Short Stories

The Collected Works of Carson McCullers

The Collected Works of Carson McCullers

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  • Create Date：2021-09-05 08:54:14
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Carson McCullers
  • ISBN：1598535129
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Summary

For the first time in one authoritative edition， the collected writings of the
celebrated author of The Heart is a Lonely Hunter。
Contains:
CARSON McCULLERS: Complete Novels （Library of America #128）
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter / Reflections in a Golden Eye / The Member of the Wedding / The Ballad of the Sad Cafe / Clock Without Hands CARSON McCULLERS: Stories， Plays & Other Writings （LOA #287）
Complete Stories / The Member of the Wedding （Play） / The Square Root of
Wonderful / Essays， Poems， Memoirs

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Reviews

Lana ，

- Простофиля- Кто увидел ветер

talia ♡ ，

SUCKER - it is absolutely bonkers insane just how much i vibe with carson mccullers work。rating: 4。5COURT IN THE WEST EIGHTIES - subjects of surveillance and gender。。。*gordon ramsey voice* finally some delicious fucking food。 rating: 3。5POLDI - thinking about this quote about carson mccullers from the NYT while reading this story: "she dignified the individual， especially life's losers。"rating: 4。25BENEATH FROM THE SKY - cutting of hair in coming of age narratives get me every time and i never r SUCKER - it is absolutely bonkers insane just how much i vibe with carson mccullers work。rating: 4。5COURT IN THE WEST EIGHTIES - subjects of surveillance and gender。。。*gordon ramsey voice* finally some delicious fucking food。 rating: 3。5POLDI - thinking about this quote about carson mccullers from the NYT while reading this story: "she dignified the individual， especially life's losers。"rating: 4。25BENEATH FROM THE SKY - cutting of hair in coming of age narratives get me every time and i never recover。 rating: 4THE ORPHANAGE - god i LOVE this one。 LONELINESS。 ISOLATION。 CHILDHOOD。rating: 4。5INSTANT OF THE HOUR AFTER - reminded me of jd salinger。 infinite stars。 rating: 4。5LIKE THAT - "i get lonesome-sure-but i don't care。 i know there's no way i can make myself stay thirteen all my life， but i know i'd never let anything really change me at all-no matter what it is。"^ filed under: QUOTATIONS THAT WILL HAUNT ME FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE。rating: 4WUNDERKIND - gifted burnout kid disappointment type beat。 obviously appeals to me。 rating: 3。5THE ALIENS - could really do without this one。。。no ratingUNTITLED PIECE -THE JOCKEY - damn， had no idea about the oppression jockeys face。 #notalljockeys rating: 2。5MADAME ZILENSKY AND THE KING OF FINLAND - i feel like i understand madame zilensky though。。。rating: 3CORRESPONDENCE - i would read a 600 page book only filled with the letters of 14 year old Henrietta "Henky" Evans。rating: 4。5A TREE A ROCK A CLOUD - a masterpiece。rating: 4。5ART AND MR。 MAHONEY - i have nothing to say。rating: 3THE SOJOURNER - how on earth？？！ this has to be one of the most incredible short stories i've ever read。 i am so invested in ferris。。。the passing of youth and time。。。i want so much more。 what a tragedy。 rating: 5A DOMESTIC DILEMMA - there is nothing i love more in this world than stories about ultra fucked up families who put up a good front。rating: 4。5THE HAUNTED BOY - "He hated John， as you hate people you need so badly。" this is one of my favourite shorts or all time， and every time i read it， the agony i have to go through in order to reach the cathartic end is always worth it。rating: 5WHO HAS SEEN THE WIND？ - so bleak。 so depressing。 so cold。 i have a feeling that ken harris and nick dunne would get along very well。rating: 4。5THE BALLAD OF THE SAD CAFE - "But the hearts of small children are delicate organs。 A cruel beginning in this world can twist them into curious shapes。 The heart of a hurt child can shrink so that forever afterward it is hard and pitted as the seed of a peach。"。。。how am i supposed to read something like that and then just go on with the rest of my day？rating: 4。5OVERALL - carson mccullers is definitely one of my absolute favourite writers ever。 i enjoy reading about miserable people in miserable situations and tragedies that are so inevitable， you are dooming yourself by opening the first page。 since i actively seek out stories that center the outcasts and rejects of the world， obviously this collection suited me perfectly。 i feel like mccullers words are for people with razor blade hearts and those who have been listening to The Front Bottoms and like， Nick Cave， since grade school: in other words， me。 i would feel stupid to give this collection less than 5 stars。 。。。more

Natalie ，

DNFCould not connect with the characters at allll so it was making this short story super hard to read oh well life is too short Wish I understood the hype https://youtu。be/59Dxj8aV2J8 DNFCould not connect with the characters at allll so it was making this short story super hard to read oh well life is too short Wish I understood the hype https://youtu。be/59Dxj8aV2J8 。。。more

Bri ，

"The Orphanage" tells the story of a woman recalling her childhood memories regarding the local orphanage that she would pass by while taking walks with her grandmother。 "[T]his secrecy and the mysterious noises made me very much afraid。 I would often pass the home with my grandmother， on our way home from the Main Street of town and now， in memory， it seems that we always walked by in twilight wintertime。" Eventually she mentioned meeting a girl， Hattie and her becoming her "initiator。" We aren "The Orphanage" tells the story of a woman recalling her childhood memories regarding the local orphanage that she would pass by while taking walks with her grandmother。 "[T]his secrecy and the mysterious noises made me very much afraid。 I would often pass the home with my grandmother， on our way home from the Main Street of town and now， in memory， it seems that we always walked by in twilight wintertime。" Eventually she mentioned meeting a girl， Hattie and her becoming her "initiator。" We aren't told how but she ends up spending time with Hattie and her second cousin Tit inside of the orphanage。 However; she notes that her grandparents did not want her playing with this child and for good reason。 She mentions again her hazy memory and recalls the girl pulling down a large jar to reveal inside， a dead pickled baby。 From that point on she became haunted by the thought of the dead child in the jar。 "I dreamed once that the thing had got out of the jar and was scuttling around the Orphans Home and I was locked in there and it was scuttling after me。" She has quite the terrifying experience at only 7 years old so it is really not a surprise she would imagine this occurring。 Though this story was a bit difficult to completely grasp， I did find it interesting to read。 After rereading this and reading "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" I can see the attitude of this author more clear and her demeanor and she seems like quite an interesting author for her time。 。。。more

Inder Singh ，

"The Orphanage" is about a girl who walks past an Orphanage with her grandmother a lot。 She describes it as mysterious and ugly。 She met a girl named Hattie who was an orphan there， and Hattie shared a secret with them。 She showed them a bottle with a dead pickled baby inside。 This horrified the girl and she got scared。 After that day， when she walked past the orphanage， she used to be scared and stayed close to her grandma。 Eventually， as she got older she was no longer afraid and her fear turn "The Orphanage" is about a girl who walks past an Orphanage with her grandmother a lot。 She describes it as mysterious and ugly。 She met a girl named Hattie who was an orphan there， and Hattie shared a secret with them。 She showed them a bottle with a dead pickled baby inside。 This horrified the girl and she got scared。 After that day， when she walked past the orphanage， she used to be scared and stayed close to her grandma。 Eventually， as she got older she was no longer afraid and her fear turned into fascination。 Her grandma was elected to be on the board for the orphanage， and some of the kids from the orphanage started going to her school。 She eventually gets to go inside the orphanage with her grandma and makes some friends。Overall， I thought this story was a little boring。 I thought it was cool how she walked past the orphanage as a kid and used to be afraid， but as she got older she was no longer afraid。 It was a decent depiction of coming of age and maturity。 Other than that， it was not very interesting。 Personally， I like stories with more action， so I would not recommend this to someone。 。。。more

Luís ，

McCullers's explorations in the dynamics between "home and away" began with her adolescent studies of classical music and her great love of classic literature。 She cites the Southern writer William Faulkner as an enticement and Dostoevsky， Tolstoy， Flaubert， and her contemporary Isak Dinesen。 McCullers's explorations in the dynamics between "home and away" began with her adolescent studies of classical music and her great love of classic literature。 She cites the Southern writer William Faulkner as an enticement and Dostoevsky， Tolstoy， Flaubert， and her contemporary Isak Dinesen。 。。。more

Autumn Cardelli ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 "The Orphanage" by Carson Mccullers is about a child's recollection of an orphanage in their town。 The sight of the orphanage fills the child with unease and the essence of the orphanage makes the child curious about what goes on inside。 The child grows emotionally and meets a peculiar girl who shows them a fetus in a basement。 The child then learns that the orphanage is not so scary or haunting as they originally thought when their grandmother takes them there to drop off donations。 "The Orphan "The Orphanage" by Carson Mccullers is about a child's recollection of an orphanage in their town。 The sight of the orphanage fills the child with unease and the essence of the orphanage makes the child curious about what goes on inside。 The child grows emotionally and meets a peculiar girl who shows them a fetus in a basement。 The child then learns that the orphanage is not so scary or haunting as they originally thought when their grandmother takes them there to drop off donations。 "The Orphanage" shows the perplexity of a child's mind and the importance of resolution to understanding。 。。。more

Danielle Schunneman ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 There were a few mistakes that I can overlook and didn't seem complete。 But the way he wrote about Hattie was an interesting take on a character。 I wouldn't have read this on my own but it was alright in my opinion。 There were a few mistakes that I can overlook and didn't seem complete。 But the way he wrote about Hattie was an interesting take on a character。 I wouldn't have read this on my own but it was alright in my opinion。 。。。more

Arthur Ivan ，

A wonderful collection of short stories that features interesting characters and deep emotions。

Joe Sharkey ，

Member of the Wedding one of the great American novelas。

Alec ，

I think I may try this collection again later， but I just can't do it right now。 I was expecting to be blown away， but the stories I read had no personality and felt like they could have come out of any creative writing workshop rather than an alleged great。 I'll try this again some day when I've gotten the bad taste out of my mouth。 I think I may try this collection again later， but I just can't do it right now。 I was expecting to be blown away， but the stories I read had no personality and felt like they could have come out of any creative writing workshop rather than an alleged great。 I'll try this again some day when I've gotten the bad taste out of my mouth。 。。。more

Teresa ，

This review is only of the short stories not included in The Ballad of the Sad Café and Other Stories， which I’ve reviewed here。*After reading a comment praising the short story “The Haunted Boy，” I decided to read all the stories in this volume that I hadn’t read before。 Several are considered “apprentice” stories， but I dispute that label for “The Aliens，” an impressive story that has stuck with me more than any of the others。 I also think “The Orphanage，” despite some insightful passages， isn This review is only of the short stories not included in The Ballad of the Sad Café and Other Stories， which I’ve reviewed here。*After reading a comment praising the short story “The Haunted Boy，” I decided to read all the stories in this volume that I hadn’t read before。 Several are considered “apprentice” stories， but I dispute that label for “The Aliens，” an impressive story that has stuck with me more than any of the others。 I also think “The Orphanage，” despite some insightful passages， isn’t a finished piece; though I found no evidence online to support my belief。McCullers’s talent manifested early。 Her stories are intentionally worded with fine characterizations of flawed individuals。 Readers of her more famous works will easily pick out characters and themes—gender issues; adolescents desperately trying to connect with others—that she’ll develop further and to greater effect。 *I only re-read “A Tree。 A Rock。 A Cloud。”—on a night when I knew I needed a great story， one of （quirky） love and empathy。 。。。more

Chloe ，

The only story worth it is The Member of the Wedding。

Evelien ，

Short stories are just so gratefull when not having much time to read。I just loved the southern， sultry atmosphere， stories set in endless long dry summers in America。Into female writers for the moment and really recommend her！Ideal summerread。

Mariana Santos ，

Great collection of short stories。 Absolutely loved this book！ My favorite story was “The Ballad of the sad cafe”

Sabrina Grandia ，

Though I only read the short story， “The Orphanage，” in this book， I felt very connected with the writing。 McCullers utilized Freytag’s Pyramid in a manner I’ve become familiar with reading in my education。 There is plenty of imagery to truly place you in the moments with the characters and bring you back to your own childhood thought processes and experiences。 I appreciated the transition of dark to light you can feel while reading the story as the young character ages and begins to feel more c Though I only read the short story， “The Orphanage，” in this book， I felt very connected with the writing。 McCullers utilized Freytag’s Pyramid in a manner I’ve become familiar with reading in my education。 There is plenty of imagery to truly place you in the moments with the characters and bring you back to your own childhood thought processes and experiences。 I appreciated the transition of dark to light you can feel while reading the story as the young character ages and begins to feel more comfortable and confident with herself。 I would love to see this story continued and would like to read more of McCullers’s work because of it。 。。。more

Jeff ，

I read The Heart is a Lonely Hunter quite some time。 McCullers tends to get lost in the gothic list that includes Flannery and Welty， and by nature of their writing， both quality and quantity， this is probably fair。 That said this collection including the two longer pieces " The Sad Cafe " and the novella " The Member of the Wedding " are well worth a read。 The first three stories in the collection （ Sucker， Court in the West Eighties， and Poldi ） are fairly nondescript， worth reading to get a s I read The Heart is a Lonely Hunter quite some time。 McCullers tends to get lost in the gothic list that includes Flannery and Welty， and by nature of their writing， both quality and quantity， this is probably fair。 That said this collection including the two longer pieces " The Sad Cafe " and the novella " The Member of the Wedding " are well worth a read。 The first three stories in the collection （ Sucker， Court in the West Eighties， and Poldi ） are fairly nondescript， worth reading to get a sense of the writer certainly， nothing you would remember however。 The first story to make sure to read is " Breath From the Sky " where we spend a day with a young woman who is obviously suffering from failing health， perhaps she is consumptive。 Most of her interaction is with her caretaker though her Mother does come in and out of the story but one sees she is quite busy with the younger siblings of our sick friend。 We would need more story to determine if this is a callous attitude by the Mother of a protective measure to deal with her own helplessness to cure her daughter。 The Orphanage is weak and Instant of the Hour is all but unreadable but " Like That " is a very strong story in which one can see very clear beginnings of the themes that appear later in The Member of the Wedding。 In this story we follow the relationship between our younger narrator， a girl of 13 and her older sister referred to only as " Sis"。 The tow girls share a room， a bed， and have a closer relationship than their age difference might indicate。 The summer of the story things are changing， Sis is spending most nights with Tuck， a young man home from college。 Still， each night Sis shares details of her dates， the young girl does not begrudge the time her sister spends。 When she comes home upset one evening late in the summer though， things change。 Her sister will not talk about it， she sulks for days。 Tuck appears for a final Sunday dinner but things are still not right。 The story e do a couple months later， the couple appears to be together， but our narrator has resolved that she will never have feelings that strong if it can cause that level of upset。 Another very strong story is titled " The Aliens。" We follow a middle aged Jewish man as me rides on a bus from New York City to an unnamed city in the Deep South。 We learn that， here in the mid thirties， he is a refuge from Europe。 His family， in fact， is still there until he can afford to being them over。 As he makes his way he meets people and we watch is interactions with the people。 Primarily this is with a young Southern man who is both friendly and openly curious about this obviously " foreign " man。Another piece， called simply " Untitled Piece " is another example of her working on her themes of motherless children in the south。 Again we have an olde sister， this time our narrator is her younger brother。 The sister suffers from a sense of confusion and anger about the world changing and as she changes， goes away to school， and returns changed we follow our young man as me grows too。 Several mediocre stories appear next including a lesson on how to learn to love called " A Tree， a Rock， a Cloud " and a husband who makes a mistake is society that his wife is not likely to forgive easily in " Art and Mr。 Mahoney 。" A strong piece on the perils of a young Mothers drinking the day away is told from the husbands point of view in " A Domestic Dilemma。" We see the man leads work hopeful， play with his children， get them to bed， and ready to confront his wife in anger be unable to do so when he sees her sleeping， breathing peacefully like a woman who was the one he married。Two more solid pieces， " The Haunted Boy " and " Who Has Seen the Wind " take us up the two famous end pieces。 The former focuses on the emotional recovery of a boy who found his Mother after her attempted suicide and， in a longish piece we see the author speak to the subject of a struggling writer。 In this story we follow a middle aged man who now hears from his early success sees his relationship with his wife， his contemporaries， even his own pride all fall apart in anger and embarrassment。The Sad Cafe is a good story， it is interesting， but it is also odd and more in the Southern gothic tone than much of her work。 Our narrator points out an old decrepit building in a fading town。 The building is all but falling over。 Is it possible there is an old wizened face leaking out one of the dirty cracked windows on the high floor。 Then we are taken back in time to when the building stood relatively straight and was inhabited by a Miss Amelia。 An eccentric for sure she made moonshine， ran a store， wore men's clothes （ except on Sunday mornings at church ） and Doctored all who asked。 She also was cantankerous in the extreme and litigation prone。 This all changes when a hunchback， a man who only reaches her waist shows up one summer evening around midnight and announces himself as kin through her Mother's half sister long ago。 The townspeople are amazed that she believes this story and takes him in。 Moreso are they at the changes that occur over time in her actions。 The man， now called her cousin， is named Lyman， and Lyman is a man who loves to be social。 Soon the alcohol she sells on Saturdays is opened。in the store， meals are offered and sold。 Townsfolks come each week， The Sad Cafe is born。 This goes on until the day that Amelia's husband from a ten day marriage long ago arrives in town。 Fresh out of a long jail sentence he quickly brings about changes in Amelia， changes in Lyman， The Sad Cafe， and， with all that， the whole tone and mood of the town sinks。 This man is mean and intimidating。 He has no use for Lyman， he bullies one and all， but Lyman， strangely， becomes infatuated with him。 He follows him at a distance each day， trailing Along behind sniveling if he gets a chance to speak。 The townsfolk do not understand why Amelia， as Lyman's benefactor， does not forbid this foolishness。 It all comes to a head one Saturday night as Amelia and her ex have a physical altercation。 A fight， a match， everyone gathers around， against the wall knowing this will be the decider in how the life of the town proceeds。 Amelia fights like a man， better than a man and finally after a half hour of struggle is about to finish the battle when from his high perch along the wall Lyman launches himself at her like a modern day wrestler on television and turns the tide of the fight。 After her defeat she retires in silence to her living quarters as the townsfolk go home in shock。 The victor and his accomplice leave town but not before breaking anything that's breakable and stealing anything of value in The Sad Cafe。 Soon thereafter all the windows are boarded up on the cafe and Amelia never ventures out in public again。In many ways " The Member of the Wedding " seems to be the piece that McCullers was working on until she completed it。 As stated above you can see the ideas and themes developing in other stories。 And then it all comes to fruition in Frankie Adams。 A tall， gangly， Southern girl suddenly deemed to young for her older playmates and spending a summer of discontent with her six year old cousin and her family's black housekeeper as the grey invades the kitchen each afternoon。 I remember being a kid and wondering the wonders that Frankie obsesses with。 Why are we here ？ Not here but here at all。 What if we were not here ， what would be， would it be just nothing。 The joys of being twelve are， indeed， the pains of being twelve。 In between and， if one is prone to naval gazing， it can， as it does for Frankie， become almost debilitating。 The story itself centers on the family receiving a letter from her brother。 She loves her older brother who has been in the service in Alaska， a place she dreams of often now， but upon his arrival home announces that this very coming weekend he will be marrying his longtime sweetheart。 Somehow Frankie convinces herself she will be the third member of their we。 The We of me as she calls it。 While her Father， who has a habit of doing this， ignores what she says the family maid knows trouble is brewing。 Inside this we also learn much about all the members of that kitchen table society， John Henry the six year old cousin whose family will be touched by tragedy this summer and Berenice， the four times married " colored " maid that is the closest maternal figure Frankie has。 I cannot be the only person who has seen the similarities between the characters of Frankie and Scout， their circumstances and familial and peer relationships。 Not a copy， their are differences， still it is hard to not see that the themes are similar。I spoke about the feelings of strangeness， of almost vertigo， young Frankie feels， feelings I'm sure almost any child on the verge of adolescence struggles with。 A couple of quotes that describe it as well as you will see。 " She was afraid of those things that suddenly made her wonder who she was， and what she was going to be in the world， and why she was standing at that minute， seeing a light， or listening， staring up at the sky: alone。 She was afraid， and there was a queer tightness in her chest。 " Or。" Listen， " F。 Jasmine said ， " What I've been trying to say is this。 Doesn't it strike you as strange that I am I， and you are you。 I am F。 Jasmine Adams。 And you are Berenice Sadie Brown。 We can look at each other， and touch each other， and stay together year in after year out in the same room。 Yet， I am always I， and you are you。 And I can't ever be anything else but me， and you can't ever be anything else but you。 Have you ever thought of that。 And does it to you seem strange。 " Those， are some pretty damn good questions， in good form， seeking answers that often only a twelve year old can ask。 。。。more

Deborah Sheldon ，

The more I read of Carson McCullers， the more she reminds me of Flannery O'Connor， another of my all-time favourite authors。 They both have the uncanny ability to nail down a distinct time and place with such veracity that you can almost smell the air。 "The Ballad of the Sad Cafe" and "Who Has Seen the Wind？" were stand-outs for me。 McCullers' central theme seems to be， "Love hurts"， and she shows us just how much it can， in all manner of wrenching and beautifully written ways。 The more I read of Carson McCullers， the more she reminds me of Flannery O'Connor， another of my all-time favourite authors。 They both have the uncanny ability to nail down a distinct time and place with such veracity that you can almost smell the air。 "The Ballad of the Sad Cafe" and "Who Has Seen the Wind？" were stand-outs for me。 McCullers' central theme seems to be， "Love hurts"， and she shows us just how much it can， in all manner of wrenching and beautifully written ways。 。。。more

Lúcia Fonseca ，

Wunderkind - 5⭐️Uma árvore， uma rocha， uma nuvem - 3，5⭐️Um dilema doméstico - 5⭐️O rapazinho assombrado - 5⭐️Quem viu o vento？ - 4⭐️Sucker - 3⭐️Um pátio em West Eighties - 3⭐️Um sopro vindo do céu - 3⭐️Um instante da hora seguinte - 5⭐️Se é assim - 5⭐️Os estranhos - 3，5⭐️Fragmento sem título - 3⭐️Bastante interessante de forma geral。 Gostei bastante da escrita da autora。 Sem duvida que vou querer ler mais。

Denise ，

In my opinion， Carson McCullers may be one of the most under valued American women writers。

Doug H ，

I’m only reviewing the short stories here and not The Member of the Wedding， which I loved。 Overall， McCullers’ novels are her strong suit。 Aside from two or three， her short stories are not。 Not for me， anyway。 I’m only reviewing the short stories here and not The Member of the Wedding， which I loved。 Overall， McCullers’ novels are her strong suit。 Aside from two or three， her short stories are not。 Not for me， anyway。 。。。more

Mike Orta ，

It's been a couple of months since I finished this book and the characters from "sad cafe" still haunt me。 This is a well written story of unreturned love， we've all been there though not to the extent of these characters。 The rest of the short stories are also well written。 They remind me of the quality of writing found in "Dubliners" by James Joyce。 It's been a couple of months since I finished this book and the characters from "sad cafe" still haunt me。 This is a well written story of unreturned love， we've all been there though not to the extent of these characters。 The rest of the short stories are also well written。 They remind me of the quality of writing found in "Dubliners" by James Joyce。 。。。more

Kelly ，

4。5 stars for the collection， 4 stars for THE MEMBER OF THE WEDDING， 4。5 for "The Ballad of the Sad Cafe。"McCullers' writing is on the whole excellent （in particular， she is wonderful at creating characters atmosphere and at capturing characters through dialect） and very insightful about human nature and relationships。 Her work tends to be darker and/or more disturbing than I generally like， with characters that， though excellently crafted tend to be very flawed， sometimes to the point of being 4。5 stars for the collection， 4 stars for THE MEMBER OF THE WEDDING， 4。5 for "The Ballad of the Sad Cafe。"McCullers' writing is on the whole excellent （in particular， she is wonderful at creating characters atmosphere and at capturing characters through dialect） and very insightful about human nature and relationships。 Her work tends to be darker and/or more disturbing than I generally like， with characters that， though excellently crafted tend to be very flawed， sometimes to the point of being unlikeable。 But that's really part and parcel of the Southern Gothic genre， and the writing was so good that I didn't mind nearly as much as I ordinarily do。 I feel compelled to say a little in particular about The Member of the Wedding （included at the end of this collection）， since it's McCullers' most famous work。 I really enjoyed the first and third parts （particularly the insights about people and the use of flashbacks） but I had a hard time with the middle section， as I found the protagonist's behavior and attitude during it bizarre and insufferable。 I recognize that that's sort of the point， but it still bugged me。 Favorites:"The Haunted Boy" （tough / disturbing subject matter， but absolutely brilliant）"Court in the West Eighties""Untitled Piece""Art and Mr。 Mahoney" （surprisingly funny）"The Sojourner" 。。。more

Shelby Rush ，

Made it through page 47。 The stories contain interesting elements， but just aren't engaging enough to keep me reading。 The endings are like an opened soda that's sat out all day: flat。 Maybe her novels are better？ This is my first experience with this author， but I'm not motivated to try anything more。 Made it through page 47。 The stories contain interesting elements， but just aren't engaging enough to keep me reading。 The endings are like an opened soda that's sat out all day: flat。 Maybe her novels are better？ This is my first experience with this author， but I'm not motivated to try anything more。 。。。more

Eldonfoil TH*E Whatever Champion ，

ballad of sad cafe 2 stars/remainder 1

E Wilson ，

I remember seeing" The Member of the Wedding" on TV when I was quite young and absolutely loving it。 I remember the scenes with Frankie， John Henry and Berenice andFrankie's obsession with her brother and fiancé and the believe that she was going to leave and go with them after the wedding。 I don't remember Frankie's adventures on thetown， or the aftermath of the wedding。 Was the second half considered too adult for me andI wasn't allowed to watch it？ Anyway， I liked" The Member of the Wedding" I remember seeing" The Member of the Wedding" on TV when I was quite young and absolutely loving it。 I remember the scenes with Frankie， John Henry and Berenice andFrankie's obsession with her brother and fiancé and the believe that she was going to leave and go with them after the wedding。 I don't remember Frankie's adventures on thetown， or the aftermath of the wedding。 Was the second half considered too adult for me andI wasn't allowed to watch it？ Anyway， I liked" The Member of the Wedding"。 After readingthat Carson's husband was an alcoholic who committed suicide，" Who Has Seen the Wind" wasespecially poignant。 I liked the very realistic snapshot of a teenage girl in "Correspondence"。One of my favorites was "Untitled Piece" especially the episode of Andrew and Sara building a glider and really believing that they will be able to fly。 I didn't care for "The Ballad of the Sad Café。 The characters were just too bizarre。 It felt more like a fairy or folk tale than about real people。 Well， maybe it was meant to be a folk tale， but I still didn't care for it。 。。。more

Hannah ，

It is a relief to be done with this book。 These stories， as lovely as the writing is， as timeless the themes， as perhaps even perfectly executed were all just so。。。lonesome and disturbing， like being engulfed in a never ending grey drizzle the seeped into my bones。

Moses Hetfield ，

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter is one of my favorite books， so I was excited to read this collection of McCullers' short stories/novellas。 Overall it was a bit of a mixed bag。 Some of the stories were quite good， others were merely okay， but "The Ballad of the Sad Cafe，" her 60 page novella， was excellent and brings up my rating of this book from three to four stars。 It's a bit of a depressing story， but I think it's McCullers at her finest， and it really resonated with me。 "The Member of the The Heart is a Lonely Hunter is one of my favorite books， so I was excited to read this collection of McCullers' short stories/novellas。 Overall it was a bit of a mixed bag。 Some of the stories were quite good， others were merely okay， but "The Ballad of the Sad Cafe，" her 60 page novella， was excellent and brings up my rating of this book from three to four stars。 It's a bit of a depressing story， but I think it's McCullers at her finest， and it really resonated with me。 "The Member of the Wedding，" the 140 page novella， had its moments but was not on the same level。McCullers' short stories in this collection were often quite moving。 I found her stories about children to be particularly well done。 Overall， many of the stories in here are worth reading， but if you just read one it should definitely be "Sad Cafe。" 。。。more

Jesse ，

Positively brutal。 The stories are all about listless， friendless teenage girls in the deep south， and broke southern alcoholics living in New York City。 This makes me believe that the author was first one， then the other。 The novella that closes out the collection， Member of the Wedding， is one of the saddest things I have ever read。 It tears the scab off of adolescence in a way that is simultaneously unreal and absolutely true。

Eric Hinkle ，

I think Carson is officially my favorite writer of her time。 God， I love her。From "Untitled Piece":Standing there alone on the roof he always felt he had to shout out -- but he did not know what it was he wanted to say。 It seemed like if he could put this thing into words he would no longer be a boy with big rough bare feet and hands that hung down clumsy from the outgrown sleeves of his lumberjack。 He would be a great man， a kind of God， and what he called out would make things that bothered hi I think Carson is officially my favorite writer of her time。 God， I love her。From "Untitled Piece":Standing there alone on the roof he always felt he had to shout out -- but he did not know what it was he wanted to say。 It seemed like if he could put this thing into words he would no longer be a boy with big rough bare feet and hands that hung down clumsy from the outgrown sleeves of his lumberjack。 He would be a great man， a kind of God， and what he called out would make things that bothered him and all other people plain and simple。 His voice would be great and like music and men and women would come out of their houses and listen to him and because they knew what he said was true they would all be like one person and would understand everything in the world。 But no matter how big this feeling was he could never put any of it into words。 [。。。] And when the rest of the gang would come out from the house and look up at him he felt a sudden panic， as though his corduroy pants had dropped from him。 To cover up his nakedness， he would yell something like 'Friends Romans Countrymen' or 'Shake-Spear Kick Him in the Rear' and then he would climb down feeling empty and shamed and more lonesome than anybody else in the world。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Collected Works of Carson McCullers

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Collected Works of Carson McCullers&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Collected Works of Carson McCullers&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0