Rating: 
Summary: Fiction at its best; a masterpiece!
Review: Whenever conversations turn to naming "the best novel I've ever read," SOPHIE'S CHOICE has been, since I first read it in 1977, *my* choice. I have loved the written word since I first learned to decipher it, and I am a great admirer of William Styron's hauntingly beautiful prose. I read an interview with him once in which his reaction was invited to some critic's remark that SOPHIE'S CHOICE might have benefitted from tighter editing; Styron's reply was that he would not, in retrospect, change a single word of that particular novel. And that is my own feeling about the book. I consider it an absolutely flawless piece of writing, with the characters who inhabit its pages so well-drawn, so authentic that they seem to live and breathe. I re-read SOPHIE'S CHOICE at least once a year, and it never fails to draw me in completely.
Rating:
Summary: Wow
Review: I finished this book about a week ago, and I still catch myself thinking about the 'lives' of the characters in Sophie's Choice. The ending, which I will not give away, is shocking and surprising. The struggles of all three of the characters (Sophie, Nick, and Stingo) are really powerful and the author did a really good job developing them. The whole book deals with very strong and depressing material, so I would not recommend this book if you are not open to reading books on this subject matter: the aftermath of the Holocaust and its long-term effects on the people who lived through it, either directly or indirectly. However, if you want a really good read out of a book that will get your brain working, then this is definitely a book that you should read.
Rating:
Summary: Intricate, terrifying, and masterful
Review: Styron's book is a modern masterpiece, a profound meditation on the central evil of the century just passed. Through its three central characters -- the doomed lovers, Nathan and Sophie, and naive yet good-hearted narrator, Stingo -- Styron shows how the horror of the concentration camps carried the power to blight lives even after the war to defeat Hitler's fascism had ended.A good portion of this densely constructed novel shows Styron's deep exploration of the hatred and disregard for human life that motivated the construction of the concentration camps and the Nazis' pursuit of a "Final Solution," one that would rid the earth of not only Jews but all those who would oppose their hateful philosophy. The awful conflict that is at the heart of the novel's title arises from the fascists' debasement of life, which Styron is able to bring painfully to life. For me, though, the novel achieves greatness in its intricate weaving of stories, memories and meditations by its narrator. If you open the book expecting to hear only about Sophie, you'll be surprised. Stingo, newly arrived to post-war Brooklyn from the South, shares painful memories of his invalid mother, hilariously relates stories of failed romance, and poignantly demonstrates his bond with his father. As the pages pass and the stories mount, you realize that Styron is building an elaborate story that ultimately details the passage of a young man into adulthood. This is a great novel. It is challenging and at times difficult in the emotional material it presents and in the complexity of Styron's elaborately ornate prose. The reader coming on it for the first time should not be discouraged by any of that. There's no timetable on how long it should take to complete reading a novel. No matter how long it takes, having finished it, you will come away with your life enriched.
Rating:
Summary: Perfect summer reading
Review: Like A. Burgess's EARTHLY POWERS, SOPHIE'S CHOICE is a shamelessly neglected masterwork. Also like Burgess's novel, SOPHIE'S CHOICE hearkens back to the days of the great 19th century novels of Dickens and Thackery and Trollope. It is spaciously designed and truly absorbing, despite its length. Stingo, a young Virginian and aspiring novelist, comes to New York to ply his trade and meets the mysterious, beautiful, and alluring Sophie and her equally mysterious lover. Soon he is drawn further into their tumultuous relationship and discovers the horrific secret Sophie has been haboring all these years. Some critics criticized the novel for its digressions - especially the passages on Stingo's sexual frustrations - but this is all part of character development and Styron's determination to make the reader live in this world he has created. This is a pefect book to read in the summer. Enter it and enjoy.
Rating: 
Summary: Very involved
Review: Okay, if you've got a few days to sit down and get deeply involved in this story, fine, go for it. If you're someone who stops and starts on books, just don't bother. This is a book that demands your full attention, forget trying to watch TV at the same time, its impossible. And if you can get past the initial 50 pages, then you'll probably make it all the way through the book. I've tried several times to finish this book and found myself getting frustrated at Styrons writing style. Well, after getting the flu and not moving off the couch for a couple of days, I finally succeeded, and it was worth it. With the time to just sit and really concentrate I found the story really involving and beautiful, if extremely sad. What a choice! The only reason I'm only giving it three stars is that I think I'm a typical reader, and I read books to enjoy them - I don't want to have to lock myself away for days simply to be able to read a book. I'll leave that to the people studying English Literature.
Rating:
Summary: An enduring classic.
Review: This is a book to immerse yourself in, to take your time with, to savor, word by word. Hard to believe that some people below seem to have raced through it in a matter of hours. I read, re-read, and re-re-read paragraphs just to revel in Styron's magnificent gift of expressiveness. Beyond that, this is a book with a trio of main characters who will live forever in your consciousness once you know them: the tragic and beautiful Sophie, with her terrible secret that drives her inexorably toward her doom, the mad yet brilliant Nathan, burning like a white-hot flame, and the innocent and everlastingly horny Stingo, wanting so desperately to experience life and getting more then he bargained for. Finally, this is a book that will teach you more about the human story of the Holocaust than a hundred non-fiction books could ever do. One of a handful of truly great American novels, and a must read.
Rating:
Summary: Almost a Holocaust Masterpiece
Review: William Sytron did an excellent job bring Sophie's story to life. The occuring events mirror those that really occurred. Sophie was not the only person had to make the choices that she made. I have been studying the Holocaust very deeply for the past few months, and this is the best novel I have read so far. I never expected that William Styron would be able to make me almost feel the inhumanity to man that Sophie and her non-Aryans felt. The cruelty that she suffered is unimaginable. No person should have to experience what she experienced ever again. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the Holocaust, or to anyone who just wants to read a great, thrilling, and grabbing book!
Rating:
Summary: Styron's masterpiece is _the_ masterpiece
Review: I can honestly say that I have never read a better book. That is not to say it was the most fun to read, nor the easiest. It is an unforgettable book, the kind that probably will darken your mood, but will teach you as no other book can. The story begins in 1947. Stingo, a cocky but nevertheless self-deprecating young Southerner, gets himself fired (with flair!) from his job in a prestigious, rather stodgy publishing firm. He gathers up his savings and moves into a boarding house, with plans to write The Great American Novel during the rest of the summer, or at least until his money runs out. Almost against his will, Stingo is drawn into a relationship with two of his neighbors-- the gorgeous Sophie, a survivor of Auschwitz, and her Jewish lover Nathan, an oddly compelling but often terrifying man. Meanwhile Stingo tries desperately to have sex with a girl, any girl. The retelling of his hysterical failures are intertwined with Sophie's tortured memories of the death camps of Poland. And then the truth about her experiences, as well as the truth about Nathan, is revealed. Ow. Styron is an amazing writer. He makes me gnash my teeth at my own pitiful efforts to write. This is his best work.
Rating:
Summary: Examine yourself through the mirror of this book
Review: It is hard to add new comments to a book so widely read and reviewed, but I think that every generation needs a reminder of who they are and the darkness and beauty that lies just beneath the surface of each of us. Sophie's Choice can provide a mirror for the observant reader, and perhaps for the less observant as well. Styron's writing style is fluid and makes you live intimately with the characters, and the tale of Sophie, Nathan, and Stingo is offset with very clever cultural comments that bring back a time in America that appeared simpler on the surface, but was a murky and complex as the 1970s or the year 2000. I strong recommend this book as a challenge for the reader who has forgotten how good important literature can be.
Rating:
Summary: A Choice no one should have to make
Review: I feel Styron is a great writer in the aspect that he can write on such a horrible topic as the holocust and still make things funny and intersting This book moved me into emotions crying one minute, laughing the next. I only wish I had the time to read more of his novels.
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