A review by serendipitysbooks
Carol by Patricia Highsmith, Claire Morgan

emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

 Therese is 19, an aspiring set designer working as a sales assistant in the toy department of a New York store in the lead up to Christmas, and is in a relationship with Richard, although she does not love him the way he seems to love her. Carol is in her thirties, and in the throes of a divorce and a custody battle. When they meet Therese is instantly smitten. I often struggle with instalove and this was no exception. It definitely took me a while to settle into the book since I struggled to see what each woman saw in the other. I was being told, rather than shown it and it took me a long time to feel and believe. I think some of this may have been down to the writing style of the time, since this novel was first published in 1952. Additionally both women were at crossroads in their lives, not entirely sure what they wanted. As a result they seemed to run hot and cold - and in opposite patterns. They couldn’t settle and neither could I as a reader. I love a good road trip so that aspect of the book appealed. It seemed to be when, removed from the pressures of their everyday lives, their relationship came alive and felt believable. The eye opening lengths Carol’s estranged husband was willing and able to go irked the heck out of me, as did his ability to use her sexuality to deny her access to their daughter. Obviously this is an accurate portrayal of the period this was written. I appreciated the way Highsmith gave Therese and Carol a mostly happy ending. Apparently this was one of the first novels to offer that for a lesbian couple, with most authors opting to have their lesbian characters go mad or suffer in some ways for their sexuality. While the writing style wasn’t always to my taste I can fully appreciate this novel and the role it played in the evolution of lesbian literature. 
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