As I Lay Dying in Never too Late to Read Classics

Sep 27, 2019 Antonomasia rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: guardian-1000, 2019, decade-1930s, nobel, el, divine-comedy-booklovers, american

Right, now I see why so many of my American Goodreads friends love Faulkner.

The characters and setting are weirdly close to what I expected - people who could have been caricature rednecks, in, to quote a recent left article about Ulysses, 'a democratic and humanistic novel where the everyday is elevated to the level of epic. It valorises the ordinary, giving minor characters an interior monologue' - including characters who are unlikeable and who make decisions that do them no favours. But the ...more

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May 30, 2012 midnightfaerie rated it liked it

Shelves: classics, rory-gilmore

While this book was both creative and satisfying, it was partly confusing. As I lay Dying is about a wife and mother named Addie who dies, and is told from the viewpoint of every family member. While the chapters are titled with who is speaking, the manner in which Faulkner writes is somewhat convoluted and so I had trouble discerning who the current character was actually talking about. Since it's not just about Addie, each family member has their own drama, much like a soap opera.

Now each fam While this book was both creative and satisfying, it was partly confusing. As I lay Dying is about a wife and mother named Addie who dies, and is told from the viewpoint of every family member. While the chapters are titled with who is speaking, the manner in which Faulkner writes is somewhat convoluted and so I had trouble discerning who the current character was actually talking about. Since it's not just about Addie, each family member has their own drama, much like a soap opera.

Now each family has their own distinctive voice, but since the chapters are so short, it took me a bit to hold on to each one. Once I got at least a chapter or two of each character read, it was much easier. That being said, it was still a brilliant little piece of work. Not as enjoyable as some other classics I've read, but still, I can't argue Faulkner's skill in telling a tale and the realism of his characters. Even though in this short little novel there wasn't much time for character development, he still did an astounding job at it. I had a feeling he wanted the reader to latch onto one or two of our favorites and empathize with their plights. I feel like Addie Bundren, our main lead, is the one I should have been drawn to. A wife and mother myself, I saw in Addie a strength that wasn't really evident in any of her family members. At least not as strong. But her lack of feeling towards those she should want to die for left me feeling empty.

Now Darl, the son who seems the most ostracized, is the one I seem to relate the best to. Whether it's because he seems to have the most chapters dedicated to him or because he's the eternal black sheep of the family, I'm not sure. Not always understood and feared because of his ability to see through his family members motives, he's the one who touches my heart the most. A fascinating character that does what he wants without worrying about the feelings of the family, his loyalty to his self interest enthralls me. And I envy it. I don't want to give away the ending, if you haven't read it, so I'll leave it at that. But there's more suspense than I first anticipated when beginning this. While not my favorite classical author, he definitely has merit, is unique, talented, and explores many aspects of the human condition in its underlying themes. Without a doubt a classic in my book. (I love bad puns.)

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