The Price of Salt, or Carol

This is my favorite piece of f/f literature. Knowing that this book changed the trajectory of lesbian pulp only makes it that much better. I read this every single year during December and it never gets old.

I first saw the movie Carol, which intrigued me about Patricia Highsmith. I loved the movie and the book. I think that the words of her genuine love story was delicately transferred to a movie script by Phyllis Nagy. The 50's came to life on the page and screen in an authentic way. Carol goes into my collection as one of my favorite reads.

The Price of Salt changed my life. I used to drive an ice cream truck in Long Beach CA and would stop by the pier at a used book store to search the racks of pulp fiction for anything that had a modicum of same sex content. 21 years old, knowing that I wanted to meet others of my kind, and the only literature I knew was Well of Lonliness, prison studies and pulp that either had the butch lesbian dying tragically or reformming into a femme. Among the bunch of poorly writen pulp I bought, was a gem written by Claire Morgan. No one dies and they end with the possibility of a long term relationship. It was the first sense of hope that I had as a young lesbian in the sixties. It saved my life. To anyone who is interested in GLB studies, this is a must read as it is a the first historical book with a positive ending.

Although this book was first published in the early 1950's the majority of issues that both Therese and Carol confront are still applicable today. Sure, times have changed and we all want to believe that within the past five decades we, as a society, have become more enlightened about homosexuality but unfortunately there is still more room for improvement."The Price of Salt" is a moving story about the developing love between Therese and Carol that heightens during a road trip through America. What I was impressed with most was how the author paid little attention to the love scenes and rather focused on the emotions and desires that they shared with each other. Let's face it, most lesbian love scenes in books are less than fulfilling or satisfying and frequently are better left off the manuscript entirely. Also, there was no mention of the word "lesbian" throughout the entire book which is probably accountable to the time period it was written but nonetheless notable and admirable. Overall, this book is a good read and I would recommend it to others.

I picked up the British edition of The Price of Salt (it's titled 'Carol' over here) purely on the strength of Patricia Highsmith's reputation; I hadn't bothered to read the back cover to see that was a (gasp!) story of lesbians. Having purchased the book I decided to read it despite my ambivalence to the subject matter. Well, I feel delighted to have read such a compact, moving story of human emotion. The Price of Salt, while greatly different from her other works, is perhaps Patricia Highsmith's best achievement. It certainly is her most personal and emotional.The Price of Salt is a story of a young woman, Therese, who is captivated at first sight by Carol, an older married woman. Not having realised any lesbian feelings before, Therese is completely stunned by this sudden rush of emotion. Happily, both women do 'connect' and develop a relationship. Unhappily, Carol exacts a very heavy personal price (..no spoilers here) for pursuing this lesbian relationship. While the unhappy (ie, due to homophobia) element of The Price of Salt is perhaps somewhat unlikely to happen today (the book was written in the early 1950s), one can only feel compassion for Carol and Therese.Highsmith stresses the emotional elements of the relationship, not the sexual elements. So if filmed The Price of Salt would be rated PG. This should make the book appealing to a wider (straight and/or male) audience. It could serve as an excellent primer on homosexual relationships for parents/friends of gays who "don't quite get it". However young gays, especially lesbians, might find the lack of sexual references to be off-putting. That is, it might make the book seem watered-down or unrealistic (remember the film 'Philidelphia' where we only see gay men kissing?). But one must remember if Highsmith had chosen to make The Price of Salt a bit racier the book would not have been published.Bottom line: kudos to Ms. Highsmith. And gentlemen, give this book a chance .. ok?

Controversial when released, this book is a classic which I read over and over. Therese and Claire live in my heart and I think of them often. Set in N.Y., I love the descriptions of life in the Big Apple during the 50's. Although the book starts off a bit slow, it's worth the wait as things start to roll along nicely. If you relate to the tug-o-war between the draws of marriage, and knowning it's just not right for you, you'll find Therese to be your new hero as she follows her dreams.

I discovered this book, and my own sexuality, in the late "50's." Through the years it has been the one title and story that I have always remembered. Now, I've a new copy and reading it again has brought back all the memories of the first time I read it. A beautiful story with a beautiful ending... I only wish Highsmith had writen a sequel with Carol and Therese.