With the publication of her first novel, THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER, Carson McCullers, all of twenty-three, became a literary sensation. With its profound sense of moral isolation and its compassionate glimpses into its characters' inner lives, the novel is considered McCullers' finest work, an enduring masterpiece first published by Houghton Mifflin in 1940. At its center is the deaf-mute John Singer, who becomes the confidant for various types of misfits in a Georgia mill town during the 1930s. Each one yearns for ...
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With the publication of her first novel, THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER, Carson McCullers, all of twenty-three, became a literary sensation. With its profound sense of moral isolation and its compassionate glimpses into its characters' inner lives, the novel is considered McCullers' finest work, an enduring masterpiece first published by Houghton Mifflin in 1940. At its center is the deaf-mute John Singer, who becomes the confidant for various types of misfits in a Georgia mill town during the 1930s. Each one yearns for escape from small town life. When Singer's mute companion goes insane, Singer moves into the Kelly house, where Mick Kelly, the book's heroine (and loosely based on McCullers), finds solace in her music. Wonderfully attuned to the spiritual isolation that underlies the human condition, and with a deft sense for racial tensions in the South, McCullers spins a haunting, unforgettable story that gives voice to the rejected, the forgotten, and the mistreated -- and, through Mick Kelly, gives voice to the quiet, intensely personal search for beauty. Richard Wright praised Carson McCullers for her ability to rise above the pressures of her environment and embrace white and black humanity in one sweep of apprehension and tenderness. She writes with a sweep and certainty that are overwhelming, said the NEW YORK TIMES. McCullers became an overnight literary sensation, but her novel has endured, just as timely and powerful today as when it was first published. THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER is Carson McCullers at her most compassionate, endearing best.
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The most startling and wondrous novel I have encountered in quite some time. McCullers writes like some child prodigy who is inventing the form as she goes along, tossing off observations of human behavior and environment that would seem extraneous, or simply odd, in any one else's work and here seem as natural and harmonious as the elements of a great (sad) song.
StevenWilliamson
Jun 10, 2010
Southern Gothic
This is a monumental achievement, which should be on any serious reader's list.
pamela1717
Jan 11, 2009
would only recommend to certain people
Definitely character driven. I'm just not a fan of Oprah's choices. SOOO depressing. I'm having a hard time rating this one. I did not particularly care for the story yet the author did a great job of portraying isolation and loneliness. Hence, a wishy washy three star review.
magenta
May 26, 2007
Amazing novel
Great intelligent and moving novel. Highly recommended. The presence of music, the social problems within South communities, but above all the loneliness of the lovers, are extremely interesting if seen through McCullers' lens. Provocative novel.
shann7734
Apr 1, 2007
Epic story.
Great book. Very easy to read and hard to put down. Highly recommended.
