The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter
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- Create Date：2021-04-08 14:55:46
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Carson McCullers
- ISBN：0141185228
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Summary
An alternate cover for this ISBN can be found here。
Carson McCullers’ prodigious first novel was published to instant acclaim when she was just twenty-three。 Set in a small town in the middle of the deep South， it is the story of John Singer， a lonely deaf-mute， and a disparate group of people who are drawn towards his kind， sympathetic nature。 The owner of the café where Singer eats every day， a young girl desperate to grow up， an angry drunkard， a frustrated black doctor: each pours their heart out to Singer， their silent confidant， and he in turn changes their disenchanted lives in ways they could never imagine。
Contains Chronology， list of Further Reading and Notes。
Carson McCullers’ prodigious first novel was published to instant acclaim when she was just twenty-three。 Set in a small town in the middle of the deep South， it is the story of John Singer， a lonely deaf-mute， and a disparate group of people who are drawn towards his kind， sympathetic nature。 The owner of the café where Singer eats every day， a young girl desperate to grow up， an angry drunkard， a frustrated black doctor: each pours their heart out to Singer， their silent confidant， and he in turn changes their disenchanted lives in ways they could never imagine。
Contains Chronology， list of Further Reading and Notes。
Reviews
sidney♡
，
3。5 stars maybe but rounding up because the last 20 or so pages of this GUTTED me。Carson McCullers writing this at age 23 is insane。 To be so young and the to write something like this that is so unique and honest。。。what a power move。 If you like Southern gothic， this book was made for you。 Lonely people， searching for the divine as they struggle against class， poverty， themselves。。。really， this is probably just about the human condition and how all of us， alone， try to cling to life。A unique bo 3。5 stars maybe but rounding up because the last 20 or so pages of this GUTTED me。Carson McCullers writing this at age 23 is insane。 To be so young and the to write something like this that is so unique and honest。。。what a power move。 If you like Southern gothic， this book was made for you。 Lonely people， searching for the divine as they struggle against class， poverty， themselves。。。really， this is probably just about the human condition and how all of us， alone， try to cling to life。A unique book， strange and lonely and honest。 。。。more
EmmaPorzee
，
Great story; I love how it was given。 Good job writer！ If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top
Marcella
，
It's impossible to call this a bad book; it's an American classic and the writing is stellar。 Unfortunately even in April of 2021 I'm still burnt out from 2020， so I only enjoyed it at a 3 star level。 A more objective rating is 5 stars， but as a subjective human reviewer I was drained by the heavy subjects of life， and specifically of 1939--poverty， racism， fascism， loneliness， injustice， violence--and I had to take a long break in the middle of reading it before I could handle finishing it。 One It's impossible to call this a bad book; it's an American classic and the writing is stellar。 Unfortunately even in April of 2021 I'm still burnt out from 2020， so I only enjoyed it at a 3 star level。 A more objective rating is 5 stars， but as a subjective human reviewer I was drained by the heavy subjects of life， and specifically of 1939--poverty， racism， fascism， loneliness， injustice， violence--and I had to take a long break in the middle of reading it before I could handle finishing it。 One reason that my progress was held back is that this doesn't feel like a story， it feels like a book， and the two ideas are different。 I can admire the themes and structure of a book without getting drawn into the story， and this was the case here。 And sometimes I just want a story。 。。。more
Петя Спасова
，
Една вълнуваща история， в която самотата се е загнездила в душата на хората。 В нея не се случва голямо събитие， велика промяна， но съдбата на хората ни разчуства и споделеното преживяване ни кара да се замислим。
Silje Sønsterudbråten
，
Boka er satt på 30-tallet i sørstatene og vi kjent med en håndfull personer som på ulike måter strever med å passe inn。 Kapitlene veksler mellom å presentere dem hver for seg og vi følger de alle gjennom ett år。 Uten å si noe om handlingen så er boka bygget opp rundt et slags plot og avslutning， men det skjer ikke så mye og romanen er ikke en page-turner。 Det går langsomt fremover og man får god tid til å bli kjent med det brede og varme persongalleriet - jeg ble veldig glad i dem alle sammen。 G Boka er satt på 30-tallet i sørstatene og vi kjent med en håndfull personer som på ulike måter strever med å passe inn。 Kapitlene veksler mellom å presentere dem hver for seg og vi følger de alle gjennom ett år。 Uten å si noe om handlingen så er boka bygget opp rundt et slags plot og avslutning， men det skjer ikke så mye og romanen er ikke en page-turner。 Det går langsomt fremover og man får god tid til å bli kjent med det brede og varme persongalleriet - jeg ble veldig glad i dem alle sammen。 Gjennom deres （ensomme） liv， tanker og valg får man et godt innblikk i de daglige kampene rundt klasse， rase og kjønn。 Synes i grunn det var en fin leseropplevelse - og sitter å lurer på hvordan det gikk med alle sammen。 。。。more
Joan Bliss
，
I give very few 5 star ratings。 This book deserves more than 5。 So exactly perfect it will be hard to find my next book。 My only problem is what took me so long to read it！ Thank you Little Free Library donator！
tonia peckover
，
A snapshot of a year in a small southern town， centered around John Singer， a deaf-mute， who becomes a pivotal figure for four very different people， each of who find in him something they are longing for。 McCullers draws her characters like Flannery O'Connor's grotesques， refusing to make them appealing or pretty for convention's sake and slowly drawing out their complicated and conflicted inner lives。 Her handling of her Black characters， giving them equal dignity and depth， is especially nota A snapshot of a year in a small southern town， centered around John Singer， a deaf-mute， who becomes a pivotal figure for four very different people， each of who find in him something they are longing for。 McCullers draws her characters like Flannery O'Connor's grotesques， refusing to make them appealing or pretty for convention's sake and slowly drawing out their complicated and conflicted inner lives。 Her handling of her Black characters， giving them equal dignity and depth， is especially notable， imo， for the time and her age （23 at the time she wrote this - astounding）。 。。。more
Freddie
，
I like that this book highlights loneliness of human existence very well， and posits that part of that loneliness stems from our own failing in proper communication。 It is bleak， which is also nice。 The main characters are so caught up in their own illusion / perception that they fail to see what's missing。 For me there's little change in character development and the characters feel relatively flat throughout。 I like that this book highlights loneliness of human existence very well， and posits that part of that loneliness stems from our own failing in proper communication。 It is bleak， which is also nice。 The main characters are so caught up in their own illusion / perception that they fail to see what's missing。 For me there's little change in character development and the characters feel relatively flat throughout。 。。。more
Bob Dabson
，
Got bored of Oliver Twist lol but so glad I picked this up instead。 Heavy but told with compassion， diverse and memorable characters， and some glorious prose to boot。 Another one where I’m not smart enough to say much of any depth about it but hoo boy I love me some religious imagery
destiny
，
I semi-enjoyed it， until I didn’t。 Not bad writing though， I’m sure others would like this book。
Julie
，
3⭐️After somehow acquiring two copies of this book over the years， I decided it was time to finally read it。 Overall， I’m a bit underwhelmed。 I can see why it’s a great high school english class book—it almost seems more enjoyable to analyze the themes and characters than actually read itself。 The characters were well written and compelling， but at the end of the day I just wasn’t excited to keep reading it。 I’m also not a fan of books that are structured where each chapter is from a different p 3⭐️After somehow acquiring two copies of this book over the years， I decided it was time to finally read it。 Overall， I’m a bit underwhelmed。 I can see why it’s a great high school english class book—it almost seems more enjoyable to analyze the themes and characters than actually read itself。 The characters were well written and compelling， but at the end of the day I just wasn’t excited to keep reading it。 I’m also not a fan of books that are structured where each chapter is from a different person’s perspective。 I can see why others love this， just not my style。 Glad I finally read it though。 。。。more
Kathryn B
，
depressing af but good
Dorn Permenter
，
My heart ached for some of these characters and some I just wanted to grab by the shoulders and shake some sense into like they were in a Bette Davis movie。 There were so many elements of hardship and longing for better lives well represented that I'm floored this was a 1940 publication。 McCullers' perspective on society and government and the great depression life in the moment seems to be better than many have in hind sight。 The vehicle of a deaf mute being the counselor/shoulder for our chara My heart ached for some of these characters and some I just wanted to grab by the shoulders and shake some sense into like they were in a Bette Davis movie。 There were so many elements of hardship and longing for better lives well represented that I'm floored this was a 1940 publication。 McCullers' perspective on society and government and the great depression life in the moment seems to be better than many have in hind sight。 The vehicle of a deaf mute being the counselor/shoulder for our characters to lean on and confide their desires and frustrations on was really genius。 I'm glad I picked this up coming off of recently reading The Warmth of Other Suns。 Her fictitious characters genuinely mirror some of their real life stories。 It was comforting yet heartbreaking to know she wrote her fiction from a true place and that the biographic tales were not exaggerations。 。。。more
Cc
，
DNF！ Started out really enjoying this different book。 （I say different in many ways as it was written many years ago so you need to keep that in mind as you read it）。 It reminded me of To Kill A Mockingbird。 Many great characters developed in this book。So then why did I not finish it？ Well， it became boring， repetitive and just A LOT of the same。 I lost interest and had no inclination to finish it。 I know this book is highly read， but it just wasn't for me。 DNF！ Started out really enjoying this different book。 （I say different in many ways as it was written many years ago so you need to keep that in mind as you read it）。 It reminded me of To Kill A Mockingbird。 Many great characters developed in this book。So then why did I not finish it？ Well， it became boring， repetitive and just A LOT of the same。 I lost interest and had no inclination to finish it。 I know this book is highly read， but it just wasn't for me。 。。。more
Jaeden Palanog
，
I like how the main characters met each other， I love the plot and everything about this book。 Good job writer！ If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on NovelStar， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top
Alina
，
this book got published decades ago but is still relevant cause nothing has changed about racism and capitalism in America （clown emoji）
Laura
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Slightly depressing book with an unsatisfactory ending。 My first foray into American Gothic。 Not sure if the genre is for me。I really liked how enlightened this book was for its time。 Topics of race， inequality， poverty， gender， etc all wrapped into one little unassuming package。 I should have guessed that this book wasn’t going to have a happy ending when these subjects were at the core of the stories。 I still hoped that someone in this book would find fulfillment， but instead the book conclude Slightly depressing book with an unsatisfactory ending。 My first foray into American Gothic。 Not sure if the genre is for me。I really liked how enlightened this book was for its time。 Topics of race， inequality， poverty， gender， etc all wrapped into one little unassuming package。 I should have guessed that this book wasn’t going to have a happy ending when these subjects were at the core of the stories。 I still hoped that someone in this book would find fulfillment， but instead the book concludes at a point where every single character has an unsatisfactory ending and grim prospects。 I guess， sadly， this book couldn’t have been more in touch with reality。 100% worth reading， but just make sure you have some comfort food or a therapist on call by the time you finish the book。 。。。more
Naomi
，
This book absolutely feels like something they make you read in high school English class - the "cannon" of books about "American" life by White authors that's part of the normalization of a certain kind of narrative （bootstraps！） about a certain kind of characters （slightly odd） in a certain kind of setting （small Southern town）。 And also I kept hearing my high school English teacher telling us that you can always interpret books through thinking about class， sex， and religion and both that tha This book absolutely feels like something they make you read in high school English class - the "cannon" of books about "American" life by White authors that's part of the normalization of a certain kind of narrative （bootstraps！） about a certain kind of characters （slightly odd） in a certain kind of setting （small Southern town）。 And also I kept hearing my high school English teacher telling us that you can always interpret books through thinking about class， sex， and religion and both that that framework mostly applies here and how much that depends on reading White authors and ignoring the omnipresence of race and racism in American history。 Anyway， I get why this is a "classic" （whoever decides such things）， but if you want to read a book by a woman in the south from the mid-twentieth century， read Toni Morrison instead。 。。。more
James Horn
，
Carson McCullers’ curiosity of a debut is a timeless classic。 I was so unsure of where this book was going until I realized it wasn’t headed anywhere， and that was the point。 Are any of us truly headed anywhere？ Or are we all endlessly directionless？ The book insinuates this exceedingly well， where even characters the most steadfast in their belief are still nomadic or do not foresee their ultimate futures。The writing here is masterful， managing to conjure nostalgia and despair in equal measure， Carson McCullers’ curiosity of a debut is a timeless classic。 I was so unsure of where this book was going until I realized it wasn’t headed anywhere， and that was the point。 Are any of us truly headed anywhere？ Or are we all endlessly directionless？ The book insinuates this exceedingly well， where even characters the most steadfast in their belief are still nomadic or do not foresee their ultimate futures。The writing here is masterful， managing to conjure nostalgia and despair in equal measure， many times in the same paragraph。 This depth is consistent throughout， while remaining simplistic as to never truly be bogged down with the weight of its meaning。 The descriptions of youth here are satisfyingly rich; the sections describing Mick Jenkins’ slice of life being the most opulent。 Maybe it is McCullers own youth being not long before her writing of the book that gives it its wealth of understanding， but there is a balance of fear and fearlessness the younger characters exude which I have not seen in many other books。 I do not expect books， especially those written this long ago to hold up to today’s moral standards， but I maintain the importance of criticism。 This book looks at many societal prejudices with critical eye， describing their humanity in a way that makes the reader look inward and for this the book can not be praised enough。 The first chapter contained some fat-phobic descriptions of the two deaf mutes and almost turned me off completely， yet after completing the book， I felt this was mostly rectified by the authors treatment of these two characters， and the other characters’ treatment of them。 As always with novels of the time period some of the descriptions and vernacular used throughout the book are dated， with black people being called “negros” and the language of many （but not all， Doctor Copeland being the main exception） of them “sho’nuff” stereotypical。 Again though here， it is the treatment of the characters by the author that releases this book from a racist label。 For being written in 1940， it is almost shocking how relevant the emotion and politics this book tackles remain。 While there is an optimism that radiates throughout this book， it is balanced by a bleakness of life and a frustration of class as well， so do not expect a fully uplifting story。 It is the balance of these things though that earns this book the title of classic， and I would encourage anyone to read it。 。。。more
Oliver Sime
，
Probably one of the best books ever
Ryan
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 It definitely has a shocking ending
Sunny
，
OK so I get that this is a bit of a classic but honestly I didn't really get into this book at all。 It's about various individuals set in America in the southern states around the 1940s。 There's a black doctor who gives some really impressive speeches about black rights and black lives matters even back then and then there's a deaf and dumb person called John singer who seems to be a thread and has links to all the different characters in this story。 In places the book was beautifully poetic。 Ho OK so I get that this is a bit of a classic but honestly I didn't really get into this book at all。 It's about various individuals set in America in the southern states around the 1940s。 There's a black doctor who gives some really impressive speeches about black rights and black lives matters even back then and then there's a deaf and dumb person called John singer who seems to be a thread and has links to all the different characters in this story。 In places the book was beautifully poetic。 Honestly I couldn't really tell you what happened in the book but there were a few good bits that I've highlighted below:Just before the bus pulls away from the curb he turned to singer and his smile was very bland and remote: as though already they were many miles apart。The morning light struck suddenly beneath his opening eyelids like a scimitar。 The girls giggled: but even if they didn't look at the boys you could tell they only had their minds on whether they were going to be popular or not。For there was another thing bigger than the tiredness and this was the strong true purpose。How can a man say this is mine about those things and refuse to let others share them？ Therefore Karl Marx says that these natural resources should belong to everyone， not divided into little pieces but used by all the people according to their ability to work。 It is like this。 Say a man died and left his mule to his four sons。 The sons would not wish to cut up the mule into four parts in each take his share。 They would own and work the mule together。 This is the way Karl Marx says all of the natural resources should be owned: not by one group of rich people but by all the workers of the world as a whole。Most of our people are not allowed to go to school at all。 For each one of you there are dozens of young people who could hardly write their names。 We are denied the dignity of study and wisom。 People of the negro race！ We bring with us all the riches of the human mind and soul。 We offer the most precious of all gifts。 And our offerings are held in scorn and contempt。 Our gifts are trampled in the mud and made useless。 We are put to labor more useless than the work of beasts。 Negroes！ We must arise and be whole again！ We must be free！ He touched the solid bottom of despair and there took ease。There is a riddle， George said。 I'm listening。 2 Indians we're walking on a trail。 The one in front was the son of the one behind but the one behind was not his father。 What kin were they。 Let's see: his stepfather？ George grinned at Portia with his little square Blue teeth。 his uncle then？ You can't guess。 It was his mother。 The trick is that you don't think about an Indian being a lady。 。。。more
Bijay Gurung
，
The heart dreams its particular dreams and simultaneously yearns for company， to be listened to。 Yet as individuals， as humans， we walk a lonely road。 Fighting our own private battles。 Day-to-day， month-to-month， year-to-year。 Life-to-death。
Marina Pavlichenko
，
Очень устаревший и одновременно современный роман о всепоглощающем одиночестве и тоске。
Jenne
，
Bleak。
Mahmoud Masoud
，
خلال السنوات الثلاثة الماضية، شغلت رواية （أنشودة المقهى الحزين） قوائم القراءة لدى الكثير من أصدقائي القرّاء。 لم يحالفني الحظ لقرائتها بعد！ ولكن بصدفة سعيدة، من خلال حديثي مع أحد الأصدقاء عن ترجمات عزة حسون، اكتشتف هذه الرواية。 وعندما بحثت عنها وجدتها الأكثر شهرة للكاتبة الأمريكية كارسن مكولرز。 فقررت أن أبدأ بها قبل أنشودة المقهى الحزين。 وقد كان ！ "بدأت القراءة، وكنت أعمل فقط لأوفر المال، وأخصص بعض الوقت للدراسة。 كان الأمر أشبه بولادة ثانية。 فقط من يشبهونا يمكنهم أن يفهموا ما الذي يعنيه هذا، أن خلال السنوات الثلاثة الماضية، شغلت رواية （أنشودة المقهى الحزين） قوائم القراءة لدى الكثير من أصدقائي القرّاء。 لم يحالفني الحظ لقرائتها بعد！ ولكن بصدفة سعيدة، من خلال حديثي مع أحد الأصدقاء عن ترجمات عزة حسون، اكتشتف هذه الرواية。 وعندما بحثت عنها وجدتها الأكثر شهرة للكاتبة الأمريكية كارسن مكولرز。 فقررت أن أبدأ بها قبل أنشودة المقهى الحزين。 وقد كان ！ "بدأت القراءة، وكنت أعمل فقط لأوفر المال، وأخصص بعض الوقت للدراسة。 كان الأمر أشبه بولادة ثانية。 فقط من يشبهونا يمكنهم أن يفهموا ما الذي يعنيه هذا، أن نفتح عيوننا ونرى。 إننا أشبه بأناسٍ قادمين من مكان بعيد جداً"تبدأ أحداث الرواية، في مدينة صغيرة من مدن الجنوب الأمريكي، حيث يحكي لنا الراوي عن الصديقان الأبكمان （أنتونوبوليس） اليوناني السمين الذي يحب الأكل و（ سينجر） النحيل الذكي الذي تعلم لغة الإشارة قبل زملائه وتعلم القراءة والكتابة。 كان الصديقان يعيشان معاً في منزل واحد، ويقسّمان الأعمال بينهما بالتساوي。 ولكن بسبب تغير سلوكيات أنتونوبوليس، وافتعاله للكثير من المشاكل مع العامة والناس، يقرر نسيبه أن يودعه مصحة حتى يتجنب المشاكل التي يتسبب فيها قريبه أنتونوبوليس。 ويمكننا هنا بكل تأكيد أن نرى ونشعر بالألم الذي أصاب سينجر بسبب اضطراره لمفارقة صديقه الوحيد。 ينتقل حينها سينجر إلى غرفة جديدة في بيت عائلة （ميك كيلي）。 ويعتاد على أن يتناول وجباته يومياً في مطعم نيويورك كافيه، وهناك يتعرف على صاحب المطعم السيد （بيف برانن）، وفي تلك الفترة، ظهر في المدينة شخص غامض غريب الأطوار، مدمن للكحوليات يُدعى （جيك بلاونت）。 يبدأ الثلاثة بالإضافة إلى （د。كوبلاند） الأسمر، بالتقرب إللى سينجر。 حتى اعتاد الأربعة أن يزوروا سينجر في غرفته بشكل فردي。 ورغم قرب الأربعة منه واعتيادهم على زيارته بشكل شبه يومي، إلا أنه يظل وحيداً في عزلته الاختيارية。 من خلال حكاية كل شخصية منهم ترسم لنا مكولرز صورة بديعة للحياة القاسية التي يعيشها أهل الجنوب في تلك الفترة。 وليست مجرد صورة ساكنة ، بل حياة صاخبة يعيش كل فرد منهم في محاولات عديدة لتغيير حياته。 يمكننا القول بأن هذه الرواية هي صرخة في وجه الإضطهاد الديني والعنصري والسياسي。قد تتعجب قليلا عندما تعلم أن مكولرز قد كتبت هذه الرواية وهي في الثالثة والعشرين من عمرها。 ومع ذلك فرغم صغر سنها إلا انها قدمت لنا نموذج ممتاز لرواية تحمل في طياتها الكثير。 وإذا قرأت قليلا عن حياة مكولرز ستجد حينها بعض التشابهات بين حياتها وبين حيوات أبطال روايتها الأولى。 。 。。。more
Wendy
，
Making seemingly uncomfortable and unimportant people important。 1940 magic。 The patience with the characters。
Emma Delacroix
，
I wanted to re-read it to get everything back in my head。 Coco， is this still your favourite book or no？
Elise
，
McCullers wrote this at age twenty， and it is an incredible book。 Wow！ I am struggling to explain how well she builds her characters and uses them to highlight the struggle of racism and poverty in Georgia during the nineteen thirties。
Sabrina
，