BOOKISH FRIDAY: “THE PRICE OF SALT”

On By Laurel-Rain SnowIn Bookish Friday

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Welcome to another Bookish Friday, in which I  share excerpts from books…and connect with other bloggers, who do the same.

Let’s begin the celebration by sharing Book Beginnings, hosted by Rose City Reader; and let’s showcase The Friday 56 with Freda’s Voice.

To join in, just grab a book and share the opening lines…along with any thoughts you wish to give us; then turn to page 56 and excerpt anything on the page.

Then give us the title of the book, so others can add it to their lists!

What better way to spend a Friday!

Today’s feature is from an author that is new to me, Patricia Highsmith, whose book The Price of Salt OR Carol was a movie I saw over the holidays.

 

 

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Beginning:  The lunch hour in the coworkers’ cafeteria at Frankenberg’s had reached its peak.

There was no room left at any of the long tables, and more and more people were arriving to wait back of the wooden barricades by the cash register.  People who had already got their trays of food wandered about between the tables in search of a spot they could squeeze into, or a place that somebody was about to leave, but there was no place.

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56:  Carol stood up, and slapped something twice in her palm, as she had slapped the gloves in her palm in the store.  The telephone screamed again, and Therese was sure Carol was going to throw whatever it was she held in her hand, throw it across the room against the wall.  But Carol only turned and laid the thing down quietly, and left the room.

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Blurb:  A chance encounter between two lonely women leads to a passionate romance in this lesbian cult classic. Therese, a struggling young sales clerk, and Carol, a homemaker in the midst of a bitter divorce, abandon their oppressive daily routines for the freedom of the open road, where their love can blossom. But their newly discovered bliss is shattered when Carol is forced to choose between her child and her lover.
Author Patricia Highsmith is best known for her psychological thrillers Strangers on a Train and The Talented Mr. Ripley. Originally published in 1952 under a pseudonym, The Price of Salt was heralded as “the novel of a love society forbids.” Highsmith’s sensitive treatment of fully realized characters who defy stereotypes about homosexuality marks a departure from previous lesbian pulp fiction. Erotic, eloquent, and suspenseful, this story offers an honest look at the necessity of being true to one’s nature. The book is also the basis of the acclaimed 2015 film Carol, starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara.

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What do you think?  Would you keep reading?  Come on by and share…

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42 thoughts on “BOOKISH FRIDAY: “THE PRICE OF SALT””

    1. Thanks, Sandra, and I agree…the 1950s were very staid and conventional times, which is how the 60s could shake things up so much…LOL. I am looking forward to this book, as I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. Enjoy your book!

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  7. Oh, I have been dying to see this movie, and you’ve only just reminded me that there’s a book. (Although, I must say the title of the book is much more interesting than the title of the movie!) As a lesbian, I am always so grateful when an author covers a same-sex couple with the same kind of consideration (s)he would give a heterosexual one and the book actually makes it to a larger audience. I understand Highsmith was quite ahead of her time.

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      1. Sorry, my toddler and a cold have kept me extra busy this week, but I must say- I am so grateful to be growing up today instead of the 1950’s for that reason (even, though, they did not have jeggings or, as far as I can tell, skinny jeans back then, and those are two things I could definitely do without). I am turning 34 tomorrow, and even in my twenties, I thought it was unlikely that I would be able to marry my now-wife anytime before, I guess, we turned 80… and by then would desperately need the hospital visitation and inheritance rights to be sorted! I’m fairly certain that I would have come out of the more rigid times bitter and lonely, and bitter, lonely people really aren’t usually a force for good in the world!

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      2. Thanks for stopping by, Brooke…and I am glad that the times are changing (again!), and that you are enjoying the life you want to live.

        I hope your toddler is feeling better! Nothing worse than a sick child….

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  12. Is it bad that I was more sold on hearing Rooney Mara? I definitely like to check the books out before seeing them so perhaps I’ll add this to my TBR. It sounds very descriptive and this is probably one of the first books I’m hearing about with a female same sex couple!

    Have a great weekend!

    My Friday —> AND I DARKEN

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  17. I’m just about to read The Talented Mr. Ripley for Book Club, which will be the first of her books I’ve read. If I become a fan, I imagine I’ll read this one someday because I get compulsive that way. 🙂

    Thanks for participating in BBOF!

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  18. kgriffin3227

    I’ve never heard of this book before, but now I want to read it. I’ve also wanted to read Strangers on a Train and The Talented Mr. Ripley, but haven’t gotten to them, though they’ve been on my TBR shelf forever. Maybe I need to have a Patricia Highsmith reading marathon, lol. I wonder if my library has this or if it was too contraversial for them? This must have really raised some eyebrows when it was published! Thanks for sharing, and also for visiting my blog! Hope you’re enjoying your weekend! Happy reading!

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