The Price of Salt: OR Carol

By Patricia Highsmith

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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Release date: Jan 5, 2015
• ISBN: 9780486802299

Patricia Highsmith

Patricia Highsmith (1921-1995) es una de las escritoras más originales y perturbadoras de la narrativa contemporánea. En Anagrama se han publicado las novelas Extraños en un tren, El cuchillo, Carol, El talento de Mr. Ripley (Premio Edgar Allan Poe y Gran Premio de la Literatura Policíaca), Mar de fondo, Un juego para los vivos, Ese dulce mal, El grito de la lechuza, Las dos caras de enero, La celda de cristal, Crímenes imaginarios, El temblor de la falsificación, El juego del escondite, Rescate por un perro, El amigo americano, El diario de Edith, Tras los pasos de Ripley, Gente que llama a la puerta, El hechizo de Elsie, Ripley en peligro y Small G: un idilio de verano, los libros de relatos Pequeños cuentos misóginos, Crímenes bestiales, Sirenas en el campo de golf, Catástrofes, Los cadáveres exquisitos, Pájaros a punto de volar, Una afición peligrosa y Relatos (que incluye los primeros cinco libros de cuentos de la autora, tres de los cuales –Once, A merced del viento y La casa negra– no habían aparecido hasta ahora en la editorial) y el libro de ensayos Suspense. Fotografía de la autora © Ruth Bernhard - Trustees of Princeton University

Reviews for The Price of Salt

[Diana Diaz · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Interesting read, and different enough from the film to make it worth reading. But quite a bit of it turned into, they came, they saw, they ate, they drank, they smoked, and smoked some more - and nothing they ate (or turned away) was interesting to the modern palate, it's not like they went out for Chinese even. On the other hand, if you were going out to eat, and bars to drink, driving a car, staying at hotels, and had a live-in maid as Carol did, then you were quite well-to-do back then. If you're hoping for tawdry sex scenes, keep looking for another novel. Most of that is rather tasteful and euphemistic. The plot was interesting, the language was straightforward. It makes me sad to think of two people not being able to love each other, and having to hide, or facing the consequence of losing custody just for being gay. You learn a lot more about Therese in the book. Rooney Mara played her as a bit of a tabula rasa who didn't seem completely clear about what she wanted, except at the end. The film also didn't reveal very much about Therese at all, which bothered me. Rather than a nascent photographer of the film, she was a burgeoning set designer trying to make connections and get jobs. This Therese was so much more interesting as a protagonist and it was much more clear what was going on for her, and how she became more clear about herself. I feel sort of bad for her boyfriend. He gets a better portrayal in the book than the film. They really did have a connection once, when she was 18. And that's normal when a young person isn't completely clear on her sexuality, particularly with what my friends have told me their experience was. What I can't figure out is why at the beginning of the book, Therese says she is 19, and then at the end she says she is 21. How did she age 2 years in 2 months? Lastly, if you ever lived the Bohemian artist's life in New York, you might be interested to see how things were very similar, and yet very different. Who picks up telegrams or letters, or can tell someone to hold any long distance calls these days? Wild.

[carrstone1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It's all too easy to claim this book to be a beacon for the lesbian cause - don't be fooled by your prejudice, though. The lesbian aspects of this book function only as an adapted Deus ex machina, a sort of track to run on for the central plot of a young person's transition to 'adulthood', brief in time but filled with shock and awe. What makes the book worth reading by heteros and homos alike, is that it brilliantly shows the mix of confusion and certainty that so annoys us old people in the young; phrases like 'get on with it' spring to the lips of the reader frequently, but we say them tolerantly 'cause we recognize our own earlier stumblings.Read it and you'll see that the protagonists could have been of either sex or of either orientation and is not essential to moving the story forward.

[corinneblackmer · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The exact words for this 1950s classic novel of lesbian love are existential film noir. Therese Belivet, an aspiring set designer in New York City, encounters Carol Aird, a glamorous and married lesbian mother, in a department store during the Christmas season. A passionate bond, not consummated for some time because Carol wants to tease Therese for pleasure, develops between the two, quickly sparking the homophobic passions and jealousies of Aird's husband, Harge, and Therese's considerably more hapless and ineffectual (fortunately) boyfriend. In the final resort, Carol chooses Therese over her daughter--not consciously or because she abandons her daughter--but rather because she has been given an ultimatum to renounce Therese as well as her lesbianism and accept having very, very limited access to her daughter. If this is a "happy ending," it is a highly qualified one, but Carol and Therese are represented as capable, competent, engaging, and socially integrated individuals who intend to live together in New York City and shall likely succeed in their relationship.

[dazzyj_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Vintage Highsmith, spinning tension and telling detail out of the mundane. The way that Therese's self awareness blossoms in tandem with her love for Carol exhibits the author's masterful handling of her character's psyches. But like some of her other books, the novel also suffers from occasional longeurs.

[alincolnnut · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Working at a department store counter during the Christmas season rush, young Therese Belivet assists a well-dressed woman in purchasing a doll. Somehow intrigued, Therese sends the woman a greeting card as a lark. To her surprise, the woman responds with an invitation to lunch. From that chance meeting, a deep relationship grows between these two women unhappy with their lives.Written in the early 1950s, "The Price of Salt" was a scandalous book about a lesbian relationship between a young woman and a middle-aged wife and mother. Written by Patricia Highsmith, a prolific author whose most famous books, "Strangers on a Train" and "The Talented Mr. Ripley," have been made into movies, the daring novel is reputed to have inspired Vladimir Nabokov to write "Lolita."From the beginning, the romance between Therese and Carol is threatened by numerous obstacles. Aside from the age difference, Therese is stuck with a boyfriend she does not love, pursuing a career in theater design that has barely begun. Carol has a daughter upon whom she dotes, a husband she wishes to divorce, and protective best friend who fears the consequences of her desires. Even so, the two women quickly bond and embark on a lengthy road trip together.As with any relationship, there are hiccups along the way caused by misunderstandings and miscommunications. Quickly, though, the illicit nature of the relationship causes headaches for both women in their relationships with other people. Most obvious is how the romantic affair threatens Carol's relationship with her daughter she very much loves. Although told from the point of view of Therese, who is somewhat naïve, the story is deftly and subtly handled, filled with characters who are believable and whose reactions to the situation ring true. Elegantly written with a poetic melancholy, the book is filled with great sympathy for its main characters despite the steep obstacles their relationship faces. The combination is riveting, resulting in an emotional and suspenseful page-turner.

[wordmaven_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Price of Salt was Highsmith’s second book, written on the heels of Strangers on a Train. Salt was radical when published in 1952 because of its homosexual theme and even more radical because of its happy ending for the two women. This apparently was a great departure from similar works that often ended in suicide or despair.Carol is an urban sophisticate, probably in her late 20s or early 30s. Therese is barely out of her teenage years and still trying to break into her chosen profession, theatre set design. They live in New York, and Carol is going through a divorce.Therese’s insecurity and uncertain character stand out in this novel. She almost idolizes Carol; you can tell it from her thoughts about Carol even when they are together. Carol comes across as very cultured and sophisticated, very blueblood East coast, albeit somewhat alcoholic and anorexic. She isn’t a rich woman, but she is a woman of experience and good taste. Sometimes it seemed like she was trying to parent Therese by telling her what to wear and in subtle ways, and Therese was always willing to oblige Carol to win her approval. As the story progresses, Therese develops more as her own person, although not without great emotional struggle. Highsmith is very good at creating a solid picture of emotional mood and location. I could feel Therese’s emotions; some of which I’ve experienced myself in relationships. I’d hoped the meaning of the book’s title would be revealed, but salt was only mentioned twice and in its context, I could not figure out what Highsmith meant by “the price of salt.” Still, this novel published almost 60 years ago is relatable today. Human nature doesn’t change, and a writer who can make it come alive on the page will always sell books. 4/5 stars.

[conniejo_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I picked this up because it sounded so unlike everything else Highsmith had ever written, and I wanted to see how she did a relatively serious-minded love story.I didn't really care for it, mostly because I just couldn't grow to love the main character and I dislike this kind of romance, where every action is second-guessed again and again as to how the lover will take it. I also very much disliked the way she treated her boyfriend at the end of their relationship, but he was also insistent on not breaking up, so there really wasn't too much she could do about it.I also had a love/hate relationship with the romance between Therese and Carol. Parts of it were extremely passionate, and I liked a lot of the ways they met up, traveled, and kept running into one another, and I really liked the pre-trip parts where Therese was literally thinking of nothing but Carol, but as I mentioned earlier, the fact that Therese was constantly, CONSTANTLY going over things in her head as to what she should say and do and what Carol may do in response drove me up the wall. I dislike that type of story though, so it probably doesn't really reflect on this book in particular.A lot of the characters were really well-written and played their parts in the story nicely. Therese's boyfriend, Carol's best friend and former lover Abbey, Carol's husband Harge, the older woman that worked at Therese's department store that terrified her, and the possible male romantic interest for Therese that lingered throughout the story were all quite well done.The ending was fantastic. After all the trouble the two of them ran into with investigators following them on the road, their separation, and Therese's thought process at the end of the novel were all great. I enjoyed those parts quite a bit, and I liked the eventual ending.

[bobbieharv · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

An early non-crime novel about a lesbian affair that she originally wrote under a pseudonym. It says it inspired Lolita, but it was a lot less well-written. Somehow I never really engaged with either character.