Very subtle
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This is probably the best "lesbian" novel I've read. It's the type of book that works best on the second reading (and that's not a criticism). Patricia Highsmith's writing style is quite unusual in that she describes seemingly irrelevant or insignificant conversations/incidents in a very naturalistic way and the reader is required to read between the lines to properly understand the evolution of Therese and Carol's relationship. Personally, I think this works very well and the tension between the characters is mesmerising.
The characters themselves are also very intriguing, especially the beautiful, enigmatic Carol Aird, although you will probably feel like slapping Therese at a number of points during the book.
It should also be noted that this was a pretty ground-breaking book when it was published in 1951 since it has a very progressive attitude to sex and sexuality and, unusually, actually has a happy ending!
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Timeless love story blooms in 1950s America.
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Fall in love with Therese, the 19-year-old set designer, and, through her eyes, with Carol, the older married socialite and mother. As much a tale of coming of age, as coming out, almost as much a portrait of 50s New York and the American road, as a love story, the novel begs to be filmed. But then Highsmith's teasing and romancing of her reader would give way to something less subtle. Why can't we have both?
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A bit of a dissapointment
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The premise of the story seemed interesting, but it was written in a way that reminded me of books required for my high school Lit classes. So if you liked your Lit class books, you might like this one, especially since there seems to be an abundance of imagery in it.
The characters didn't seem to have much personality and the conversations were rather dull. I like getting into the heads of the characters, reading about what they're thinking and what makes them tick. After reading about 1/4 of the book I started skipping around to find more interesting character interaction - I didn't find many.
If you keep in mind that this book was written decades ago, you'll find that it's a groundbreaking book. My aversion to "classic literature" may have tainted my experience, so keep this in mind when deciding whether or not you want to read it. It wasn't bad, I was just dissapointed, that's all.
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United States | 
United Kingdom | 
Canada