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The Ballad of the Sad Cafe (Essential.penguin): WITH Wunderkind
 
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The Ballad of the Sad Cafe (Essential.penguin): WITH Wunderkind (Paperback)

by Carson McCullers (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
RRP: £8.99
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Customers buy this book with The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (Penguin Modern Classics) by Carson McCullers

The Ballad of the Sad Cafe (Essential.penguin): WITH Wunderkind + The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (Penguin Modern Classics)
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Product details

  • Paperback: 160 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin; New Ed edition (25 Feb 1999)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0140282726
  • ISBN-13: 978-0140282726
  • Product Dimensions: 17.8 x 10.6 x 1.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 265,485 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #16 in  Books > Fiction > Cult Authors > McCullers, Carson

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Product Description

Product Description

This is the tale of Miss Amelia, gaunt and lonely owner of a small-town store; and how she squandered her love on Cousin Lymon, the little strutting hunchback who turned the store into a cafe; and how her rejected husband, the meanest man in town, came back and stole the hunchback's heart; and of the gargantuan fight that followed. A miniature epic with the melancholy atmosphere of a ballad.


About the Author

Carson McCullers was born in Georgia in 1917. She suffered from strokes and by the age of 31 her entire left side was paralysed. She could only use one finger to type and could not sit at a desk to work. She was an established writer in her twentiesand at the age of 23 she won widespread recognition for The Heart is a Lonely Hunter. Other works include: The Member of the Wedding (1946), The Square Root of Wonderful (1958) and The Mortgaged Heart (1972; published posthumously). She died in 1967.

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Customer Reviews

4 Reviews
5 star:
 (3)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
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Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A harrowing yet beautifully written novella, 17 Mar 2000
By A Customer
I read this book last year when I was twelve and have read it many times since! It is beautifully poetic and tells the story of Miss Amelia and her unrequited love for Cousin Lymon, a hunchback . It also tells of her rejected husband, Marvin Macy, and how he stole the admiration and the heart of the hunchback with depressing consequences. A must bedtime read if you like sad books or any of Carson Mc Cullers other books.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The lover and the beloved, 28 Feb 2006
By A Customer
This book is a must read, I am saddened that it has been relegated to a few reading lists and that it took a celebrity like Oprah to bring it back and restore its worthy readership in America. Here in England, we still haven't managed to see that works of fiction out side of the canon are capable of being literary and worthy of both a high readership and scholarly study.

Carson McCullers is a fantastic author and this book showcases her genius. Her work is timeless, applicable and deals with social issues beyond that of her periods understanding. This book contains in depth characterisation of: 'the grotesque','gender subversion' and racial dis/harmony.

I know that some will argue that its just another deep south novella about racial difference but its not. Equally I know that some will argue that the themes of loneliness, love and the loss of identity are prevalent because of McCullers' personal life. Again, I would suggest that these views are a little ignorant.

McCullers' novella, beautifully demonstrates the frailty of humanness; the fickleness of love and the crushing pain of rejection. McCullers confronts issues that are just as applicable today as the were half a century ago. Her novella is a work of fiction that brings relief and sadness to the soul. Her characterisation is amazing, vivid and at times necessarily repulsive.

In short, if your studying it, look past Cousin Lymon's obvious disability and concentrate on the homo-social relationship between him and Marvin Macy, and the Eros/Agape in-balance between him and Miss Amelia. Also, recognise the importance of the lover and the beloved and the significance of the Twelve Mortal Men.

If you want to read this book for pleasure, ENJOY, it is beautiful!

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0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars spelling mistake, 3 Jul 2007
By Fish Cake (Moscow) - See all my reviews
Great book - I loved it. Did you know that it's 'ballad' and not 'ballard'?
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written prose, odd characterisation
This novella by Carson McCullers is certainly distinctive, boasting some of the most beautifully-written and authentic prose I have ever read. Read more
Published 24 months ago by J. Roberts

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