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 … 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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This may be a stream of consciousness book review, for this book has left me reeling. I liked it, I didn’t like it; it’s masterful, it’s a compendium of first time (debut) author errors; it’s perfect, it lacks something; I love the ending, I hate the ending. Whatever I settle on, the fact is that this is an amazing book for a first-time author, …
There are a handful of books that seem to make in on every “best of” list for 20th century fiction. The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter is one of them. And rightfully so.
Centered around a deaf mute man named John Singer in a Georgian Mill Town, the book slowly expands to encompass a group of characters who are superficially unrelated, but share a …
My first recommendation is a special one. Given to me on my 17th birthday by a close friend, this book has become a companion in and of itself. Carson McCullers speaks volumes on loneliness, sadness, self-discovery, growing up, and friendship. In an unforgettable manner, McCullers weaves the hardships of youth and adulthood into a honest story. My …
I have read many plays by Carson McCullers, but I had never read this book before. I am amazed this was her first novel and by the fact she offers insights to such a diverse cast of characters. It is thought provoking and disturbing and an interesting picture of the time and place.
Amazing classic.
This is the sad story of a deaf-mute set in a 1930s mill town. John Singer’s best friend, another deaf-mute is taken away to an institution and he finds himself surrounded by a group of misfits at his boarding house. Mick is a young girl that dreams of being a musician. Portia is the housekeeper and cook, her father is a local doctor. Jake is a …