Bookworm: Concise and well written book reviews so you can decide what to read next.
"Carol (The Price Of Salt)" by Patricia Highsmith
Review by Natalie Masse, 13th July 2009 . Tags: adventure, fiction, lesbian, love, New York City, relationships, solitude
I read the whole book in two days, and it’s not because it’s a short book. Patricia Highsmith is famous for writing crime novels and you can feel her control of the pace and the reader's heartbeat in this lesbian tale.
The story is about falling in love with others, in love with oneself, and in and out of love with the world. It explores the place of lesbianism in New York in the 1950s, a tale of both hope and tragedy. It’s about self discovery, the fight between the inner and the outer world.
With elements of suspense, this is a cross between a pulp romance and a literary novel about the human existence. Kind of like Paul Auster meeting Ann Bannon. While the style of the writing is quite typical of the pulp fiction movement, the content offers food for thought.
The melange might seem obnoxious but it isn’t - it works, it grips you, you have to know what happens to Carol.
There is also a lot of humour, albeit somewhat dark, and Therese, the narrator, offers a candid view of New York.
This is a classic. Absolutely recommended.
Link to this post: http://www.cogitas.net/bookworm/search.php?p=9
"Either Side Of Winter" by Benjamin Markovits
Review by Natalie Masse, 2nd July 2009 . Tags: fiction, love, New York City, relationships, solitude
I normally don't like long descriptive paragraphs so much but Benjamin pulls them off in a sublime manner.
His eye for detail turns this novel into a film and this is very exciting. Not only is he good with physical descriptions, but also with inner thoughts.
I recommend this book to those readers who enjoy getting into the head of mature characters, and/or who have a fascination with New York City like I have.
Link to this post: http://www.cogitas.net/bookworm/search.php?p=6