Reviews

Carol by Patricia Highsmith

rowyncm's review against another edition

medium-paced

3.75

ousinari's review against another edition

4.0

хотіла поставити 3 за шаблонний нарцистичний сюжет, але кінцівка дала мені ляпаса.

в книзі дуже цікаво переживається час, відчуття наче пройшов як мінімум рік, чи багато, а там лише три тижні. але віриться, бо краш темпорально відчувається саме так

hales92's review against another edition

3.0

I read most of this book but I just couldn't finish it. I was trying to stick with it as much as I could.

patty1989's review against another edition

slow-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? No

2.0

rawleyloftus's review against another edition

adventurous informative mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

alisonwhitam's review against another edition

Too slow paced ran out of time on my library loan might try again later 

antoniag's review against another edition

adventurous reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.75

Incredibly well written, the characters feel so real that it was hard for me not to hate Carol (Therese also has her flaws but she’s so young that I could mostly look past them)

sarahscupofcoffee's review against another edition

3.0

I always feel awkward rating classics since I don't feel as though I can give an objective review without making it a homework assignment (although, in this case it will be since it's required reading for my master's). If I were to rate and review this simply as a reader, as I do other books, I would give this a mid-rating. I didn't hate it, but it wasn't great. I didn't feel connected to anyone and the characters seemed pretty one-dimensional to me, although I did like how it ended.

Most modern romances end with flowers and frills, but this one ended in a simple and curt way. The situation was complicated and out of both of their control, which broke my heart. I loved how the ending brought everything together and both characters learned lessons. There were redeeming qualities, but I was also bored to tears throughout most of it.

The one thing that really got under my skin was

Spoiler

how much of a controlling asshole Carol could be. She's supposed to be our love interest to look up to, but she talked down to Therese all the time and demanded that she play piano when she really didn't want to. Therese never stood up to her, which is part of her character arc. It's difficult to stand up to someone when you're used to saying "yes." Carol exploited that for a good while and I hated it.

However, I did like how

Spoiler

Therese tried to move on at the end. She stood her ground and refused to see Carol, which I didn't think was completely warranted. You can't blame Carol for wanting to see her daughter and making any kind of choice in order to make that happen -- especially considering this was written in the 1950s. The fact that Therese blamed her for choosing her daughter over their relationship was a little off-putting, but I'm glad that she tried to move on and that the ending was sweet. She decided to blow off an actress that she had similar feelings for to ambush Carol at a restaurant. It's an early grand gesture that wasn't super cheesy.

Overall, if you're looking for a book written in the 1950s with a lesbian romance, this one may be for you.

emath98's review against another edition

challenging emotional tense medium-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? It's complicated

3.25

The first book that really made me think in a while. Definitely tough to get into at first, the writing style from the 50s and 60s usually disorients me for a while. I found both Therese and Carol frustrating at various times, but I think that’s kind of the point, that they are complex human beings -

Therese especially grows up, at least some, over the course of the book. She is 19 and Carol is in her 30s when they meet…of course Therese is going to be childish, she’s basically a child. Not sure why the author made such an intense age gap, and I don’t love it.

Still, a groundbreaking piece of US lesbian literature. 

seyda_neen's review against another edition

emotional hopeful tense medium-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

4.0