Sophie❤️
Sophie❤️ asked Cara Malone:

So did you get to read The Price of Salt? Thoughts on the ending? This was my book club pick last year, not surprisingly it got mixed reactions amongst my..... shall we say "conservative" book club ladies. The 1950s certainly had a different writing/feel, style amongst other things. I loved it. Would you have taken Carol back, I think i probably would have? Bonus, we got the movie....sigh.

Cara Malone I would have loved to book club this novel... I have so many thoughts and feelings about this book.

The style was definitely interesting - I was so confused by the nightmarish quality of the opening chapter in the department store, until I did a little digging into Highsmith's other works and discovered that this book is the exception rather than the rule when it comes to her genre and style preferences. I enjoyed the Kerouac-meets-Lovecraft vibe, but on the other hand I must confess I also found it tedious at times - I like the beat generation but I also sometimes wish they wouldn't meander as much as they do!

As for the story and the ending, again, mixed feelings. I can't discount the historical significance of a happy ending for Carol and Therese, but I also can't help thinking that their relationship is probably not going to be the most healthy thing in the world. Carol has so much on her plate throughout this story, and Therese is just discovering who she is. Neither of those point to a solid foundation on which to build a relationship, but I guess we can extrapolate out to a time when Carol's demons are slain and Therese is confident in her identity, and the two of them are happy together.

Thanks for asking, Sophie :)

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