The Reivers by William Faulkner, Chapters 8 to end

[George]

Please comment here on The Reivers by William Faulkner, chapters 8 to end.

The full movie, The Reivers (1969) with Steve McQueen can be viewed on youtube. (1 hour & 46 minutes)

[Mary]

Thanks for the tip - will check out the video on YouTube!

[George]

A very good, entertaining read. A little longwinded in parts, but on the whole a delightful read. Really enjoyed the characters, Boon, Ned and the grandfather. Interesting reading about the advent of the motor vehicle in 1905 in a small American town. An historical novel that has a lot in it. The role and power of the sheriff in a small town. The relationship with the blacks. The attitude to beating up women. Horse race fixing.

The movie follows the storyline of the book and is okay.

[George]

Has anyone else seen the 1969 movie, The Reivers? If so, what did you think of it?

I have three Faulkner books on my book shelf, The Wild Palms, The Unvanquished and Requiem for a nun. Which should I read? Any recommendations?

Faulkner is a bit hit and miss for me. Absolutely loved "As I Lay Dying" and "Light in August". Both 4.5 stars for me. I found both books easy to understand and for anyone new to Faulkner, I would recommend both books. Being Australian I clearly miss a lot of the nuances in Faulkner's paragraphs about the American South, however I found the above two novels entertaining and interesting.

'The Sound and the Fury', 'Sanctuary' and 'Absalom, Absalom' are good, tough reads. AlI are tragic reads.

I preferred 'Sanctuary' as I enjoyed the tense, atmospheric build up. Also, I could understand what was happening at all times!

Anyone else read any Faulkner? What is your favourite Faulkner novel and why?

[Irene]

I have not seen the movie.

I have read The Sound and the Fury, Absolum Absolum and As I lay Dying. I find him difficult to understand. And I am not a fan of stream of consciousness style. I had read The Reivers several years ago. So, this time through I picked up a audio version. I have to say that hearing it read to me is much easier. The reader is doing a good job of reading it in a way that gives the feel of those meandering sentences. Of course, when I first read this book, I did not have much trouble understanding it, not like The Sound and the Fury. But, maybe I need to find audio books of other Faulkner in the future. I have 10% left in this book. I can't say I am really enjoying either the story or the writing style, although I can recognize the literary skill.

[Irene]

Finished. Much easier to read than many of Faulkner's books, but I am still not a fan. I did not find it funny.

[George]

Nowhere near as humorous as 'As I Lay Dying'.

[Irene]

True

[Carol]

I, too, listened to the book. Sometimes I would laugh out loud, and I loved experiencing this slice of the south in history. Sometimes I would roll my eyes at the seeming improbability of it all. Often I would be in awe of Ned's true wisdom, and his ability to see the different truths of each the white man's and the black man's world of his time and place. I loved Ned. This was not an easy read and was well worth the effort. I've just finished the last chapter, and am amazed at Faulkner's skill. He has indeed written this for Everyman, IMHO, unlike my dim recollection of the college-read The Sound and the Fury. If you haven't yet read the review of this book by Goodreads member 'Lawyer,' who also gave it 5 stars, I heartily recommend it. Wonderful reading. For myself personally, I am going to spend some time thinking about the lesson of this finely spun tale, the fine stitching of which is seen only by looking back after the last chapter...my poor paraphrase of that lesson, learned by Lucius at his grandfather's knee, is that you have no choice but to live with what you've done, and as you think and age and grow your perspective shifts. This is the wonderful power of great literature - to impact the present, reaching over years and continents and culture. I hope too see the movie and comment on it.

[George]

Thanks Carol. Always good to read positive book reviews. I just read the "Lawyer" comments on Goodreads. There is some interesting information on the writing of The Reivers in the second half of the comments.

[Carol]

Just saw the movie and found it delightful...and thought provoking. Re: plot - I think Faulkner could have dramatically improved the beginning of his tale by altering it as the movie did (perhaps that sounds presumptuous & heretical?). Re: audio - believe it or not, after seeing the movie, I think I want to "read" it again, in print. While watching, I looked up some details & realized I'd missed them altogether while "listening!" Re: participation: The movie took the story I had listened to (to which I listened, for purists) & 'put' me right in it. The music and the visuals fleshed it out in 3 dimensionality, Huck Finn style. Thanks, George, for mentioning the movie.

[George]

I ended up reading say 50 pages of the book, then I'd watch the movie to the point in the book I had reached and found this an okay way to enjoy both book and movie. The movie helped clarify issues /points I had missed or didn't quite understand in my reading.