Reviews with content warning for Stalking - The Price of Salt

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The Price of Salt by Claire Morgan, Patricia Highsmith

15 reviews

kadoatie's review against another edition

4.0

a beautiful book about first real love + the endurance of it through change. patricia highsmith was a terrible racist but this book is solid + very tenderly written

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elwirax's review against another edition

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reflective slow-paced

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

3.0

The Price of Salt is a rare mid-20th-century example of a lesbian relationship not entirely doomed, instead offering a hopeful ending. While somewhat outdated, much of the shame, expectations, and uncertainty experienced by Therese and Carol still resonate with modern readers.

The novel successfully presents the complexities and flaws of its main characters: Carol, a strong and autonomous woman dealing with divorce and maintaining custody of her daughter, and Therese, a young woman trying to find her place in the world.

Nevertheless, none of these characters were particularly likable. Carol's relationship with motherhood was complicated. While her actions can be viewed as an empowering rejection of the notion that women must prioritise motherhood, they can also be seen as neglectful, as she risks losing custody of her daughter over a relationship that lacks true substance. She was cold, and her narrative was often stunted.

Therese, for much of the novel, is very passive and relies on Carol for guidance. This dynamic emphasises the considerable age gap between them, with Therese being 19 and Carol in her early 30s. Though we get to see Therese's independence explored toward the end of the novel, it is brief.

I cannot help but view their relationship as teenage infatuation rather than a true romance. However, much of this lack of genuine connection can be attributed to the time period in which it was written.

I found the middle part of the novel, particularly the road trip, to be meandering but necessary for Therese's character growth. The writing was, at times, very poignant, and I enjoyed Highsmith's descriptions of seemingly unimportant details, which grounded the story.

Overall, the book was enjoyable enough and deserving of merit as an early classic in lesbian literature. Dare I say, though, that the movie was slightly better?

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aldouslowell's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-paced

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

4.75

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hanhantap's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-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

5.0

Finishing this beautiful novel as my 100th book of the year while listening to boygenius on shuffle...my mental health may never recover from this.

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katndrsn's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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priceofsalt's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful reflective relaxing tense slow-paced

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

5.0

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serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

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

3.75

Therese is 19, an aspiring set designer working as a sales assistant in the toy department of a New York store in the lead up to Christmas, and is in a relationship with Richard, although she does not love him the way he seems to love her. Carol is in her thirties, and in the throes of a divorce and a custody battle. When they meet Therese is instantly smitten. I often struggle with instalove and this was no exception. It definitely took me a while to settle into the book since I struggled to see what each woman saw in the other. I was being told, rather than shown it and it took me a long time to feel and believe. I think some of this may have been down to the writing style of the time, since this novel was first published in 1952. Additionally both women were at crossroads in their lives, not entirely sure what they wanted. As a result they seemed to run hot and cold - and in opposite patterns. They couldn’t settle and neither could I as a reader. I love a good road trip so that aspect of the book appealed. It seemed to be when, removed from the pressures of their everyday lives, their relationship came alive and felt believable. The eye opening lengths Carol’s estranged husband was willing and able to go irked the heck out of me, as did his ability to use her sexuality to deny her access to their daughter. Obviously this is an accurate portrayal of the period this was written. I appreciated the way Highsmith gave Therese and Carol a mostly happy ending. Apparently this was one of the first novels to offer that for a lesbian couple, with most authors opting to have their lesbian characters go mad or suffer in some ways for their sexuality. While the writing style wasn’t always to my taste I can fully appreciate this novel and the role it played in the evolution of lesbian literature.

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