A beautifully written memoir and reflection on loss and grief while at the same time finding and falling in love with a woman whom she eventually marrA beautifully written memoir and reflection on loss and grief while at the same time finding and falling in love with a woman whom she eventually marries.
I connected more to the first section on lost, which detailed the death of her much-loved father. My family is huge, close knit and aging. Frankly, the grief of losing loved ones is far more familiar to me than the kind of love that Kathryn Schutz portrays. Those experiences unique to mourning often resist language. Schutz so vividly described the sorrowful emotions of losing her dying father that even this reader missed him.
It is an elegant memoir…cerebral, with so many beautiful musings and allusions to history, philosophy, and poetry. The book was longlisted for 2022 National Book Awards for nonfiction....more
A wonderful memoir of an unfamiliar singer for me. The audio was exceptional with the artist as the narrator singing beautiful songs between most of tA wonderful memoir of an unfamiliar singer for me. The audio was exceptional with the artist as the narrator singing beautiful songs between most of the chapters. Brandi Carlile writes candidly about about her journey from a childhood with hardships and a major illness into the outstanding musician that she is today.
She faced public rejection as a Baptist in rural Washington when she came out as gay. She did reconcil her faith with her lifestyle and went on to marry and raise two children with lesbian partner. The included lyrics are gorgeous and reflect much of her personal story.
This memoir is a selection for our bookgroup study and I'm looking forward to the discussion....more
For very personal reasons, this was not an easy read for me. This memoir was powerful and thought-provoking. Finding a way to forgive or even try to uFor very personal reasons, this was not an easy read for me. This memoir was powerful and thought-provoking. Finding a way to forgive or even try to understand a pedophile is beyond my own comprehension. I’m uncertain that she reached any concrete conclusion even as I finished the story. ...more
Salt, as defined by Merriam-Webster: “…. an ingredient that gives savor, piquancy, or zest”….; or, as it relates to this story, the price (sacrifice) Salt, as defined by Merriam-Webster: “…. an ingredient that gives savor, piquancy, or zest”….; or, as it relates to this story, the price (sacrifice) these women paid to live their lives truthfully (hence, the book title, I’m guessing). I admired Highsmith’s nerve and honesty for tackling this lesbian love story in the time period when it was so obviously taboo.
Therese Belivet is a young and struggling set designer working in a department store when she meets and instantly becomes enamored with Carol Aird, a sophisticated and wealthy married woman. The meeting leads to a relationship that causes Therese to mature as well as some foreseeable repercussions for the married mother, Carol.
Therese’s growth and transformations are subtle and nuanced. Initially, she is very naive, vulnerable and almost obsessively smitten with the older Carol. She later matures into a confident young woman with a sympathetic grasp of who Carol is and what she may be going through. The author captures the ecstasy (and agony) of an intense new love beautifully. It’s a thoughtful character study and erotic in a romantic sense rather than with explicit sex.
Lesbian literature is often suggested for my book group; and, even though there have been more than a few excellent choices (such as those written by Sarah Waters) many have been sub-par (pulp-like) fiction. It was enjoyable to read a novel where lesbian characters are so well-written with powerful descriptions of an intense new love that rings emotionally true.
The film adaptation is called "Carol" and coming soon to my theatre. I can’t wait! ...more
I just reread this novel, after losing track of it for a few years. It was just as emotionally powerf***This review probably contains some spoilers***
I just reread this novel, after losing track of it for a few years. It was just as emotionally powerful for me this time around. Beautiful, lean writing style with few wasted words...yet it still feels like an epic Western story of Montana ranch life in the 1920’s.
The story depicts family dynamics in the life of two brothers from a wealthy ranching household in 1924. Phil, the oldest is a brilliant but repressed homosexual. His younger brother, George is slow-witted yet basically a decent, caring man. Tensions surface when George marries a widow and brings her, along with her sissy son to the ranch to live. Phil’s reptilian and cunning persona emerges as he ridicules the widow, Rose and taunts her effeminate son, Peter. It’s not for the faint of heart. Parts of the novel are as brutal as the harsh, isolating and unforgiving elements of the western landscape, also a character in this story.
This is a brilliant and compelling psychological drama…an astonishing piece of work, when one considers the world’s intolerant attitudes toward homosexuality, especially in the masculine West during the 1920’s – or even in 1967 (for that matter) when Thomas Savage originally published this novel.
Annie Proulx wrote the Afterword to this particular edition (2001). And, in that Afterword she says, “…a psychological study freighted with drama and tension, unusual in dealing with a topic rarely discussed in that period – repressed homosexuality displayed as homophobia in masculine ranch world." I’ve no doubt that this novel influenced her short story, “Brokeback Mountain”, which was adapted as a critically acclaimed movie in 2005.
I was mesmerized by this tragic and complex character study as it builds heightening tension from beginning to its karmic conclusion. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED ...more
Not a good idea to finish the last 20 pages of this story at 5:00 AM before work! I'm wrecked and I look like hell. The novel was wondrous - I loved iNot a good idea to finish the last 20 pages of this story at 5:00 AM before work! I'm wrecked and I look like hell. The novel was wondrous - I loved it and I'll review later....more
I loved this book. This debut novel by Carol Rifka Blunt is so well written, tender and sometimes very heartbreaking. At first, I wasn’t sure that I wI loved this book. This debut novel by Carol Rifka Blunt is so well written, tender and sometimes very heartbreaking. At first, I wasn’t sure that I would like it much because I’m not a fan of coming of age stories. Even though the story deals with adult themes such as complex family dynamics and dealing with loss, the main protagonist is a 14 year old girl named June Elbus. She can be quirky and odd yet wise beyond her years. Her first love is her Uncle Finn, and he is dying of AIDS. I was mindful of the fear and prejudice about that disease, especially during the late 1980s, which is the setting for this novel. A good friend of mine is a gay man so I have poignant memories of that time period. Even though he wasn’t personally infected, I watched as he scattered ashes of countless other friends of his. It was a painful period of loss for so many gay men. I was deeply moved by this author’s eloquent way with words. ...more
I really enjoyed this novel. The writing is excellent and the story rang true for me. Each of the siblings is flawed, often in very destructive ways bI really enjoyed this novel. The writing is excellent and the story rang true for me. Each of the siblings is flawed, often in very destructive ways but their love for each other was close to unconditional. Unlike many of the reviewers here, I liked Alice, Carmen and Nick. I also liked the way the author started many new chapters in a much later time period. It would take me a paragraph or two to catch the drift but I enjoyed the surprise. I wasn't convinced that the accident was the primary reason for Carmen or Alice's guilt or their life choices. Nick, on the other hand, clearly self destructs from that moment on. He admits to himself (and eventually to Alice) that he saw the girl emerge into the road in time to possibly prevent the accident. He's the one that periodically revisits the place and the family of the young girl. Carmen and Alice's lives are more likely shaped by their self-centered bully of a father and detached and ineffectual mother. Carol Anshaw is a terrific writer, at times, very funny. Nick, as tragic as he was, could make me laugh out loud. He never seemed to lose his sweetness or naiveté, even as he sank into total despair and death in the end. Finally, it's enjoyable to read a novel with lesbian characters that is so well written, humorous and poignant. ...more
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