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Reflections in a Golden Eye
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Initial Impressions: Reflections in a Golden Eye, by Carson McCullers - June 2023
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Tom, "Big Daddy"
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May 24, 2023 11:58AM
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I am finishing up two books right now then I will start this one.
I hope to join in. It's been decades since I read McCullers.
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I read this one almost five years ago and thought it was with this group, but I don’t see it listed on the group bookshelf. I probably won’t reread it, but will follow the comments - they should be interesting. This novel is Southern Gothic at its finest.
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One of the McCullers I haven't read. I will try to purchase and join.
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Same with me Diane. The brevity has me being okay with Hoopla’s format this time around.
I have only read a couple of pages thus far, but I love McCullers story-telling approach. The cadence of her prose would be that expected of Southern literary fiction.
I have never read McCullers before and reading the above posts makes me want to sneak in a few pages. But I will wait until I can read it straight thru. Hopefully by the end of this week.
Sandi, if you haven't read any McCullers, I recommend The Heart is a Lonely Heart, which is the novel she is most remembered by.
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I totally concur with the above comments as far as your first McCullers, Sandi. This would not be my recommendation for an introduction to her work. It is her darkest and not representative of the rest of her novels, imo.
♥ Sandi ❣ wrote: "I have never read McCullers before and reading the above posts makes me want to sneak in a few pages. But I will wait until I can read it straight thru. Hopefully by the end of this week."Sandi, I actually really enjoyed her short stories collection The Ballad of the Sad Café and Other Stories. It was a 5 star experience reading those, and to me, her lesser known stories were gems.
Diane wrote: "I downloaded from Hoopla and read first chapter, so I'm in. I think I resisted this because I didn't like book description and movie sounded weird. I normally don't like reading on Hoopla, but this..."Diane and Cathrine -- I get frustrated with Hoopla's books (not the audio) bc they don't allow me to highlight and make notes the same was as my Kindle. Based on your comments, I'm wondering if either of you have experienced similar frustration?
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Ditto what Diane wrote about Hoopla. I only use it for audio.
Found a 1958 Bantam paperback edition at a local used book store for $4. The original price is 35 cents. They usually sell paperbacks at 50% off the original amount. Thought about haggling over the difference but didn’t think they would find it amusing. The book is in good condition other then the burnt orange coloring of the pages.
Thanks for the recommendations. My library had a copy of this one. Since it is the here and now, I will go ahead and read this book - first - but understanding that it may not be her best and will soon grab one of the titles you have recommended.
♥ Sandi ❣ wrote: "Thanks for the recommendations. My library had a copy of this one. Since it is the here and now, I will go ahead and read this book - first - but understanding that it may not be her best and will ..."I don't think you'll suffer for starting here though the other recommendatios are more enjoyable works I think. I think this book is better read as a topical example from the period. It has flaws but I thought it interesting to read.
The film is worth watching I think and follows the book well, but I feel it has the same issues and again seems more time period dependent.
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The quality of Carson McCuller's writing is excellent. The characters are isolated, lonely, and trying to cope with illicit sexual desires. While it's not shocking in today's world, it must have been very unusual in the 1940s.
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Diane wrote: "I was going to ask how the film stands up to the book from those who have seen it and also read it. It's hard to believe Hollywood would tackle some of these issues."Sorry to answer this late. It is hard for me to answer about the film since I am a fan of old films. I have a Criterion Channel subscription and watch its content twice as much as all the content of my other subscriptios combined. This novel and film remind me of lesser Tennessee Williams. Think of The Rose Tattoo or Night of the Iguana. Those films were praised at release but I don't think they are popular today. The film has Marlon Brando and Elizabeth Taylor, fine in both roles, but having star power that IMO, overwhelms what I would prefer.
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I happened on a site where I found the movie plus books for free. Check out Internet Archive.
@Lexy - they got you, girl! Per the CPI inflaction calculator, 35 cents in 1958 is $3.71 today! data.bls.gov
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I'll reply to this on the Final Impressions page
Only a little ways in as I just started, but this has overtones of Tennessee Williams and Flannery O'Conner. Maybe a fusion of the two.
♥ Sandi ❣ wrote: "I have never read McCullers before and reading the above posts makes me want to sneak in a few pages. But I will wait until I can read it straight thru. Hopefully by the end of this week."Finally! Just starting this one...
I've just started this one and will probably finish tomorrow. After reading 'The Heart is a Lonely Hunter' I wanted to read this one so I could compare the two.
A rather lengthy article from Smithsonian Mag on Willa Cather, but I thought y'all might be interested. The first two photos were cool, showing her as a child in the 1880s and then as an adult in the 1920s.https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel...
Great article Cheryl
