Rating: 
Summary: Gimme Shelter
Review: "Sanctuary" has a double meaning in this novel -- the sanctuary we seek against the cruel events that occur in life and sanctuary against those things in ourselves that are most primitive, volatile and evil. Faulkner's characters here are in search of sanctuary in both meanings, although the theme is not well-developed and the plot is so misshapen that it detracts from the overall impact of the main theme."Sanctuary" is Faulkner's stab at writing noir-ish detective fiction. You'd figure he would take to the genre like a duck to water (at least I did) given its emphasis on mood, place and moral struggle. All of these elements show up in the novel, but haphazardly. I think Faulkner was probably prevented from writing the noir novel he really wanted by the spirit of the times, which weren't supportive of the degree of brutality he intended to display in the novel (We get a glimpse of this when we see the stained corncob that Popeye used to violate Temple Drake). He would later half-heartedly repudiate "Sanctuary" as a failed attempt to make some money, an excuse probably designed to get his neighbors in Oxford, Miss., off his back and to satisfy the sob sisters in the national media who were ready to crucify him for writing a novel containing violence of almost pornographic intensity. When reading "Sanctuary," think about how each one of the characters -- save for Popeye, Mrs. Goodwin and DA Eustace Graham -- loses himself or herself in some form of self-delusion to avoid dwelling on the worst parts of their own character and existence. Even Horace Benbow's courageous decision to defend Mr. Graham against charges of murder is little more than an attempt to distract himself from his marital woes and the fact that he is so obviously out of place in his own home town now. "Sanctuary" could have been Faulkner's masterpiece and some current-day critics suggest that perhaps it is. It's not. Faulkner should have re-written the book, smoothed the plot, fleshed out the characters far more than they are in the current text and allowed for a more leisurely examination of man's struggle for safe haven, both physically and spiritually. "Sanctuary" is a very powerful examination of the evil that men and women do and, in that sense, it is a very Catholic novel. I would not recommend its use in high school or lower-level college undergraduate survey courses. It's simply too intricate to be useful for students at those levels. But for an upper-level course in American lit, American culture, religion or philosophy, "Sanctuary" is an appropriate text with quite a bit to say about modern man and the chains that bind his soul.
Rating: 
Summary: el libro mas comercial de faukner
Review: este es el libro mas comercial escrito por faulkner y por eso creo que es el mas facil de leer, ya que el autor estaba pensando en un publico a la hora de escribir antes de que dijera su famosa frase..... un dia me encerre y me olvide de los criticos y del publico y empeze a escribir para mi mismo ....... este libro es mas de horror que del sur, aunque ya muestra personajes que apareceran en otras historias suyas. es excelente y uno de los mas faciles de entender es muy recomendable para quien quiera iniciar una lectura sobre faulner..... LUIS MENDEZ crazzyteacher@hotmail.com
Rating:
Summary: Sleaze with panache
Review: Even when Faulkner is writing to sell books, as he admits he is doing with "Sanctuary," the master of impressionistic Southern fiction can be quite sublime. The novel's racy subject matter and lightning-strike narrative have the feel of pulp fiction, but the rich descriptions and illustrious prose reveal that Faulkner never strays far from the top of his form. As expected, its base locale is Mississippi's Yoknapatawpha County, that endless wellspring of Faulkner's imagination. It's prohibition, and business is good for moonshiners like Lee Goodwin, living in a large but decrepit antebellum house with his "wife" Ruby and baby son, who is kept in a box hidden behind the stove to protect him from rats. Goodwin, while not a bad man himself, associates with a number of hoodlums, including a sympathetic young man named Tommy and a cruel cretin called Popeye who harbors a nasty secret about his past and his libido. One night, a drunk named Gowan Stevens and his girlfriend Temple Drake, the privileged daughter of a judge in Jackson and a college girl with a wild side, get into a car accident and end up spending the night at Goodwin's house, where Gowan had been planning to buy some whiskey. Temple, warned by Ruby that the house is no place for a girl like her, and abandoned by Gowan the next day, finds herself in a nightmarish predicament when Popeye brutally robs her of whatever innocence she had, drives her to Memphis, and puts her up at a cathouse fronting as a respectable hotel, run by a careworn but charitable madam named Miss Reba. But Popeye and Temple have to answer for the murder of Tommy, who was shot around the time they left. Goodwin gets arrested, and a friendly lawyer named Horace Benbow, himself on vacation from his nagging wife, decides to defend him at the trial. This leads to some detective work to find Temple, who is being held prisoner by Popeye in that Memphis hotel and would provide valuable witness testimony. The manner in which Benbow manages to do this proves Faulkner's skill in characterization, as he employs two members of the infamous Snopes family to comic as well as narrative effect. "Sanctuary" has two very memorable morbid, but poetic, images: the first involving Flaubert's doomed Madame Bovary, of all people; and the second describing a funeral for a small-time hoodlum that is transformed into a bacchanalian celebration by the fatalistic sensibilities of the Memphis underworld. This is a scene which could be conjured only by a William Faulkner (or a Nathanael West). This novel is an odd brew. It feels messy yet still exhibits an unquestionable professionalism; its characters are grotesque but all the more interesting because of it. Faulkner's writing is never explicit; you must be attentive to clues and details because you'll be expected to piece together the puzzle later. This is the main challenge confronting his readers, but understanding Faulkner means being willing to accept this challenge.
Rating:
Summary: Sleaze with panache
Review: Even when Faulkner is writing to sell books, as he admits he is doing with "Sanctuary," the master of impressionistic Southern fiction can be quite sublime. The novel's racy subject matter and lightning-strike narrative have the feel of pulp fiction, but the rich descriptions and illustrious prose reveal that Faulkner never strays far from the top of his form. As expected, its base locale is Mississippi's Yoknapatawpha County, that endless wellspring of Faulkner's imagination. It's prohibition, and business is good for moonshiners like Lee Goodwin, living in a large but decrepit antebellum house with his "wife" Ruby and baby son, who is kept in a box hidden behind the stove to protect him from rats. Goodwin, while not a bad man himself, associates with a number of hoodlums, including a sympathetic young man named Tommy and a cruel cretin called Popeye who harbors a nasty secret about his past and his libido. One night, a drunk named Gowan Stevens and his girlfriend Temple Drake, the privileged daughter of a judge in Jackson and a college girl with a wild side, get into a car accident and end up spending the night at Goodwin's house, where Gowan had been planning to buy some whiskey. Temple, warned by Ruby that the house is no place for a girl like her, and abandoned by Gowan the next day, finds herself in a nightmarish predicament when Popeye brutally robs her of whatever innocence she had, drives her to Memphis, and puts her up at a cathouse fronting as a respectable hotel, run by a careworn but charitable madam named Miss Reba. But Popeye and Temple have to answer for the murder of Tommy, who was shot around the time they left. Goodwin gets arrested, and a friendly lawyer named Horace Benbow, himself on vacation from his nagging wife, decides to defend him at the trial. This leads to some detective work to find Temple, who is being held prisoner by Popeye in that Memphis hotel and would provide valuable witness testimony. The manner in which Benbow manages to do this proves Faulkner's skill in characterization, as he employs two members of the infamous Snopes family to comic as well as narrative effect. "Sanctuary" has two very memorable morbid, but poetic, images: the first involving Flaubert's doomed Madame Bovary, of all people; and the second describing a funeral for a small-time hoodlum that is transformed into a bacchanalian celebration by the fatalistic sensibilities of the Memphis underworld. This is a scene which could be conjured only by a William Faulkner (or a Nathanael West). This novel is an odd brew. It feels messy yet still exhibits an unquestionable professionalism; its characters are grotesque but all the more interesting because of it. Faulkner's writing is never explicit; you must be attentive to clues and details because you'll be expected to piece together the puzzle later. This is the main challenge confronting his readers, but understanding Faulkner means being willing to accept this challenge.
Rating:
Summary: Very Good
Review: Excellent book. I had a little difficulty following the characters at first but I couldn't put the book down. Unlike a lot of todays authors he doesn't take sides but presents life in the raw.
Rating:
Summary: The dark side
Review: I found this a bleak, disturbing novel - Faulkner seemed to me to want to immerse the reader in the most unattractive sides of the human psyche. If you're not in the mood, I suppose that this could be a deeply depressing work - the treatment of Temple Drake, and her resultant decline as a human being would ensure that. As it is, I don't mind being taken on such journeys into the dark side, not least because I think it acts as a warning or reminder. Added to which, I found the writing interesting - I've only read a few Faulkner works, but he intrigues me in that I find that his style, whilst oblique (the best word I could summon up at the moment), is nonetheless highly effective in relating atmosphere and mood. This novel is essentially claustrophobic - the tension is palpable. All the female characters are treated badly by the men, albeit in different ways. This perhaps says much about the social roles of the time and latent brutality therein. But what I thought was more interesting, and might be worthy of deeper thought was why otherwise honest, peaceful people are passive or even cooperate in the face of injustice, brutality and violence? Is there a case for saying that once violated, each of the women in the novel did little or nothing to protest and even cooperated with their violaters? Extending this somewhat outside of the novel, why do we find criminals so interesting when essentially their behaviour threatens us - or have I answered my own question? A thought-provoking novel.
Rating:
Summary: On the long blonde legs of Temple Drake
Review: I love it. The venality and corruption portrayed in this book are shivery and endlessly thought-provoking, with the character of Temple Drake as its fascinating focus. Faulkner outdid himself with Temple, a spoiled, capricious and ultimately abused young woman who becomes fed like a baby vampire on the seedy whorehouse where she is captive. The best thing about Sanctuary is, though, we never really know who she was before this pass. Virgin or whore?
Rating:
Summary: Find "Sanctuary' in Faulkner!
Review: I read "As I Lay Dying" and I loved it! I read "The Sound an the Fury" and thought it was briliant! I finished reading "Sanctuary" today and thought--like the previous two--it was a lierary classic! Anyone who has ever read a Faulkner book knows that, by the end of his works, there is at least one character that is loathed--In "Sanctury" there is a plethora! You will love the book but hate the characters--their actions that is. . . Find out for yourselves what I mean. . ..
Rating:
Summary: Tough read but worth it.
Review: I read this book because I had never read any Faulkner before. I guess I thought I was missing something in my library or maybe it was time to lay off the nonfiction I mostly read. I found Faulkner's style and word choices difficult at first. He assumes the reader is not lazy and will keep up with him and his stream of consciousness approach. I must admit I read half the book, became disinterested and put it down for several weeks. I then made up my mind to give it a second chance and really enjoyed it. The story is dark and slightly twisted. There are very few admirable characters but I found myself sympathizing with most of the characters. Everyone except maybe Temple Drake has reasons for their misdeeds. I felt Faulkner was trying to convey the injustice of the time and just plain bad luck as reasons for the poor behavior or lack of optimism of the characters. I highly recommend this book. It is gripping and real. The story got to me.
Rating:
Summary: William, we hardly knew ye.
Review: If I told you to read a book by Faulkner you'd probably start imagining crazy old ladies and barn-burnings and usually you'd be right. Not this time. There's only one appearance by a member of the Snopes family and that's late in the book. But you won't miss them. Inside this book is a world where no one is quite as they seem from debutantes to moonshiners. This book reads more like a Dashiel Hammett than anything else and with rape, murder, lynching, and corruption there's something for everyone. Except a lot of Snopes.
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