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jimio's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Unnervingly prescient for something published in 1940. Carson McCullers was only 23 years old when she wrote this and it’s filled with a tender wisdom that recalls those other great writers of so-called gothic fiction – fans of William Faulkner, Flannery O’Connor, or Cormac McCarthy should read this if they haven’t already.
Stirring up themes that still linger today – BLM, the 1%, fascism in the US, and even the fluidity of gender – this is a powerful book of muscular prose that deserves a modern audience.
Stirring up themes that still linger today – BLM, the 1%, fascism in the US, and even the fluidity of gender – this is a powerful book of muscular prose that deserves a modern audience.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Gun violence, Racial slurs, and Murder
Moderate: Body horror, Suicide, Torture, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Body shaming and Child abuse
spooky_coochie's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Suicide, and Police brutality
Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Racial slurs, Violence, Grief, and Classism
dustghosts's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
- There is a lot of period-standard racism, ableism, and antisemitism throughout the novel that can be difficult at times, and I think modern readers should prepare themselves for that. While capturing wider attitudes and tensions about these and other social issues, I think there’s a sense of empathy and human understanding that pervades McCullers’ writing despite— and, actively despite— wider society’s lack thereof (both within the book and without). I read Native Son just before this and was surprised how many ideas and sentiments echoed and mirrored throughout the two books, and I think the whole thing is a feat considering not only the time period but also McCullers’ age at the time of writing. Still, ymmv.
The structure: a series of vignettes, each from a different main character, and repeated in parts, is really interesting and admirable from a writing point of view. The loneliness that sets each of these characters apart also strings them together in a way that’s hopeful, strange, sorrowful, frustrating. The selfishness of that loneliness, and the way that it prevents each of the characters from recognizing it in each other, I found heartbreaking at times. Very accessible writing, even today, and again— the empathy and real feeling imbued into each character shines.
I had to take long breaks in-between reads, here, but I think that’s more to do with seasonal garbáge than anything. It weighs heavy to read a book where the characters’ troubles and gripes still reverberate today, and especially when you’re so close to each of these characters. A theme of futility vs optimism (“what is it all for?”) plagues character and reader alike. I think I’ll be thinking about this one for a long time, and I wish I had more folks to talk about it with!!!
The structure: a series of vignettes, each from a different main character, and repeated in parts, is really interesting and admirable from a writing point of view. The loneliness that sets each of these characters apart also strings them together in a way that’s hopeful, strange, sorrowful, frustrating. The selfishness of that loneliness, and the way that it prevents each of the characters from recognizing it in each other, I found heartbreaking at times. Very accessible writing, even today, and again— the empathy and real feeling imbued into each character shines.
I had to take long breaks in-between reads, here, but I think that’s more to do with seasonal garbáge than anything. It weighs heavy to read a book where the characters’ troubles and gripes still reverberate today, and especially when you’re so close to each of these characters. A theme of futility vs optimism (“what is it all for?”) plagues character and reader alike. I think I’ll be thinking about this one for a long time, and I wish I had more folks to talk about it with!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, and Antisemitism
Moderate: Alcoholism, Blood, Grief, and Classism
Minor: Violence and Vomit
crizzle's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Gun violence, Racism, Torture, Violence, Grief, and Alcohol
Moderate: Ableism, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Suicide, and Forced institutionalization
elphaba105's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
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
5.0
This is probably my favourite novel of all time. It follows four characters and the friendships they each form with a deaf man, Mister Singer. Each character feels alone and misunderstood in society for different reasons and believe that Singer is the only one who can understand them, despite the fact he is mute. Singer in turn loves dearly his friend Antonapoulos, the only person who he can communicate with in sign language, but is separated from him due to mental disability. Exploring grief, racism, the alienation caused by capitalism and disability, it’s a beautiful and heart-wrenching book. I’ve read it twice (so far) and think about it constantly. I’m not sure I will ever find a book that touches my heart in the same way that this does. It’s very character-driven and almost unrelentingly bleak the whole way through, which I love, but if you’re looking for a lot of plot or a happy ending, you won’t find it here.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Death, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, and Grief
Moderate: Suicide, Torture, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Gun violence and Sexual content
kendallrosenlof's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism and Racism
introsocial_'s review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Gun violence, and Suicide