Carol and Therese really love each other, especially in the book, and whether they last as a couple. I choose to think that they do.
I love both the book and the film but in my opinion, they portray different aspects of the love between Carol and Therese. I've watched the movie several times. I intend to read the book again. The first time, I read for the story. Now I'd like to read for the nuances.
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LibraryThing member Bookmarque
I don’t read romance much at all and have never read a lesbian romance before so I had no idea that this was known as the one with the happy ending. None. So it came as a surprise to me that it turned out well and not in tragedy. When Therese found the gun, I thought it might end in the worst way
It did take me a while to get into though. It’s very quotidian and a bit stultifying in its everyday drudgery. I suppose that’s needed though to show the oasis that is the heart of Therese and Carol’s relationship as tentative as that is at first. For the longest time Highsmith lets us wonder just what Carol is up to and I feared the old false notion of homosexual as predator would wind up front and center. No, not that either although I just couldn’t figure what Carol saw in Therese. She is awkward and poor, unsophisticated and so besotted as to be robotic. Carol sees it, but doesn't take advantage of it. Neither does she really encourage Therese to be more independent though, and I feared to see how much of herself Therese would sacrifice. Towards the end I was really rooting for her when she got a hold of herself, let Carol go and then decided to make something of her life. It was that new found strength that let me be happy for them in the end. It became a relationship of equals then. Therese had the courage to reject Carol when she, Carol, had the courage to ask to try again. Both women had to walk away to get perspective and so the imagined future is a nice one.
In addition to the general idea of homosexuals as deviants, criminals and predators that the women fight against, there is the perfect way Highsmith uses Richard to show the special venom men save for women who reject them for other women. At first he categorizes Therese’s infatuation as a mental illness. He calls her crazy in a particular way that he probably wouldn’t do if she was crushing on a man. Then when she remains steadfast in her decision to break with him, leaving his letters unanswered, he just has to send her one long screed about how disgusted he is with her and how ruined her life will be since she’s rejected him and all men. Alas though, she rejected him first and so his bile washed off her like rain. It was meaningless because he was meaningless. The insecurity on display though was cringeworthy.
I can’t believe I waited this long to read this novel considering how much of Highsmith I’ve already collected and read. She was a gem and an enormous talent.
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possible. But Highsmith doesn’t follow this well-known dictum and nor does she take the easy or predictable way out with most of the story.It did take me a while to get into though. It’s very quotidian and a bit stultifying in its everyday drudgery. I suppose that’s needed though to show the oasis that is the heart of Therese and Carol’s relationship as tentative as that is at first. For the longest time Highsmith lets us wonder just what Carol is up to and I feared the old false notion of homosexual as predator would wind up front and center. No, not that either although I just couldn’t figure what Carol saw in Therese. She is awkward and poor, unsophisticated and so besotted as to be robotic. Carol sees it, but doesn't take advantage of it. Neither does she really encourage Therese to be more independent though, and I feared to see how much of herself Therese would sacrifice. Towards the end I was really rooting for her when she got a hold of herself, let Carol go and then decided to make something of her life. It was that new found strength that let me be happy for them in the end. It became a relationship of equals then. Therese had the courage to reject Carol when she, Carol, had the courage to ask to try again. Both women had to walk away to get perspective and so the imagined future is a nice one.
In addition to the general idea of homosexuals as deviants, criminals and predators that the women fight against, there is the perfect way Highsmith uses Richard to show the special venom men save for women who reject them for other women. At first he categorizes Therese’s infatuation as a mental illness. He calls her crazy in a particular way that he probably wouldn’t do if she was crushing on a man. Then when she remains steadfast in her decision to break with him, leaving his letters unanswered, he just has to send her one long screed about how disgusted he is with her and how ruined her life will be since she’s rejected him and all men. Alas though, she rejected him first and so his bile washed off her like rain. It was meaningless because he was meaningless. The insecurity on display though was cringeworthy.
I can’t believe I waited this long to read this novel considering how much of Highsmith I’ve already collected and read. She was a gem and an enormous talent.
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LibraryThing member carrstone1
It's all too easy to claim this book to be a beacon for the lesbian cause - don't be fooled by your prejudice, though. The lesbian aspects of this book function only as an adapted Deus ex machina, a sort of track to run on for the central plot of a young person's transition to 'adulthood', brief in
What makes the book worth reading by heteros and homos alike, is that it brilliantly shows the mix of confusion and certainty that so annoys us old people in the young; phrases like 'get on with it' spring to the lips of the reader frequently, but we say them tolerantly 'cause we recognize our own earlier stumblings.
Read it and you'll see that the protagonists could have been of either sex or of either orientation and is not essential to moving the story forward.
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time but filled with shock and awe. What makes the book worth reading by heteros and homos alike, is that it brilliantly shows the mix of confusion and certainty that so annoys us old people in the young; phrases like 'get on with it' spring to the lips of the reader frequently, but we say them tolerantly 'cause we recognize our own earlier stumblings.
Read it and you'll see that the protagonists could have been of either sex or of either orientation and is not essential to moving the story forward.
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LibraryThing member sparemethecensor
A classic example of the character-driven novel. My only other Highsmith is Talented Mr Ripley, which has great characters but also a lot of plot, and this is a slower burn. I really like the way she writes this -- it's very contemplative and does a stunning job of dropping you into the time period
Some small spoilers:
I read in another review that this was the first lesbian novel to have a happy ending. I thought it was more ambiguous. They are together, but are they happy? Are they in long-haul love?
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in an intricately detailed but not heavy-handed way. Some small spoilers:
I read in another review that this was the first lesbian novel to have a happy ending. I thought it was more ambiguous. They are together, but are they happy? Are they in long-haul love?
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LibraryThing member sogamonk
Library Thing prediction was absolutely correct. I did not like this book. Read the first one hundred pages and then, it was all a repetition of the same conversations, etc.
LibraryThing member sturlington
When 19-year-old Therese first glimpses Carol in the department store where she works, the attraction is immediate; this coming-of-age story describes how their affair blossomed on a cross-country road trip at a time when being a lesbian was not an option.
Highsmith is a precise writer, but I think
A promising book that didn't carry through in a natural way for me.
Read in 2015.
Highsmith is a precise writer, but I think
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she is still developing her skills in this early novel. She leaves a lot unsaid between Carol and Therese, which I found frustrating at times, because it was difficult for me to grasp what their feelings truly were for one another. Was it really love for Therese, or just a young girl's crush, for instance? Their affair ends up hurting Carol, causing her to lose custody of her young daughter, and I wonder how she can get past that, even if does truly love Therese (which was not obvious). What this book does well is clarify how lesbianism was perceived during its time based on the differing attitudes shown toward Therese and Carol, particularly by the male characters. It also illustrates yet another way that life choices were so curtailed for women. I thought this worked very well as a coming-of-age story; by the end, Therese seems to understand and accept herself more, and she even seems to accept Carol's choices. She's giving up her immaturity and self-centeredness. However, the ending didn't ring true for me. Once we have that pivotal first relationship, can we ever really return to it? Or is it necessary to move on? And I'm not sure I understand why Carol still wants Therese after everything that happens. They just seem mismatched. A promising book that didn't carry through in a natural way for me.
Read in 2015.
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LibraryThing member Evalangui
I have been looking forward to reading "Carol" for years and I was even quite excited by the style when I started but it was pretty slow going all the way through. I still don't really understand either Therese or Carol, except for in very particular moments (moments from which I cannot see how
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they get to their next thought/action most of the time). Insightful at times but for me, mostly too abstruse. Show Less
LibraryThing member dazzyj
Vintage Highsmith, spinning tension and telling detail out of the mundane. The way that Therese's self awareness blossoms in tandem with her love for Carol exhibits the author's masterful handling of her character's psyches. But like some of her other books, the novel also suffers from occasional
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longeurs. Show Less
LibraryThing member Y2Ash
It's more of a 2.8 review.
The Price of Salt was ahead of its time. It was a realistic and mature look of a same sex relationship between a slightly naïve 19 year old, Therese Belivet and the older newly divorced Carol Aird.
After falling in love at practically first sight after helping her find a
It was difficult for me to really like this book. Its pace was slow which probably contributed to it but I did not mind it. I actually did not like Carol. She was too cold and distant for me to empathized with her. I should have felt bad especially over her dilemma over her divorce and losing custody of her daughter but I didn't. Highsmith really tried to make her a sympathetic character but I didn't buy it.
I did feel bad over Therese's treatment over Richard. He was slightly controlling but I thought Carol was much worse. He seemed to be a good guy and she was very distant and dismissive towards him. I hated that Therese fell helplessly in love with Carol and was sort of a puppet until the last 30 pages of the book. That was the redeeming quality of The Price of Salt.
The Price of Salt was ahead of its time. It was a realistic and mature look of a same sex relationship between a slightly naïve 19 year old, Therese Belivet and the older newly divorced Carol Aird.
After falling in love at practically first sight after helping her find a
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particular doll, Therese decides to send Carol a Christmas card. Carol replies to the gesture by taking her out to lunch. As they get closer and the more Carol's divorce takes its toll, the two decide to go on a cross country trip that ends up being more therapuetic and revealing than the two would ever expect.It was difficult for me to really like this book. Its pace was slow which probably contributed to it but I did not mind it. I actually did not like Carol. She was too cold and distant for me to empathized with her. I should have felt bad especially over her dilemma over her divorce and losing custody of her daughter but I didn't. Highsmith really tried to make her a sympathetic character but I didn't buy it.
I did feel bad over Therese's treatment over Richard. He was slightly controlling but I thought Carol was much worse. He seemed to be a good guy and she was very distant and dismissive towards him. I hated that Therese fell helplessly in love with Carol and was sort of a puppet until the last 30 pages of the book. That was the redeeming quality of The Price of Salt.
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LibraryThing member bluepigeon
I suppose I didn't get the feeling that Carol was that aloof or cold. Nor did I think the book was about sexual obsession.
To me, it seemed like a very well told story of a young, inexperienced, insecure girl (Therese) falling in love with an older woman (Carol), who is more experienced, and has a
The only thing that bothered me about it all was Carol's apparent heartbreak over losing custody of her daughter. This seems a bit out of character. Carol seems to be the type of person who would say, well, I am what I am, and perhaps it's best for me not to have a child and live the way I want (considering back then having a child and being in a same-sex relationship was very difficult and rare). She does not seem to be the type of woman who would be crushed not to have custody of her little girl. But then again, I think I am seeing Carol the way I want to, instead of believing the thing Highsmith has shown throughout the novel. I want Carol to say, sod off you lot! Take the child, I don't care! But clearly, she is not the carefree woman I want her to be, and due to either societal pressure, or the idea of herself as a mother, or actual genuine love for this child, she tries and fails to gain custody. Perhaps that is in character; after all, she does put up a good fight, considering the evidence proving her "deviance."
I do agree that Highsmith has a certain distance from her characters, and she seems to exact revenge on them at times with her cruel observations. At times, it seems that Highsmith is a misanthrope, and one with not very high opinion of men.
In the end, Price of Salt is a great novel, regardless the sexual orientation of the characters. It is not a great queer novel, it is simply a great novel that happens to have queer characters in it. It could very well have been about a heterosexual love affair, and Highsmith would have written a great novel anyway.
To me, it seemed like a very well told story of a young, inexperienced, insecure girl (Therese) falling in love with an older woman (Carol), who is more experienced, and has a
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lot to lose. So, yes, often Therese worries or thinks that Carol is being cold, or aloof, but this is just her insecurity. Carol has many worries, which we slowly find out about as the story progresses, and to me, it seemed like Therese was the needy, insecure, and cold in many ways. She is very much a colossal id that needs feeding, and when it is not fed, decides others are not paying attention to it and sulks. Carol has moods, but they are very much due to real problems she is having in her life, like the divorce and custody case. Carol also hesitates more than Therese in letting herself being carried away by her feelings, as expected; she has been there before, and again, she has a lot to lose, unlike Therese who has no family, no obligations, and not even a job. So I disagree that Carol is cold and mean to Therese. I also disagree that the book is about sexual obsession, unless sexual obsession means wanting to have sex with someone you have a crush on.The only thing that bothered me about it all was Carol's apparent heartbreak over losing custody of her daughter. This seems a bit out of character. Carol seems to be the type of person who would say, well, I am what I am, and perhaps it's best for me not to have a child and live the way I want (considering back then having a child and being in a same-sex relationship was very difficult and rare). She does not seem to be the type of woman who would be crushed not to have custody of her little girl. But then again, I think I am seeing Carol the way I want to, instead of believing the thing Highsmith has shown throughout the novel. I want Carol to say, sod off you lot! Take the child, I don't care! But clearly, she is not the carefree woman I want her to be, and due to either societal pressure, or the idea of herself as a mother, or actual genuine love for this child, she tries and fails to gain custody. Perhaps that is in character; after all, she does put up a good fight, considering the evidence proving her "deviance."
I do agree that Highsmith has a certain distance from her characters, and she seems to exact revenge on them at times with her cruel observations. At times, it seems that Highsmith is a misanthrope, and one with not very high opinion of men.
In the end, Price of Salt is a great novel, regardless the sexual orientation of the characters. It is not a great queer novel, it is simply a great novel that happens to have queer characters in it. It could very well have been about a heterosexual love affair, and Highsmith would have written a great novel anyway.
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LibraryThing member corinneblackmer
The exact words for this 1950s classic novel of lesbian love are existential film noir. Therese Belivet, an aspiring set designer in New York City, encounters Carol Aird, a glamorous and married lesbian mother, in a department store during the Christmas season. A passionate bond, not consummated
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for some time because Carol wants to tease Therese for pleasure, develops between the two, quickly sparking the homophobic passions and jealousies of Aird's husband, Harge, and Therese's considerably more hapless and ineffectual (fortunately) boyfriend. In the final resort, Carol chooses Therese over her daughter--not consciously or because she abandons her daughter--but rather because she has been given an ultimatum to renounce Therese as well as her lesbianism and accept having very, very limited access to her daughter. If this is a "happy ending," it is a highly qualified one, but Carol and Therese are represented as capable, competent, engaging, and socially integrated individuals who intend to live together in New York City and shall likely succeed in their relationship. Show Less
LibraryThing member bibleblaster
My first Highsmith, I enjoyed this enough to read more of her. In retrospect, I have to say the opening scenes in the store, and the descriptions of some of the minor characters, were some of the finest moments, more gripping and evocative to me than the love story.
LibraryThing member SteveLindahl
The beginning of The Price of Salt didn't appeal to me and nearly kept me from reading on. Therese seemed a shallow character. Her relationship with Mrs. Robichek was odd and, after she accepted an invitation to the woman's home she responded in a way that was quite rude. On top of that she has a
The book is written from the point of view of Therese, so all the characters are filtered through her perspective. Patricia Highsmith made her a sensitive character who pays attention to detail. Here's a sample:
The young man slid all the bundles across the counter, and took Carol's twenty-dollar bill. And Therese thought of Mrs. Robicheck tremulously pushing her single dollar bill and a quarter across the counter that evening.
Here's another:
Later, in the car, Carol asked her about Mrs. Robichek, and Therese answered as she always did, succinctly, and with the involuntary and absolute honesty that always depressed her afterward.
In both these short descriptions we learn something about Therese, something about Carol, and something about Mrs. Robicheck.
The Price of Salt is very well written. I wasn't hooked at first, but once it got going I couldn't put it down. I'm looking forward to seeing the film.
Steve Lindahl – author of Motherless Soul and White Horse Regressions
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relationship with Richard that is one sided. She doesn't lie about it, but she does take advantage of what he has to offer. I didn't think I wanted to spend hours reading about this woman. But the strength of this novel is in the way Therese matures. She has to discover how to feel and act while dealing with same sex desires during an era when they are condemned. I love the fact that this book wasn't just set in the fifties, it was written back then. Reading it at a time when the acceptance of same sex couples has become a civil rights issue makes it very powerful.The book is written from the point of view of Therese, so all the characters are filtered through her perspective. Patricia Highsmith made her a sensitive character who pays attention to detail. Here's a sample:
The young man slid all the bundles across the counter, and took Carol's twenty-dollar bill. And Therese thought of Mrs. Robicheck tremulously pushing her single dollar bill and a quarter across the counter that evening.
Here's another:
Later, in the car, Carol asked her about Mrs. Robichek, and Therese answered as she always did, succinctly, and with the involuntary and absolute honesty that always depressed her afterward.
In both these short descriptions we learn something about Therese, something about Carol, and something about Mrs. Robicheck.
The Price of Salt is very well written. I wasn't hooked at first, but once it got going I couldn't put it down. I'm looking forward to seeing the film.
Steve Lindahl – author of Motherless Soul and White Horse Regressions
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LibraryThing member akblanchard
Lonely shopgirl/aspiring set designer Therese's life is changed suddenly and definitively when she meets Carol, an older, sophisticated but equally lonely woman trapped in complicated divorce proceedings. The two women embark on a lesbian relationship (obliquely described by today's standards) and
Other readers say that this story has a happy ending (because neither heroine ends up insane or dead), but I am not sure I see it. I find the ending ambiguous. I have the feeling that Therese will spend the rest of her life trying to recapture what she had with either Carol herself or with a Carol-substitute but will find it is not possible because she is not the same person as she was when she was with her first love. Carol herself is not a sympathetic character; she is selfish and toys with Therese's affections.
In my opinion, this novel is best read as a 1950s period piece about forbidden love, in which feelings are heightened or deadened by excessive drinking and smoking.
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take a rather pointless road trip to the Western half of the United States. Under Carol's influence, Therese dumps her safe but prosaic boyfriend and comes of age as a more fully realized version of herself.Other readers say that this story has a happy ending (because neither heroine ends up insane or dead), but I am not sure I see it. I find the ending ambiguous. I have the feeling that Therese will spend the rest of her life trying to recapture what she had with either Carol herself or with a Carol-substitute but will find it is not possible because she is not the same person as she was when she was with her first love. Carol herself is not a sympathetic character; she is selfish and toys with Therese's affections.
In my opinion, this novel is best read as a 1950s period piece about forbidden love, in which feelings are heightened or deadened by excessive drinking and smoking.
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LibraryThing member Ameise1
This is a wonderfully narrated story about the love of two women who were banned and shows that it has survived despite all the nastiness.
What particularly appealed to me was the relationship to each other, which was something pure and precious. Both women were always afraid that if they reveal
What particularly appealed to me was the relationship to each other, which was something pure and precious. Both women were always afraid that if they reveal
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their feelings for one another at the same time something destroy. It also showed that love is much stronger than any conventions. Show Less
LibraryThing member mirikayla
It is very likely that at least one of these stars is for the fact that Cate Blanchett will be playing Carol in the movie, which I'll get to see later this month. I pictured her the whole time and it was perfect.
LibraryThing member ozzieslim
This is one of those books that is thought provoking. The first things one should consider about this book are actually contained in the afterword written by the author. This book was written in the 1950's when being gay was still considered an illness and a depraved madness. People who identified
With that being said, the story kicks off in the early 1950's when Therese, a set designer working a casual holiday job at a department store, meets Carol Aird. Carol is n the process of getting a divorce and going through a custody battle over her daughter Rindy.
The book unfolds slowly from that jumping off point. This is not a book that jumps from one action point to the next. It is a character study and it unfolds very slowly and very gradually. I don't want to give much away because it would detract from the reader's opportunity to discover this for themselves.
I can say that I went through a range of feelings about the two characters and that there were some points in the story that I was feeling very pessimistic about them and other times when I was just plain annoyed by their behaviors and choices. I usually had to step back at that point and reset my mind to time and place.
For those who are unfamiliar with gay and lesbian history, this book is a little slice of life for what it was like for men and women during that period and for some of the prevailing attitudes and opinions towards people who identified as gay and lesbian.
I have not seen the movie. I definitely wanted to read the book first. I knew in the end that I would enjoy it because I absolutely LOVED “The Talented Mr. Ripley” also by Patricia Highsmith. A great read but approach this as a marathon, not a sprint. Although the book is not long, it is slow. It is meant to be savored rather than devoured.
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as gay or realized they were, went to great lengths to hide that fact and their relationships were often difficult and required extreme personal sacrifices and choices that can not even be imagined in today's environment of relative social tolerance.With that being said, the story kicks off in the early 1950's when Therese, a set designer working a casual holiday job at a department store, meets Carol Aird. Carol is n the process of getting a divorce and going through a custody battle over her daughter Rindy.
The book unfolds slowly from that jumping off point. This is not a book that jumps from one action point to the next. It is a character study and it unfolds very slowly and very gradually. I don't want to give much away because it would detract from the reader's opportunity to discover this for themselves.
I can say that I went through a range of feelings about the two characters and that there were some points in the story that I was feeling very pessimistic about them and other times when I was just plain annoyed by their behaviors and choices. I usually had to step back at that point and reset my mind to time and place.
For those who are unfamiliar with gay and lesbian history, this book is a little slice of life for what it was like for men and women during that period and for some of the prevailing attitudes and opinions towards people who identified as gay and lesbian.
I have not seen the movie. I definitely wanted to read the book first. I knew in the end that I would enjoy it because I absolutely LOVED “The Talented Mr. Ripley” also by Patricia Highsmith. A great read but approach this as a marathon, not a sprint. Although the book is not long, it is slow. It is meant to be savored rather than devoured.
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LibraryThing member martinhughharvey
Most will likely have heard about the recent movie "Carol" which is based on this book. Patricia Highsmith is a well respected author, mainly of the 1950's, who write this book under the nom de plume Claire Morgan. With the success of "Strangers on a Train" she sure didn't want to be associated
So I've read a few works by Highsmith and have always been impressed by her descriptive language and her sentence and paragraph structure. In that regard, this book didn't disappoint. The story, I really enjoyed the first half of the book. Meticulous and tantalizing. But to me, later in the book, I found Carol, the older woman, confusing and inconsiderate. Terry, Therese, the younger of the pair was sort of what one would expect from a love-lost and confused late-teenage come young woman. It dragged on for me and was for a large part inconclusive.
BTW there is no specific sex and only obscurely and poetically referred to. Quite nicely but hey, this was the 1950's!
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with this book which focuses on women being in love. Not well tolerated in those days.So I've read a few works by Highsmith and have always been impressed by her descriptive language and her sentence and paragraph structure. In that regard, this book didn't disappoint. The story, I really enjoyed the first half of the book. Meticulous and tantalizing. But to me, later in the book, I found Carol, the older woman, confusing and inconsiderate. Terry, Therese, the younger of the pair was sort of what one would expect from a love-lost and confused late-teenage come young woman. It dragged on for me and was for a large part inconclusive.
BTW there is no specific sex and only obscurely and poetically referred to. Quite nicely but hey, this was the 1950's!
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LibraryThing member AnneliM
At the time, an unusual happy ending for a homosexual love between two woman
LibraryThing member Icewineanne
I was prompted to read this book because of the upcoming film, Carol, due to be released this fall. It stars 2 of my favorites, Cate Blanchett & Rooney Mara. I purchased the book without realizing what it was actually about. Never having read anything by Patricia Highsmith, I was not sure what to
The first thing that struck me while reading, were her awkward sentences. This was surprising from a writter of Patricia Highsmith's caliber. I found that I had to re-read some passages in order to clarify clunky sections.
The story, in short, is a romance between two women and revolves around Therese, an aspiring set designer and her attraction to Carol, an attractive, wealthy, stay-at-home mother, going through a divorce and custody battle for her young daughter. They meet at the dept store where Therese is working during Christmas. Therese is immediately fascinated with Carol and not long after they meet, they plan a road trip out west, an escape from their current situations but problems with Carol's divorce and custody battle follow.
I found Therese to be a very dull & wishy-washy character. Her obsession with Carol & everything that had to do with Carol became grating, as was Therese's passivity. Carol's character was more interesting, but we do not learn a lot about her as the story is told from Therese's view point. Therese has this irritating habit of never questioning Carol about anything of importance.
Overall I thought the story dull and the ending unconvincing. I can see where The Price of Salt would be well suited to be adapted into a film as the story reads very much like a play. And it's easy to imagine Cate Blanchette in the role of Carol. But, I am not keen on watching a romance between two women unfold on the screen, so this is a film I will take a pass on. As for the book, it was just meh.......
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expect. The first thing that struck me while reading, were her awkward sentences. This was surprising from a writter of Patricia Highsmith's caliber. I found that I had to re-read some passages in order to clarify clunky sections.
The story, in short, is a romance between two women and revolves around Therese, an aspiring set designer and her attraction to Carol, an attractive, wealthy, stay-at-home mother, going through a divorce and custody battle for her young daughter. They meet at the dept store where Therese is working during Christmas. Therese is immediately fascinated with Carol and not long after they meet, they plan a road trip out west, an escape from their current situations but problems with Carol's divorce and custody battle follow.
I found Therese to be a very dull & wishy-washy character. Her obsession with Carol & everything that had to do with Carol became grating, as was Therese's passivity. Carol's character was more interesting, but we do not learn a lot about her as the story is told from Therese's view point. Therese has this irritating habit of never questioning Carol about anything of importance.
Overall I thought the story dull and the ending unconvincing. I can see where The Price of Salt would be well suited to be adapted into a film as the story reads very much like a play. And it's easy to imagine Cate Blanchette in the role of Carol. But, I am not keen on watching a romance between two women unfold on the screen, so this is a film I will take a pass on. As for the book, it was just meh.......
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LibraryThing member krizia_lazaro
It was an okay book. I love the premise of it, a love story that is different and unexpected. Everybody was against it, their love was despised. I also love how the ending was open ended in a way. However, it was dragging and boring. The lead character, Terry, was also hard to understand, a bit
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immature and also impulsive. Carol was much harder to understand. She is a bit condescending and know-it-all. Abby is weird. Show Less
Subjects
Language
Original publication date
1952
Physical description
276 p.; 22 cm
ISBN
0930044495 / 9780930044497
Local notes
fiction