Patricia Highsmith

W. W. Norton

Trapped in a boring, dead-end day job in a department store, stage designer Therese Belivet finds her life forever changed when she encounters--and falls in love with--Carol Aird, an alluring suburban housewife in the midst of a divorce, as they set out on a cross-country odyssey, pursued by a private investigator who forces Carol into choosing between her daughter and her lover. Reprint. 13,000 first printing.

The Price of Salt, Or Carol

ayoni

Therese smiled because the gesture was Carol, and it was Carol she loved and would always love. Oh, in a different way now, because she was a different person, and it was like meeting Carol all over again, but it was still Carol and no one else. It would be Carol, in a thousand cities, a thousand houses, in foreign lands where they would go together, in heaven and in hell.

Inspiré d'une histoire vraie, Carol est le récit d'une obsession. Dès le premier regard, Therese est subjuguée par Carol, une blonde fascinante en manteau de fourrure qui vient d'entrer telle une apparition dans le grand magasin où elle travaille. Débute alors une relation particulière entre ces deux femmes qu'en apparence tout oppose. Therese fréquente un garçon sans ambition ; Carol traverse un divorce difficile. Elles vont pourtant connaître une passion interdite agitée de chassés-croisés, bouleversante et contrariée. Ce roman, refusé à l'origine par son éditeur américain et paru pour la première fois en France sous le titre Les Eaux dérobées signé du pseudonyme de Claire Morgan, fut le deuxième qu'écrivit Patricia Highsmith, juste après L'Inconnu du Nord-Express. Sa réédition permet de redécouvrir l'un des romans les plus marquants du XXe siècle, injustement méconnu. Si le sujet ne fait aujourd'hui plus scandale, Carol conserve son odeur sulfureuse et figure parmi les ouvres cultes de la littérature lesbienne. Patricia Highsmith y dévoile avec force et sensibilité un amour qui revendique sa liberté dans l'Amérique des années 50.

roman

Carol

Panna M

God, I see what you have done for others.. 

petrina

"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?" 

Rebecca Bream

you know that feeling when you ride a rollercoaster, it feels good, but then a loop comes in and it's endless so you feel scared, thrilled, happy, breathless, the adrenaline rushing inside you, and suddenly on the verge of throwing up? this is exactly what i felt reading this. the prose is beautiful i can die on this hill. a love between two women that will make your heart jump out of your chest, makes you feel alive. 

** spoiler alert **
           i didn’t expect therese going back to carol at the end, also when they met again in the bar i almost cried I love these two sm

lili🎐

Como describir este libro,,,leedlo es de lo mejor que he leído en mucho tiempo. Esta TAN bien escrito, todo explicado con tanta delicadeza y sensibilidad uf

Bailee Strong

Aleah Dew

Angel Hammon

“January. It was all things. And it was one thing, like a solid door. Its cold sealed the city in a gray capsule. January was moments, and January was a year.”

I have thoughts about this book and really it’s the tiny things that put me off and i wanted to LOVE this book so badly- just as much as i loved the film but nope. I don’t particularly like the comments from Carol and Richard alike, calling Therese a little girl. Just bleh, i appreciate the Abby content and the ending or the last couple of chapters were particularly good but really that’s all 

Aims

“January. It was all things. And it was one thing, like a solid door. Its cold sealed the city in a gray capsule. January was moments, and January was a year.”

I have thoughts about this book and really it’s the tiny things that put me off and i wanted to LOVE this book so badly- just as much as i loved the film but nope. I don’t particularly like the comments from Carol and Richard alike, calling Therese a little girl. Just bleh, i appreciate the Abby content and the ending or the last couple of chapters were particularly good but really that’s all 

Siya S

3.5 stars, round down to 3 (liked it, but not sure if I'd read this again) 

This was a slow-burn kind of story, which I don't normally enjoy. But I set 1.25x speed for my (amazingly narrated) audiobook, and it did work magic because the story wasn't nearly as bad as I initially thought! (I mean, my friend strictly warned me about the *pacing*, so I kept that point in mind throughout). 



The problem, I found, was that I didn't think I like Therese and Carol very much. I mean, sure it was great that they were honest to themselves and worked for what they both wanted in their lives. Still, I found Therese very immature, a naive and idealistic one and that, with her head somewhere in the clouds at times. 

It got better around the end because by then I thought of myself at 21 and decided that yeah, well, we've all been through that cringy phase at some point in our lives. Also I really need to mention this because I can't-- I mean, she tenaciously obsessed over Carol so much she saw a painting moving in a library!?! Where was she at? Hogwarts? 



And Carol, the titular heroine Carol.....I don't know how to feel about her. She was a lot older than Therese, so perhaps that's why she imposed her authority over Therese a lot And...let's address an elephant in the room while we're at it: she chose her female lover over her child...? What possibly did Rindi do to deserve this? Anyone?



(I know, I know , and I'm not saying that just because Carol's a woman - I would ask the same question for men who chose themselves over their kids as well. I mean, then what's the point of bringing children into the world just to abandon them the minute inconvenience arises? But it's the 1950s, so having kids is also a mixture of social expectation and peer pressure, I suppose) But I digress...

All in all, I liked the ending more than I thought I would. It's a bit of a cliche now, but this must have been something big back in the days when LGBTQ+ characters in the media rarely have a happy ending of their own. Terrible for Rindi, sure, but cheers to Carol and Therese, I guess. 



10/10 will rewatch the movie.

Renee

This was the first lesbian romance story I read. And where I prefer reading a story before watching its movie version, for this story, I like the movie version, Carol, better. The movie is more realistic, emotional and it sizzles. The book version was bland. I'm sure from a professional perspective the writing is great, but after reading it, I didn't come away with a "this ranks among the classics of the F/F romance genre" feel. For now, I'll keep reading other reviews in hopes I missed something and give this story another go.

Therese first glimpses Carol in the New York department store where she is working as a sales assistant. Carol is choosing a present for her daughter; she looks preoccupied, exuding an aura of elegance as perfect as a secret. Standing there at the counter, Therese suddenly feels wholly innocent - wholly unprepared for the first shock of love. Therese was nineteen, and loved by a young man she cared about, but could not desire. Carol was a sophisticated married woman. Now Therese seemed to have no other purpose to her life other than their meeting? First published under a pseudonym in 1952, Carol is a love story told with compelling wit and eroticism, and consummate tenderness.

Arianna M

Gorgeous, enchanting prose. I loved living inside Therese's headspace for a while. I feel very happy I've read this book, it was very well written. At times, some paragraphs which described the particular way Therese saw the world felt like they were reaching out to me and touched me – that longed-for sensation, I believe, every reader seeks out.
I am also quite happy I've read this book at this time of the year, which largely coincides with the span of time the book covers. All in all, extremely enjoyable and quite beautiful.

Die Geschichte von Carol Aird – einer verheirateten, gesellschaftlich gutgestellten, reifen Frau und Mutter – und der neunzehnjährigen Therese Belivet, die verlobt ist, Bühnenbildnerin werden möchte und als Teilzeitverkäuferin arbeitet. Während Therese vom ersten Augenblick an von Carol fasziniert ist, hat Carol zuerst noch Skrupel, sich mit einer Frau einzulassen. Als sie sich schließlich für Therese entscheidet, sieht sie sich vom Verlust ihres Kindes, ihres Zuhauses und ihrer finanziellen Versorgung bedroht. Nie wieder schrieb Patricia Highsmith, die den Roman unter dem Eindruck einer persönlichen Begegnung begann, so sinnlich, so poetisch, so erotisch.

oder Salz und sein Preis

Pavonini

Touching. Dreamlike. I loved a lot about this, especially the atmosphere and dialogue. She so beautifully evokes certain feelings of being in love. I assume, but wouldn't know, that her descriptions of the fear in closeted relationships are also accurate, given that she knew that fear so well.

I actually saw the film before reading the book, and it didn't grab me. I feel like it makes a lot more sense after reading the book, as I understand Therese better and the cryptic facial expressions Mara used.

This was great, and I'd recommend it and the film (though book first).

The Price of Salt

** read for my queer lit class

some really beautiful lines and was pretty decent overall

While I feel like Carol’s character is a bit warmer in the film, I still enjoyed reading where the motivation originated from. Therese’s character isn’t incredibly strong IMO but her strong will to just figure things out however she wants makes up for it. The ending is a bit more open here but still warming. So glad to have finally read this one!

** spoiler alert **
           I love all of the Highsmith I've read and this is no exception. This one is less of a straightforward mystery and instead is a slowly building story of a young woman falling in love with an older woman she meets. There is intrigue and obsession but it's a great character study of one young woman figuring out who she is. Also, a pretty happy ending for a 1950s lesbian love story? Love.

Madison Aumua

Honestly I was so touched by this work. I had wanted to read it for so long but was preparing myself to find it daunting and outdated but found the complete opposite. I was so touched and heart broken reading it. It’s beautiful. And raw. And a perfect ode to queer love and longing. So a beautiful read! 

Alexa Jade

Actual rating: 4.5

I went into this with high expectations because the movie was out and was getting rave reviews and it did not disappoint!!! It took me about 50 pages to get into the read but once I did I did not want to put the book down. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and it was an easy plot to breeze through and enjoy.

Katharina Hoffmann

I am on a quest and that quest is: trying to read as many books that were turned into films as possible.

Carol is one of them. If you are a film buff, a cinéphile, whatever you like to call yourself: if you are into films, you KNOW that Carol (2015) is a masterpiece. It is so brilliant. It’s A-class. I loved it and Cate Blanchett is the perfect (I mean it), the perfect Carol. It feels like the character was written for her.



However, I have only recently discovered that the film is based on a book! And not just any book but the first book about a lesbian couple getting a happy ending! Can you imagine? To quote Highsmith: “Prior to this book, homosexuals male and female in American novels had had to pay for their deviation by cutting their wrists, drowning themselves in a swimming pool, or by switching to heterosexuality (so it was stated), or by collapsing—alone and miserable and shunned—into a depression equal to hell.” In a way, this book was – and still is – ground-breaking and is to this day a very important book in the LGBT+ literary canon.

The story seems simple and yet impossibly far away from the lived reality of lesbians in the 1950s. Therese is a 19-year-old working in a convenience store during Christmas. It is there where she meets Carol who is married to a man and mother to a young girl. Therese instantly falls in love with her. She can do nothing but think about Carol, Carol, Carol. The two get to know each other, become friends, become something more and decide to leave New York behind them and go West on a road trip. But even though Carol and her husband are filing for divorce, she is still married, she still has a child and if there is one thing society hates more than a woman being in love with another woman, it’s a woman of high social status leaving her husband and child for another woman.

In my updates, I had already stated just how tense the book’s mood is. It is like smog; it feels like wading through mud and murky waters. The story is told in the third-person narrative, but the narrator is not omnipotent. We see the world through Therese's eyes and notice just how much she changes upon meeting Carol.

Therese’s world is turned upside down. She is helplessly in love with Carol and that helplessness and naivete with which she would follow Carol everywhere (and does), was completely astounding and bewildering to me (granted, I’m aromantic so naturally I wouldn’t be able to relate to Therese). Suddenly, she begins to plan her whole life around this woman she doesn’t know, and she does it gladly and willingly.
But because of who the characters are and because of their circumstances, this is not a love story that I would describe as swoon-worthy or romantic. It is complicated. Both characters are incredibly selfish at times, they are obsessed with material things, they have long periods where they do not talk with each other. All these aspects create an atmosphere that is tension-laden (and I’m not talking about erotic tension), at times claustrophobic, and riddled with anxiety.

Rather than calling it a love story, I would call Carol (or The Price of Salt as it was originally called) a character study. This study is not always pleasant and if you have never read a Highsmith before, you will need to get comfortable with her writing style but I do think it’s worth it if only to say: “I have read the book!”

Last but not least, I added this book to my “the adaptation was better” shelf and I don’t regret it one bit.

Amalia

i think it was one of my first queer books and let me tell yall i enjoyed it so much its crazy!! 

»Med driv som en thriller fast med ett romantiskt bildspråk. Omöjlig att lägga ifrån sig. Kräver att bli läst långt inpå natten med brinnande ögon och rusande hjärta.« VAL McDERMID Therese Belivet, 19, drömmer om att bli scenograf och jobbar extra över julen i en leksaksaffär. En dag expedierar hon en elegant kvinna. Tillsammans hittar de en julklapp åt kvinnans dotter. Therese får en adress för paketleverans; kvinnans namn är Carol Aird. Therese får impulsen att skicka Carol ett julkort. Det blir början på en passionerad kärleksaffär – men som också gör att Carol riskerar förlora vårdnaden av sin dotter. Maken har hyrt en privatdetektiv som förföljer kvinnorna och buggar dem. Patricia Highsmith publicerade Carol 1952 med titeln The Price of Salt och bakom pseudonymen Claire Morgan. Förlagets beskrivning på omslaget löd: »Romanen om en kärlek samhället förbjuder«. Fyrtio år senare trycks romanen igen, med titeln Carol och i Patricia Highsmiths eget namn. I svensk översättning av Karin Lindeqvist och med ett efterord av författaren. PATRICIA HIGHSMITH [1921–1995], född Mary Patricia Plangman, i Fort Worth, Texas, är en av amerikansk litteraturs stora roman- och novellförfattare. Högst värderade är hennes första två böcker: debutromanen Främlingar på ett tåg [Strangers on a Train, 1950] och den lesbiska kärleksromanen Carol [1952]. 2015 hade storfilmen Carol premiär i Cannes, regisserad av Todd Haynes och med Cate Blanchett i rollen som Carol och Rooney Mara som Therese. »En perfekt dokumentation av utsatt kärlek.« THE INDEPENDENT »Ömt utforskande, genuint rörande.« MAIL ON SUNDAY »Originell, uppriktig, enastående.« FINANCIAL TIMES

Emir Andrés Ibañez

Therese conoce a Carol cuando la atiende en el centro comercial que trabaja y a partir de allí se forjará una amistad que irá escalando hasta convertirse en algo más.
La historia como un todo me gustó. El desarrollo de los personajes y el contexto en el que viven te sumerge de lleno. Me gusta todo lo que representó en su momento y el impacto que tuvo. Sin embargo lo sentí demasiado lento y descriptivo. Siento que ese estilo a la autora le re sirve para sus novelas policiales, pero acá francamente hubo partes en que me super enganchaba y luego pasaba a aburrirme completamente. Es una novela para leerla con mucha paciencia.

OR Carol

Anna V

Kind of slow paced, but extremely advanced for its time. Amazing how it shows lesbian women as normal for the time it was published in.
Like I said, sloooow but definitely worth a read.

Therese is just an ordinary sales assistant working in a New York department store when a beautiful, alluring woman in her thirties walks up to her counter. Standing there, Therese is wholly unprepared for the first shock of love. Therese is an awkward nineteen-year-old with a job she hates and a boyfriend she doesn't love; Carol is a sophisticated, bored suburban housewife in the throes of a divorce and a custody battle for her only daughter. As Therese becomes irresistibly drawn into Carol's world, she soon realizes how much they both stand to lose...First published pseudonymously in 1952 as The Price of Salt, Carol is a hauntingly atmospheric love story set against the backdrop of fifties' New York.

Ethel

Very interesting book

Key words: historical fiction, romance, classics, lesbian

Carol, or The price of Salt, is a classic in my opinion and I really enjoyed reading it. It is quite slow-paced as we see the love between Therese and Carol blossom, but sometimes it was too much and I skipped a few sentences. They, of course, encounter obstacles, but I didn’t feel like it made the book more intense or anything. I found it a bit difficult to picture the story in the fifities as I have never experienced it but it was really interesting. The characters are quite complex and I enjoy escaping with them. I loved the relationship they had.

I recommend this book to people looking for a slow-paced classic and some romance.

3.5/5

The Price of Salt, Or Carol

Reviews

Highlights