elwirax's reviews
477 reviews

The Price of Salt  is a rare mid-20th-century example of a lesbian relationship not entirely doomed, instead offering a hopeful ending. While somewhat outdated, much of the shame, expectations, and uncertainty experienced by Therese and Carol still resonate with modern readers. 

The novel successfully presents the complexities and flaws of its main characters: Carol, a strong and autonomous woman dealing with divorce and maintaining custody of her daughter, and Therese, a young woman trying to find her place in the world. 

Nevertheless, none of these characters were particularly likable. Carol's relationship with motherhood was complicated. While her actions can be viewed as an empowering rejection of the notion that women must prioritise motherhood, they can also be seen as neglectful, as she risks losing custody of her daughter over a relationship that lacks true substance. She was cold, and her narrative was often stunted. 

Therese, for much of the novel, is very passive and relies on Carol for guidance. This dynamic emphasises the considerable age gap between them, with Therese being 19 and Carol in her early 30s. Though we get to see Therese's independence explored toward the end of the novel, it is brief. 

I cannot help but view their relationship as teenage infatuation rather than a true romance. However, much of this lack of genuine connection can be attributed to the time period in which it was written. 

I found the middle part of the novel, particularly the road trip, to be meandering but necessary for Therese's character growth. The writing was, at times, very poignant, and I enjoyed Highsmith's descriptions of seemingly unimportant details, which grounded the story. 

Overall, the book was enjoyable enough and deserving of merit as an early classic in lesbian literature. Dare I say, though, that the movie was slightly better?

2.2 stars overall. 

I appreciated how each section explored distinct themes: 'eyes' focused  on seeing the truth and horrors of the real world, 'guts' dealt with expressing internal struggles through body horror, 'throat' dealt with suppression and the consequences of expression and 'bones' examined survival and transformation. 

That being said, I did not really find many of the plots engaging or particularly scary. I enjoyed 'nature morte', 'only corpses stay', 'flowers' and 'big round ball of light and the water' the most from this collection.
 

EYES
 Such a Pretty Face: 2 stars
 The Summoning: 1.5 stars
 A Different Beat: 1.5 stars 

GUTS
 what would you give for a treat like me: 2 stars
 the carrier: 2 stars
 playing house: 3 stars 

sad straight sex at the end of the world: 2 stars 

THROATS
 flowers: 3 stars
 big round ball of light and the water: 3 stars
 saying its name breaks it: 2.5 stars
 two truths and a lie: 1 star 

BONES
 nature morte: 3.5 stars
 only corpses stay: 3.5 stars
 rath: 2.5 stars
 break-up poem recited knee-deep in bog water: 2.5 stars

The writing style of the book is much more informal than the scholarly tone I expected. However, this makes the themes, ideas, and terminology more accessible to a wider audience. In some areas, the content is mildly repetitive, and discussions are somewhat surface-level or glossed over, an issue compounded by the citation of only eight sources. Though the book doesn't completely lack empirical evidence, as the author draws on much of his previous and more extensive works. I am intrigued to pick up 'Necessary Illusions', hoping it offers a more in-depth analysis of the subject. 

Overall, this is a good introductory text that outlines fundamental ideas about media influence and propaganda.
 

Though the essay primarily discusses the communist regime in Czechoslovakia, it very much applies to the neoliberalism of the West and current-day affairs such as human rights violations, climate activism and media censorship. 

The essay's use of language can be rather dense and makes the argument seem more complicated than necessary. Once you wade through the lengthy illustrations and overwritten points, the core idea is clear; individuals have the power to overthrow oppressive regimes by choosing truth over lie. 

It can be argued that this message of 'living within the truth' is overly idealistic and unfeasible in the face of severe oppression. The theme is repeated multiple times in the text without much expansion or analysis, leading to repetition without progression. 

While the essay did discuss applications of living within the truth and activism it lacked a concrete approach to tackling totalitarian power structures. Nonetheless, it can also be said that its intent is more to inspire rather than provide a step-by-step manual. In this regard, it is highly successful. 

Overall, a very insightful read into how totalitarian regimes maintain control, the importance of moral responsibility, individual empowerment and the possibility of change.

I can't say this book really introduced me to anything I have not yet encountered. However, I agreed with many of the core points presented by Jones. I found chapters 2 and 8 the most intriguing, though I was perhaps more invested in the 2016 preface, which was better written and more streamlined in its analysis. 

The book was written in an accessible manner and utilised both primary and secondary supporting evidence. While it is considerably left-biased in its discussions of  the topic, it adequately considered right-wing views through interviews and quotes from journalists and politicians. Nonetheless, I do think that the author's string of thought got somewhat tangled in parts, which was compounded by very selective source referencing. I found myself reading statistics or correlations and asking, "Where is the source for this statement?" This did, however, make me curious enough to research contemporary statistics and it is shocking how very little things have changed in the past two decades or so. 

Additionally, there was a considerable amount of repetition which could have been omitted for a shorter and more concise discussion. I would have also liked to see a more robust course of action for how we move forward in discussing class and the demonisation of the working class. 

Overall, this was a very interesting and well researched book, albeit slightly outdated at the time of reading it.

What I did read was unfortunately too juvenile (and American) for me to be interested.

An interesting wee novella. Murderbot proved to be an engaging character, and the worldbuilding was detailed despite the story's brevity. 

However, the pacing was somewhat uneven; the beginning felt slow, while the ending seemed rushed. This pacing issue diluted the stakes as there was insufficient time to fully engage with the action of the story. Nonetheless, this can be somewhat excused due to being from the perspective of a robot, limiting the emotions associated with certain situations. 

Overall, this was a highly engaging and enjoyable book. I will definitely continue with the series.