The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter in ALATT Diversity List

From the Bookshelf of ALATT Diversity List…

The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter

Carson McCullers

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

No group discussions for this book yet.

What Members Thought

Jun 24, 2012 Hilary rated it really liked it

Shelves: book-riot-read-harder-2015, southern-lit

Book Riot Read Harder Challenge 2015: Book written by author under age 25. Hauntingly beautiful glimpse into the inner life and the profound isolation humans are capable of experiencing. Favorite quotes:

"With her it was like there was two places -- the inside room and the outside room. School and the family and the things that happened every day were in the outside room. Mister Singer was in both rooms. Foreign countries and plans and music were in the inside room. The songs she thought about we Book Riot Read Harder Challenge 2015: Book written by author under age 25. Hauntingly beautiful glimpse into the inner life and the profound isolation humans are capable of experiencing. Favorite quotes:

"With her it was like there was two places -- the inside room and the outside room. School and the family and the things that happened every day were in the outside room. Mister Singer was in both rooms. Foreign countries and plans and music were in the inside room. The songs she thought about were there. And the symphony. When she was by herself in this inside room the music she heard that night after the party would come back to her. . . . The inside room was a very private place. She could be in the middle of a house full of people and still feel like she was locked up by herself (p. 126)."

"Each man described the mute as he wished him to be (p. 171)."

"All was quiet. It was like they waited to tell each other things that had never been told before. What she had to say was terrible and afraid. But what he would tell her was so true that it would make everything all right. Maybe it was a thing that could not be spoken with words or writing. Maybe he would have to let her understand this in a different way. That was the feeling she had with him (p. 234)."

"But now no music was in her mind. That was a funny thing. It was like she was shut out from the inside room. Sometimes a quick little tune would come and go -- but she never went into the inside room with the music like she used to do. It was like she was too tense. Or maybe because it was like the store took all her energy and time. Woolworth's wasn't the same as school. When she used to come home from school she felt good and was ready to start working on the music. But now she was always too tired. At home she just ate supper and slept and then ate breakfast and went off to the store again. A song she had started in her private notebook two months before was still not finished. And she wanted to stay in the inside room but she didn't know how. It was like the inside room was locked somewhere away from her. A very hard thing to understand (p. 269)."

"Then suddenly he felt a quickening in him. His heart turned and he leaned his back against the counter for support. For in a swift radiance of illumination he saw a glimpse of human struggle and of valor. Of the endless fluid passage of humanity through endless time. And of those who labor and of those who -- one word -- love. His soul expanded. But for a moment only. For in him he felt a warning, a shaft of terror. Between the two worlds he was suspended. He saw that he was looking at his own face in the counter glass before him. Sweat glistened on his temples and his face was contorted. One eye was opened wider than the other. The left eye delved narrowly into the past while the right gazed wide and affrighted into a future of blackness, error, and ruin. And he was suspended between radiance and darkness. Between bitter irony and faith. Sharply he turned away (p. 273)." ...more

Like · see review

Sep 03, 2013 Patrice Sartor added it

I saw this in a recent list on Oprah's web site of books that will make you cry. I knew that I read it, so I thought I'd see what I said about it, those several years ago. Instead, I didn't log it! So I don't know when I read it (a year or two after it was on Oprah's book club, I think), I don't know just what I thought of it, and I don't know how many stars I would have given it. Bah! I do remember liking it quite a bit, and yes, there was crying involved too. ...more

Like · see review