[Poll Tally] The Ballad of the Sad Cafe and Other Stories by Carson McCullers 3.5 stars

[Sabrina]

The Ballad of the Sad Cafe and Other Stories ~ Carson McCullers


McCullers' The Ballad of the Sad Cafe and Other Stories is a collection of her novella--The Ballad of the Sad Cafe and a variety of short stories, all with unusual, unique, quirky, and downright-odd characters.

The novella focuses on the story of Miss Amelia, a woman who people in this small southern town find rather unapproachable, but who, after a mysterious character comes into her life, claiming to be kin, opens a cafe in the front of her home. The story also focuses on a "love triangle" between Amelia, her estranged husband of 10 or so days, and a hunchback who claims to be her cousin. This is, to say the least, not your typical love triangle, and as the cafe soon becomes the gathering place of the people of the town, the triangle becomse more complicated. Ballad follows the short-lived life of the cafe and the story ends with a brawl with stunning results that tear Miss Amelia's life apart.

The other short stories within this collection are also interesting, and the final one of the collection "A Tree, A Rock, A Cloud" has gained enormous critical praise of being what many consider the "perfect short story".

I must say that I have read The Ballad of the Sad Cafe and Other Stories before, but it has been more than 30 years ago when I was in college. I found myself remembering the short stories in the collection more as a re-read them than I did the novella.

Overall, The Ballad of the Sad Cafe and Other Stories is an interesting read. McCuller's focus on isolationism and loneliness is a theme that ties all the stories together; some of which are heartbreaking. The writing is beautifully done and her characters do seem like people you could actually have met in some of these small town.

3.5 stars rounded to 4.