The Way We Were

by Arthur Laurents

Vintage movie tie-in paperback

Genres: Fiction, Romance, War, Classics, Politics, Media Tie In, Novels

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1972

About the author

Arthur Laurents was an American playwright, librettist, stage director, and screenwriter. His credits included the stage musicals West Side Story and Gypsy and the film The Way We Were.

Reviews

[Rebecca Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't know until a month ago that there was even a book, I thought it was just a movie.
OMG, I read this in 3 days and I cried as much at the end of the book as I did at the end of the movie.
I might just read it again. It is a little different from the movie but not enough to make it worse or better. It just helped understand the characters a little more.

[Karschtl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Katie Morosky and Hubbell Gardiner take the same course at college, "Creative Writing". Apart from that they have nothing in common. Katie is jewish, president of the communist league at the campus and a political activist. Most of her sparetime is dedicated to the protest against the second world war that's going on in Europe at the moment. Hubbel on the other hand comes from a rich family and is a typical WASP.

Several years later, 1944, both meet accidentally. And surprisingly they fell in love with each other. After the war is over they get married and move to Hollywood, where Hubbell works as a script-writer for the movie-business and Katie becomes the kind of woman she never ever wanted to be: she plays tennis, attends Hollywood-parties and neglects her political activities. Until the Mr. McCarthy and his communist-hunt.

The book reminded me in the beginning very much of "Love Story". Hubbell coming from the same background as Oliver, with Katie being a girl that is not really his style. Meeting in college for the first time, and - against all odds - later coming together, they have different opinions on a couple of topics. But they also share their love for each other.

It is partly a love story and partly about politics in the U.S. (especially during World War II and shortly afterwards in the McCarthy aera).

I very much enjoyed reading the book, which doesn't sound old-fashioned at all, although it was written in 1972 and is set in the 40s.
I haven't seen the movie with Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford yet, but definitely want to now. From what I've read the movie does not stop where the book stops but goes a bit further and thus has probably a different ending.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was good. The underlying message of the story is that sometimes love is not good for us and will not make us happy. It was depressing at moments and I became angry in a few parts. But isn't that how love goes? In an "ending" relationship, we hang on pretending everything is fine. We change ourselves- rationalize our lives- our princples. I appreciated how complex Katie was- she was so strong in the world yet weak in a relationship. Katie loved Hubbell enough to change herself, and he loved her to resent the mask. In the end, something is true- People are messy. They love and force their way through this world.

[Arana · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some things the book does better and some things that movie does better. Spoilers ahead!!

So the book definitely went into details that explained their breakup better than the movie did. In the movie, Hubbell's behavior makes him look like deadbeat dad for the sake of being a deadbeat father, and certain things that Katie and Hubbell say don't make complete sense, such as being a bad loser without the political context of the breakup scene. However, when you add that Katie decided to divorce him because she was informed as a Communist sympathizer by a classmate, and they divorce so he can have a career in Hollywood, it makes more sense. It gives Katie the power because she makes the decision and shows strength, while Hubbell is heartbroken. Is he a deadbeat dad who ultimately chose his career over his family? Yes. But that makes him look better than losing contact with his daughter because he had an affair and divorced his wife. No phone calls? No letters? So you don't want to see your daughter because it is AWKWARD? Or you don't see your daughter because you could lose your career for keeping in touch with an ex-wife who is a supposed Communist sympathizer.

In addition, the book also discusses how the politics affected others in Hollywood with more depth. Hubbell and Katie have friends and colleagues who lose their careers over the blacklisting. Hubbell is allowed to be more flawed in the book. There's a line in the book that I wish that they kept in the movie. Finally she says, "I want us to love each other." To which he replies, "The trouble is, we do." There were certainly more changes in how Bissinger is a more likeable and complex character in the book than the movie.

However, like the other reviews stated, this is a case where the movie is better than the book. Robert Redford brings some depth to Hubbell's character that made him more compelling in the movie than the book. The script is tighter, and it works better as a movie. I enjoyed learning about the characters' back story and their parents, but I was more invested in Hubbell and Katie as a couple in the movie than the book. I wish the movie kept the breakup scene as shown in the book, which is the one thing that the book does better.

And that they definitely explained that initial drunk sex scene better in the book. Hubbell realized what he was doing, even if he was exhausted. And I wish they made it more clear in the movie.

The Way We Were is a movie that I love, but it would have been much better with a couple more scenes. The book was a nice supplement.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

All I can say is that this book made me like Hubbel a little better than I did in the movie.
Apparently there was an important link missing regarding their break up; one that the movie skipped entirely but to me it makes all the difference.
I don't think I would have finished it if I didn't feel motivated to see how it compared to the movie. I was interested in the time period and the characters, I just didn't feel immersed in the story the way I like to.

[Mary Otto · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the movie and so needed to read the book. The writing was only so so in my opinion, but the story is exactly what it should be.

[Douglas Gibson · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Way We Were”, by Arthur Laurents was by far the stand out and my absolute favorite book I read this month. This one is a hands down, 5 out of 5! Of course I love the movie with the gorgeous Robert Redford and Barbara Streisand, but I had never read the book, so I thought it would be fun to read it this year for Valentine's Day.
The story is a heteronormative as you can get, but the story’s put-upon-protagonist Katie, can serve as a stand-in for any gay that has loved someone that they can’t have. Lucky her though, she does get the boy, but only for a while, then we are in for one of the most heartbreaking endings ever. The novel takes us through their romance and touches on misogyny, classism, racism, sexism, and patriotism until we finally understand why Hubble and Katie can’t be together.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

" What is it? Katie, what is it?" until she got control long enough to say:
" I want us to love each other!"
" But we do," he said miserably. " That's the trouble Katie, we do..."

This was a story of two people in love with the past, just because we loved each other back then doesn't mean it will work in the future. People don't change just because we can imagine they will.

I didn't enjoy Katie enough because I didn't understand the communistic jargon and I feel the book portrayed Katie more in a whiny sort of light. I feel so bad for Hubbell having to put up with such a whiny character but I guess that is why he fell in love with her so many years ago.

I sincerely hope I can enjoy the movie with Barbara Streisand more than the book.

[joaqui. · Rating 2 out of 5]

"I want us to love each other!"
"But we do," he said miserably. "That's the trouble, Katie, we do."



Don't know anything about US politics so I didn't understand much but the relationship of Katie and Hubbell, and all I got to say is that Hubbell was a coward and an asshole, and I'm glad Katie got a better ending.


adapted film:
the way we were (1973) dir. Sydney Pollack.

[Myra Breckinridge · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is, essentially, a collection of movie scenes written as prose, with little effort paid to connecting them into a novel with its own merit.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Ray]

Read@2023..

[Josef Horký · Rating 3 out of 5]

První polovina patří mezi nejlepší knížky, co jsem kdy četl. Druhá ne.

[Sarah]

God I hope the movie is better than the book.

ETA: the movie was both better and worse than the book, but the most egregious bit is them leaving out the reason Hubbell and Katie get divorced!