Books to read again...

[Ellen]

There are milestone moments in our lives. For me: John Lennon's death, Reagan's assassination attempt, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the day I finished reading "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter". I remember the last item so vividly because once I got to the last page, I turned to the first page and started reading again. Some books need to be read more than once because we miss things. This book is a milestone moment in my life as a writer, a girl, a person.

[Feliks]

Good call. How about, Reflections in a Golden Eye?

Short works but wow they can sure rattle ya. I'm not surprised she wasn't a very prolific writer when she crafted fine, intricate pieces like this. Her books are tiny but pack a wallop.

[Ellen]

Feliks wrote: "Good call. How about, 'Reflections in a Golden Eye'?

Short works but wow they can sure rattle ya. I'm not surprised she wasn't a very prolific writer when she crafted fine, intricate pieces like t..."

Absolutely. In fact, I have never read something by her that did not move me. I am such a McCullers' fan that I named my daughter after her. :)

[Feliks]

You named her Carson or you named her McCullers?

And btw have you seen either of the movies?

[Feliks]

p.s. would you recommend 'The Member of the Wedding' to a manly reader like myself, a reader of men's books written for men? :D

[Ellen]

Yes. McCullers' strong young female protagonists speak to the no-nonsense male reader. I mean that as a compliment to all sides. In fact, Member has a young boy as a main character. And, Frankie (the girl) is a total TomBoy like Mick. Not a coincidence her girls all use boy names.

[Feliks]

Okay. I will proceed on your advice! :)

[Ellen]

Feliks wrote: "Okay. I will proceed on your advice! :)"

Let me know what you think when you are finished.

[Francene]

I agree. Carson McCullers is amazing. I read this book a few years ago and will definitely be reading it again, probably in the near future now that you've reminded me!

[Lucinda]

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter is also a great book to share and discuss because it speaks to many readers so personally and because it's fascinating to hear other people's perspectives on the enigmatic characters.

I taught it in several college literature courses, and most of my students loved it. It generated great discussions: it is one of those books I always walk into the classroom to find that the students are already discussing actively. Many who have taken a lot of literature classes say that they wonder why they had never been assigned to read this book before and why some of them had never even heard of it. It has also worked really well in book clubs, and there again, a lot of lifelong devoted readers have told me they'd never read it.

Of course, there are always people who don't like it, but they tend to say that it just didn't suit them personally; there are remarkably few who ever complain that I picked an "awful book" or nitpick it to death. I tell them that it's my absolute favorite novel, and they rarely seem to wonder why.