The Price of Salt

Readers familiar with Highsmith's writing may know her best for the Ripliad, a series of five novels about her character, Tom Ripley. Her writing is just as riveting, if not more so, in this unprecedented novel about two women in love. Don't expect the standard, usually tragic lesbian-love-story ending from this novel. Instead, prepare to be enraptured, moved, heartened, and maybe even swept off your feet by the relationship that forms between a lonely, introverted New York department store employee and an elegant and very mysterious customer. Highsmith's _The Price of Salt_, which she first published under the pen name, Claire Morgan, is believed to be the novel that inspired Vladimir Nabokov's _Lolita_. Perhaps it's true. Certainly if Nabokov's reading of the novel was anything like my own, he found this to be a truly unforgettable text, one that lingers on in the imagination long after it's been read.

A bit too dark for my tastes - and a bit too twisted. Of course, that IS part of the allure of Highsmith, and she is adept at writing. Perhaps I didn't find the subject matter as compelling as I had hoped it would be. This surprised me, but I was bored with it.

This is my first time reading this author. I feel the story is developed and holding my interest. I want to know what happens next in the story and I can not wait to keep reading to find out what is going to happen next to the characters.

Readers familiar with Highsmith's writing may know her best for the Ripliad, a series of five novels about her character, Tom Ripley. Her writing is just as riveting, if not more so, in this unprecedented novel about two women in love. Don't expect the standard, usually tragic lesbian-love-story ending from this novel. Instead, prepare to be enraptured, moved, heartened, and maybe even swept off your feet by the relationship that forms between a lonely, introverted New York department store employee and an elegant and very mysterious customer. Highsmith's _The Price of Salt_, which she first published under the pen name, Claire Morgan, is believed to be the novel that inspired Vladimir Nabokov's _Lolita_. Perhaps it's true. Certainly if Nabokov's reading of the novel was anything like my own, he found this to be a truly unforgettable text, one that lingers on in the imagination long after it's been read.

A bit too dark for my tastes - and a bit too twisted. Of course, that IS part of the allure of Highsmith, and she is adept at writing. Perhaps I didn't find the subject matter as compelling as I had hoped it would be. This surprised me, but I was bored with it.

This is my first time reading this author. I feel the story is developed and holding my interest. I want to know what happens next in the story and I can not wait to keep reading to find out what is going to happen next to the characters.

I wanted to read this before the movie comes out. I really enjoyed it...but...I mean, books are so subjective. It's a great lesbian love-story, great in that it is realistic and messy and complicated but also beautifully and clearly written. It drew me in and I finished it in about 2 days time. OK...the ending is not what I expected but no spoilers.^-^

I haven't read this book in years, so it was a newish experience for me. So much of the early gay literature is depressing and bleak, but this book is the exception. It is a bit dated, but it does hold up, and I enjoyed reading it with older eyes that can understand and empathize a whole lot more about how it feels to be living in the closet. Sometimes the weird inner dialogue is distracting, but it was written in the fifties under a pseudonym since it was quite revolutionary at the time. I am interested to see the movie when it comes out.

the typos are ridiculous. Here is an example:
"How~&o you do."
Other typos include two words combined into one.
another one:
"just the opposite61 what Richard had done."
I'm not sure how a book with this many typos can even get published. I would say the typos are at least every 3 pages, if not more!

The Price of Salt is one of the best books I've read in recent years; it captured me immediately. Therese and Carol were so real to me, that I could see them, and hear them and sometimes even feel them. I could not stop reading the book, yet I did not want it to end. This is one of few books that had me experiencing every emotion the characters felt. It had my heart pounding, particularly toward the end. I wanted these ladies together so badly I could taste it. I felt all the joy, the pain, the uncertainty, the angst and certainly the overwhelming love between the women (I'm pretty sure watching the trailer to the movie "Carol" played a role in this as well, it all looked so beautiful). The book was so moving and made me feel so present, that I often forgot that the book was written in the 1950s. I'm patiently awaiting the movie.

Patricia Highsmith was a character more interesting than most she put in her fiction. I'd been drawn more into her biography than into her actual work, but here with a connection to the 1950's and a USA road trip, I was doubly tempted to read this book. A very favorable price for the Kindle edition made this an easy choice and enjoyable read. When I later saw the film, it properly gave more supporting visuals to the story. It is not really a detective story and certainly not in the "crime" genre, but it holds your interest. As a love or sexual story, it is pretty tame. Rather I would characterize it as a more truthful narrative of everyday women in a time of restrictive social conventions.

The ending is exquisitely graceful. The story wonderfully told. I'm so thrilled this is going to be made into a film with Todd Haynes directing and Cate Blanchett starring opposite Rooney Mara. The choice to adapt the material was a no-brainer -- the prose is delightfully intimate, personal, poetically-charged and well-suited for the medium.

The Price of Salt is one of the best books I've read in recent years; it captured me immediately. Therese and Carol were so real to me, that I could see them, and hear them and sometimes even feel them. I could not stop reading the book, yet I did not want it to end. This is one of few books that had me experiencing every emotion the characters felt. It had my heart pounding, particularly toward the end. I wanted these ladies together so badly I could taste it. I felt all the joy, the pain, the uncertainty, the angst and certainly the overwhelming love between the women (I'm pretty sure watching the trailer to the movie "Carol" played a role in this as well, it all looked so beautiful). The book was so moving and made me feel so present, that I often forgot that the book was written in the 1950s. I'm patiently awaiting the movie.

Patricia Highsmith was a character more interesting than most she put in her fiction. I'd been drawn more into her biography than into her actual work, but here with a connection to the 1950's and a USA road trip, I was doubly tempted to read this book. A very favorable price for the Kindle edition made this an easy choice and enjoyable read. When I later saw the film, it properly gave more supporting visuals to the story. It is not really a detective story and certainly not in the "crime" genre, but it holds your interest. As a love or sexual story, it is pretty tame. Rather I would characterize it as a more truthful narrative of everyday women in a time of restrictive social conventions.

The ending is exquisitely graceful. The story wonderfully told. I'm so thrilled this is going to be made into a film with Todd Haynes directing and Cate Blanchett starring opposite Rooney Mara. The choice to adapt the material was a no-brainer -- the prose is delightfully intimate, personal, poetically-charged and well-suited for the medium.

I have yet to read this book and while I will obviously withhold any critique on the quality of the prose, I can't believe I paid money to receive a copy of a book with such terrible mistakes. The sentences stop randomly and continue on the next line and reads as if it's been translated from English to another language and then back to English. I may not be able to read this as I found it jarring and difficult based on the first chapter alone. Sad that my first exposure to this book has been so negative, but "salt" definitely has a bad taste in my mouth as of now.

This book must have been a real ground breaker in 1952. I think the story is still very relevant today. I wish the movie had followed the book more closely. The main character is Therese. Its her story. She's the one that changes.

This edition is absolute garbage. Literally, someone copied and pasted the text into an awkward textbook like format. Ampersands in the middle of words. Spacing issues. And c'mon... The cover?! Tell me they didn't just google image search "lesbian" and slap the first result they found on the front.

What a nightmare.

This is honestly my favorite piece of women-loving-women literature that I have read. To be very honest, I bought it so I would have a frame of reference when Carol gets a wide release. I was hesitant, despite the good things I'd heard about it, because of when it was published.

I am so glad I gave this book a shot. I didn't leave the couch until I was finished reading it. I was so thoroughly engrossed I didn't notice the sun set until I had finished the book.

5/5 stars. I plan on reading it again very soon.

Loved this book but this particular edition is not worth the price of the stamp. The item is riddled with typos, of every kind and the thing itself is unreadable. I quickly ordered a different edition and I would urge you not to purchase the item with this cover. A poorly executed design and I'm surprised something of such poor quality is for sale.

I gave it two stars merely because I finished the book. I could have walked away from this book in the early chapters and never given it another thought. I felt there was very little substance to the storyline and often found it boring. I would not bother recommending it to anyone or reading it again.

I personally was a bit disappointed by this book. The relationship between Carol and Therese seems unhealthy at times- Carol tends to make blunt comments that are hurtful to Therese, and Therese spends a decent amount of time stalking Carol and thinking about her, to the point of obsession rather than love. There were definitely some moments that were sweet and honest, but much of their relationship seemed strained.

Very slow start, almost gave up on it; but then it perked up and became interesting. This is not my type of book, I'm more of a "Murder Mystery' type guy - only reason I read it is because Cate Blanchett plays Carol in the movie - a perfect part for her.

I had never read a single same sex romantic novel before; however, the trailer for the movie version of this book was absolutely beautiful and interesting so I decided to give this book a try (since the movie hadn't come out at the time). I finished the book in one day. I just couldn't put the book down, it was simply too mesmerizing! I wasn't against homosexuality before but I wasn't interested in actively fighting for its rights either. After this book, I finally, truly understand the most universal concept of all: love is love. Love is powerful and beautiful and it should not be a crime to fall in love. Who are we to decide if love between a woman and another woman is as natural as between a man and a woman? In the end, love conquers all. This book exceeded all of my expectations and more. Patricia Highsmith, thank you for such a wonderful read!

This is already a Cannes winner. It's billed as a lesbian love story, but change one name to a male name and it still works as a love story. So what it shows is people are people, regardless of who you love.

This review is solely for the Kindle edition of The Price of Salt. While the actual story is a classic, the Kindle e-book is an absolute embarrassment. There are several typos, omitted words, and incorrect formatting (e.g. when there is a section break mid-chapter, the text simply continues in the next paragraph rather than after an explicit scene break indicated by blank spaces or asterisks). These errors completely take away from the reading experience of this book as intended by the author, Patricia Highsmith, and is a prime example of what can go terribly wrong when converting a literary classic from print to an electronic edition.

The movie is one I will always remember. The book is as good or maybe even better. The happy ending and promise that things can work out was refreshing. Very good job of serious and interesting writing! Thank you Patricia.

I applaud the bravery of the author to write this work when she did, but to me, she fails to make either of the characters particularly likable. Their dialogue seems stilted ( I guess a reflection of the times) and the vacillation of each, in her own way, about the relationship seems shallow and self-involved.

I found the movie adaptation to be much more exciting and filled with passion. The book did nothing to capture their sexual encounter. I was losing interest with too much time spent traveling from state to state.

I wanted to catch up on my classics and this novel was definitely on the list. I found it to be kind of boring and tedious, although the glimpse through the historical window it provided was much appreciated. Very racy for it's time and certainly with believable, likeable characters, I would recommend it to others. It just really felt like a required school reading for me, which was unfortunate considering the importance of this book.

The story is very slow to get started. The story is solid though, and the writing is not purple or overly sentimental.
Therese (pronounced a la francaise) is a young woman making her way through New York, and life. Her boyfriend, Richard, is almost a stereotypically incapable man. I'm not sure if he's a good plot device or so incredibly bumbling in his romantic endeavors that he's a trope.
Therese, either with the most undeveloped genius gaydar to exist or because she is extremely lucky, sends a card home with something that a rich woman buys for her child. They develop a relationship that is equal parts sweet and creepy. Carol is more than willing to take the role of Therese's absent mother in her life: she feeds her warm milk in bed, pays for her, drags her along on day trips and forces her to wear clothes she doesn't like. Therese is not opposed to this treatment.

This book was interesting. There are some pretty long rambling parts and not much action. I did enjoy the 1950 setting. If you are looking for excitement, it won't be found here. Not one of my favorites.

I found the movie adaptation to be much more exciting and filled with passion. The book did nothing to capture their sexual encounter. I was losing interest with too much time spent traveling from state to state.

I wanted to catch up on my classics and this novel was definitely on the list. I found it to be kind of boring and tedious, although the glimpse through the historical window it provided was much appreciated. Very racy for it's time and certainly with believable, likeable characters, I would recommend it to others. It just really felt like a required school reading for me, which was unfortunate considering the importance of this book.

The story is very slow to get started. The story is solid though, and the writing is not purple or overly sentimental.
Therese (pronounced a la francaise) is a young woman making her way through New York, and life. Her boyfriend, Richard, is almost a stereotypically incapable man. I'm not sure if he's a good plot device or so incredibly bumbling in his romantic endeavors that he's a trope.
Therese, either with the most undeveloped genius gaydar to exist or because she is extremely lucky, sends a card home with something that a rich woman buys for her child. They develop a relationship that is equal parts sweet and creepy. Carol is more than willing to take the role of Therese's absent mother in her life: she feeds her warm milk in bed, pays for her, drags her along on day trips and forces her to wear clothes she doesn't like. Therese is not opposed to this treatment.

This book was interesting. There are some pretty long rambling parts and not much action. I did enjoy the 1950 setting. If you are looking for excitement, it won't be found here. Not one of my favorites.

I was really disappointed with the quality of this edition. There were so many typos (both spelling and spacing). The edition seemed like a poorly-made, Kinkos copy. I highly recommend searching for a different version of this novel, if possible.

I wanted to read this after I saw there is a movie adaption being made with Cate Blanchett. The book was a bit difficult to understand at time. The style of writing made it difficult to tell who was speaking at times but the story was wonderful and overall I enjoyed it.

Having read some of the other reviews and knowing a movie was in the works I wanted to read this before the film comes out. I should have just waited for the film. Books like this often feel dated and that is the sad thing about this book.