The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter

Rating:
Summary: This book is very overated!
Review: I've read this book once and I had to force myself not to put it down. This book is like the movie "It's A Wonderful Life" on the fact that it shows how one man influenced other people's lives. However, in "It's A Wonderful Life", the world was worse off without Jimmy Stewart, the characters are EXACTLY the same after their "Jimmy Stewart" is killed. So, his death had no impact. Doctor Copeland's constant complaining does not help the story in any way either. I very much recommend you to avoid this boring novel.

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Summary: The Paradox of the Deep South
Review: The beauty of Carson McCullers' first novel is it honestly depicts the deep south of her time. It shows both the romantic aspects and the ugliness (racism, in particular), while telling the stories of a group of memorable characters, centered around a gentle deaf-mute at a boardinghouse. McCullers finds a middle-ground, giving us the flavor of this small southern town, both sweet and sour. This book is one of my favorites of all time.

Rating:
Summary: ok, but not the best.....or newhere near it
Review: i understand where she was coming from and each of the characters problems. i'm only in eighth grade, but i know that this is real life and how people react to different things. however, the characters didn't do anything about their problems. Carson McCullers must have been dumped or something when she wrote this book because it's very depressing. the thing i don't understand is why people would want to read about real life when we already live it. we all know what life is like so what is the point of this book? it took me so long just to read a chapter. i didn't get into it at all. the book just makes you want to commit suicide or something. the only reason i read it was to get a good grade . well, at least i get $10 for getting an A in my stupid english class. u know how they say, "never judge a book by it's cover," well this book is a way more boring than the cover, take my word for it.

Rating:
Summary: Defense of High Schoolers
Review: One critisism of this book states that it might not be ideal high school reading. I am a junior in high school. This book is a discription of loneliness and disappointment, which I believe young people understand but do not wish to accept. It is a staggering blow to idealism. Nevertheless, it is very well written and I cannot fault its honesty.

Rating:
Summary: Oooooo so good!
Review: This book is a wonderful story of overcoming hardships of life no matter if they are large or small. It is a story of a man named John Singer who is a deaf mute and after living with his Greek companion for over 10 years his friend goes insane leaving him alone in a lonely world. He rents a room with the Kelly family in their boarding house and begins to explore the silent world around him as no one else sees it. He listens to others problems without hearing and is still able to write down his thoughts and ideas. This is a heartwarming story that goes into so many worlds that are yet to be looked at by so many people. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to be intrigued by the world around them. It is well worth the effort to get this book and take a peek:)

Rating:
Summary: memorable
Review: I read this book in 1967. I was 13 and had recently left a lifetime of reading horse stories behind and had begun that journey beyond. For whatever reasons, this book stunned and mezmorized me. And it defined somehow the literary course I would follow into the future, from Flannery O'Conner to even the likes of Geek Love by Dunn. A strange fascination...

Rating:
Summary: a wonderful book
Review: I am a freshman in HS, and MY dad read this book to me there years ago, I loved it at the time and i just recently read it again and got even more out of it. For all of you adults who think that teenagers are incapable of reading this book are wrong, but all of the hs students who wrote in to trash this book are also wrong! If you really think that it deserves 0 stars then you must not have understood it.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting View of Related Lives
Review: This is a book which I felt was unjustly slammed by many of the high school reviewers on this web site, so I tried as much as possible to justify a 5 star rating but could not. Again, this is a book which I might not be inclined to recommend for high school reading since its description of dreams lost and disillusionment is something which may not relate well to younger readers. The prose is sometimes weak and the ending is a basic shrug towards life with the lesson of "life goes on". In this regard, McCullers disappoints and makes no effort to reward the reader's concern for her characters.

Rating:
Summary: Pretty Good Book Overall
Review: OK let me get the bad stuff out of the way first: the book was a little too long, all the description made it boring at times, the pacing was slow, and the characters hadn't really developed or grown by the end of the novel. But why does it get four stars, you ask? The book followed the lives of some very different people and that was interesting: a 12 year old girl, a restaurant owner, a big drunk guy, a black doctor, and two mute guys. Each chapter was about one of these people so if you got tired of reading about one, the next chapter was about someone different. There were lots of interesting parts it the book once you get past the boring, depressing description. People die, a child is shot in the head, a man gets his feet cut off. None of this stuff is good, but it makes the better more interesting to read. The book is set in 1930s Georgia and the book addresses racism and segregagtion too. Even though its long, its worth it. You'll be proud you finished the 400+ pages.

Rating:
Summary: Give it a chance and you might even learn something
Review: First of all I can relate to all of you who hated this book, if I hadn't been asigned to reading it I don't think anything could have made me do it. I am also dissapointed in all the adult readers who say that it is impossible for a highschhol student to understand this book. I am a junior in highschool. I found this book to be an amazingly written classic that sums up american life and beauty. I can't even begin to understand life during the depression but this book gave me incredible insight. while I had to force myself to stay awake to read it I think Carson McCullers is one of the best authors of ever had the chance to read the works of.