"It's hard to believe that Carson McCullers was only 23 years old when she wrote this masterful novel. It is a rambling, rambunctious, and dark but brilliant insight into life in the south when racial divides were still rigidly in place. The book follows the lives of six main characters - a deaf mute, a cafe owner, a brawling drunkard communist, a young girl rapidly coming of age, and an elderly black doctor.

The writing is brilliant - the author's depth of feeling for the period, the travails of life that are undergone, and the dialogue and thoughts brought forward are masterful. I almost had a feeling of being exhausted when finishing the book, having been taken on a roller coaster ride of emotions and perspectives. I loved the book."