Rating: 
Summary: As I Lay Dying - review
Review: Faulkner's, As I Lay Dying, is slow and confusing, but eventually will grow on you. Different characters at certain points in the plot present the novel to you. You eventually become accustom to the form of stream of conscious narrative in this Novel. The slowness has mostly to do with the language used and the topic. The characters are basically the slums of white society in the old south, and old southern language is exactly what you read. The detail given is drawn out as well. These two elements make for long and boring reading. The novel is about a woman who dies, and her wish to be buried in Jefferson is carried out by her family. The novel describes their trials along the way. The dysfunction of her family isn't exactly my slice of pie to read about.
Rating: 
Summary: Read this as a screenplay...
Review: An easy way to approach this book is to imagine that it is the narration to a movie, but that for some reason we can't see the screen. Remember that Faulkner was a successful screen writer, with Humphrey Bogart's The Big Sleep to his credit. A book usually tells a story, but a movie shows us people. This book might not spend much time on a story, but it does tell us a lot about the people in it.
We find Faulkner's novels difficult because of their style. This classic tale of a morose family burying their matriarch is a stream-of-consciousness novel, meaning Faulkner wrote something that mimics our "internal monologue", i.e. the verbal thoughts that go through our head whenever we daydream, or take a walk, or do something that requires little concentration.
The difficulty, and the pleasure, in this technique comes from having to piece together ourselves what really happens. Faulkner has the main characters talking to themselves and since they already know themselves and the people around them, they don't need to describe what we want to know, leaving us always confused. However, they do drop hints. For example, when we meet Darl early on, we know this is a younger character because he refers to "pa" and "ma". A couple of short chapters later, Cora says that all he needs to become right is to find a wife, so we know he's a young man of age to marry.
By the end of the novel, all that we know of the Bundren family was revealed to us this way. Once we turn the last page, we realize that we know everything important about this family: who has courage, who is generous, who is self-righteous, who is short tempered, who has suffered and when and why. And all this without a plot.
Rating:
Summary: Faulkner is as good as it gets
Review: Faulkner is a genius. He might be the greatest writer of this century and that opinion is based on two novels that I have read of his. The first one I completed was The Sound and the Fury, which became my all time favorite book, and I didn't think he could come close to matching that work of art. As I Lay Dying comes close, however, to reaching the greatness Faulkner achieved to the prior. In terms of creativity and originality in writing style it might even be better (although it lacks the same level of genius, complexity, and power that The Sound and the Fury had.) Yet, this is a masterpiece it its own right. Dazzling, complex, and startlingly original, this is a novel that dares to lead you down a daring, unorthodox, dreamlike flow of words, and takes you into a world like no other.
The story is not complicated, but rather simple and straightforward. It is the characters and writing style that makes this book a phenomenon. As I Lay Dying has fifty-nine chapters, told in alternate by various family members and outsiders who are observing. Every chapter is told in first person, and with every character, the writing style is brilliantly changed in order to fit the pathos of the individual who is telling the story. The plot simply is this: A dying mother has a wish to be buried in a town a considerable distance from her own, and makes a request of her family to take her there and bury her when she has passed on. The novel takes us on that journey to bury her, told by her sons, her daughter, her husband, and other outsiders. The most ironic element is that most of the characters have their own selfish, alternative motives for wanting to make the voyage into town to bury their dead mother. Whether it be buying some new teeth or wanting to find a doctor to perform an abortion. Nothing is as it seems here.
One of the main characters is Darl, a son of Addie (the dying mother), who is viewed as insane by the rest of the family, when in actuality; he is the sanest one of all. Darl's sections are told in beautiful, poetic, sublime, and even hypnotic storytelling. The others sons of Addie are Jewel, Cash, and Vardaman. Cash is extremely methodical and can only concentrate on one thing at a time. Thus, his sections are very orderly, simple, and structured. Jewel only has one section of his own throughout the nove and is viewed by the others as violent and uncaring. Jewel, ironically, is the only one in the family that the mother Addie ever cared about. Addie herself being a mean and lonely individual, it is interesting to see how screwed up the family she has created turns out to be. Vardaman is the youngest, mentally handicapped son of Addie. His sections are told in a sporadic "stream of conscious style", that is often confusing, just as he might really think. Dewey Dell is the only daughter of the family. She is very naïve, unintelligent, and sexually driven. The father of this crazy clan is Anse, who is a lazy, worthless father who cares nothing for anyone but himself. The story is also told by other supporting characters who give us subjective views of the Bundren family, which may be the most odd, pathetic family ever to hit the pages of any novel.
Again I want to reiterate that it is not the story, but how the story is told that makes this a marvel and a gem. Notice the brilliancy which Faulkner changes his writing style from character to character. He takes us inside each one of their heads and by the end we know everyone, including the supporting cast, very well. There is also much symbolism sprinkled throughout, and for a full comprehensive study, the Cliff Notes might come in handy (although this book is not nearly and complicated as The Sound and the Fury)
One might argue that why should we even give a damn about the pathetic flight of this pathetic family. One argument to counter that would be that Faulkner wrote this book in order to gauge the reaction of his audience. At times we don't know whether to laugh at the dark comedy that is a central theme in the novel, or to cry out in pity for the characters and their heartaches. The mood of the novel has a very wide range of effect, and Faulkner knew all this. At times, he almost dares the readers to laugh when they shouldn't, or be emotionally stirred when it seems unnecessary.
The one argument that no one can make is how breathtakingly original the material presented here is. I doubt I will ever find a book this creative, even if it is not the most emotional or poignant subject matter. The description is dazzling, inventive, and daring. Overall the book is tour de force of literary creativity and imagination. I was memorized by the whole experience, and this is actually a very entertaining book as well. Of course, it dives in much deeper than the shallow realm of mindless entertainment. Like all great novels, you could continue to discover new things with every read. The characters alone could be talked about for days, and there could be a slew of different opinions as to what their motives are and what makes them who they are.
Yes Faulkner, you have done it again. You have taken the reader into another one of your gleaming, surreal visions. You have lifted us off the boring plateau of mechanical reading and taken us into another one of your worlds full of symbol and uniqueness. It is too bad that too many other writers don't try as hard as you do to make the novels we read this impressive and unforgettable.
Grade: A
Rating:
Summary: As I Lay Reading
Review: I am presently reading this book. At first the text appears very disjointed if you are not prepared to react differently to the text at hand than one would normally do upon reading a "traditional styled narrative". By about page 50 I finally began to be taken in by the text and am now fully appreciative of what Mr. Faulkner perhaps tried to accomplish. That is write without the usual constraints of time and space being the used as a pattern to follow sequentially.
A very good read if you want to be engaged in the act itself rather than just lazily following the words of the story as pretty well every form of traditional writing technique.
Definately not for the passive reader.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't be scared to pick this book up
Review: I had only heard bad things about William Faulkner's writing, so I was a little leery of this book. However, once I got into it, it wasn't that bad. I liked how Faulkner was able to construct a plot without having the reader even noticing it. As I Lay Dying is a very good representative of stream of consciousness writing. I also like how Faulkner develops his characters through what the other characters in the book think about each other. Not only do you get to learn what each character thinks of the other characters, but it allows you to form your own opinion on the characters, which would otherwise be hard to do if you only had one point of view to go by. The story is about the Bundren family who find themselves having a hard time trying to fulfill their mother's last wish, to be buried with her family. Through these experiences, Faulkner explores many themes including the importance of family and religion. Faulkner also explores other social issues that arise from being a poor country family living in the South. This book should be read in literature classes at the high school and college level. It is a good introduction to stream of consciousness writing and brings up a lot of good topics that can be discussed.
Rating:
Summary: You should be dying to read it
Review: I've been attempting to read at least a couple of books by each of the world's great writers. It is a fantastic process discovering new and varied genius. This book was my first Faulkner and it will be my last. It is one of the few "great books" which completely escapes me. Perhaps I'm old fashioned, but I think good writing should have clarity. I just do not enjoy reading a passage and wondering what is being said or what just happened. This book is so abstract and filled with so much hillbilly jargon that I only have the vaguest notion as to what is going on. I can't visualize the action with any exactingness. Some might say it is with artistic intention that this vagueness is created, for "montage" or impressionistic effect. I'm surprised many people find that sufficiently satisfying. To me it is frustratingly confusing. The subject matter of the story is, of course, very dismal. This adds to the depressing experience. "Grapes of Wrath" likewise dealt with an impoverished and arduous journey, but the strength and merit of the characters was revealed through clarity of writing and dimension in the story line. Here, character development is minimal. By the end of the book I don't know these people, and furthermore I don't find myself liking them all that much. I do appreciate the different character first-person perspectives of each chapter, that is the only aspect of the book which I find myself admiring. But it is not redeeming. I do give it an extra star, for that reason only. Normally when I finish a paperback book the pages are filled with my markings which highlight the passages or phrases or ideas which I want to return to some day. I finished this book without a single mark. Hopefully I'll have better luck with Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse 5, the next book at the top of my stack.
Rating: 
Summary: Dismal
Review: I've been attempting to read at least a couple of books by each of the world's great writers. It is a fantastic process discovering new and varied genius. This book was my first Faulkner and it will be my last. It is one of the few "great books" which completely escapes me. Perhaps I'm old fashioned, but I think good writing should have clarity. I just do not enjoy reading a passage and wondering what is being said or what just happened. This book is so abstract and filled with so much hillbilly jargon that I only have the vaguest notion as to what is going on. I can't visualize the action with any exactingness. Some might say it is with artistic intention that this vagueness is created, for "montage" or impressionistic effect. I'm surprised many people find that sufficiently satisfying. To me it is frustratingly confusing. The subject matter of the story is, of course, very dismal. This adds to the depressing experience. "Grapes of Wrath" likewise dealt with an impoverished and arduous journey, but the strength and merit of the characters was revealed through clarity of writing and dimension in the story line. Here, character development is minimal. By the end of the book I don't know these people, and furthermore I don't find myself liking them all that much. I do appreciate the different character first-person perspectives of each chapter, that is the only aspect of the book which I find myself admiring. But it is not redeeming. I do give it an extra star, for that reason only. Normally when I finish a paperback book the pages are filled with my markings which highlight the passages or phrases or ideas which I want to return to some day. I finished this book without a single mark. Hopefully I'll have better luck with Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse 5, the next book at the top of my stack.
Rating:
Summary: Intro to William Faulkner
Review: I've read three of Faulkner's great novels, "Absalom, Absalom!" "The Sound and the Fury," and this one. Of the three, "As I Lay Dying" is the easiest and perhaps the most fun. Actually, after about the first 10 pages or so, the storyline is pretty easy to figure out. The only thing difficult is differentiating and remembering all the character names and associating the characters with their actions. Taking notes might actually be helpful. A family tree in the beginning would have been helpful too, but I'm sure Faulkner would have objected. Faulkner forces you to figure out simple things like gender, relative age, and familial relationships without giving you too many clues, but things soon become clear. Of the three Faulkner novels I've read, this is by far the funniest, and has a great punchline at the end. A must read for Faulkner fans, and if you're going to dive in to his works, this is a great place to start.
Rating:
Summary: Eye Opening
Review: It is impossible to say how wonderful this book is because nothing I could say would do it justice. As I Lay Dying sparked my interest in Faulkner; he is now one of my favorite authors. The book is somewhat difficult to read the first time, but that is what makes it so wonderful. It is one of those pieces of literature that you can read over and over and never tire of it because you are always seeing something that was not there before. As I Lay Dying is a tale of a poor, white family in the south. After the death of the mother, the family undergoes the task of traveling to her hometown to bury her. While the basic story may seem bland, it is actually far from it!!! Like most stories, there are obstacles that must be overcome, but what makes this story so wonderful is Faulkner's characterization. The story is told from the perspectives of various characters, each one explaining the same events from different points of views. Through this type of writing, Faulkner does not simply inform you of the characters, he lets you experience them. I can definitely say that each character touched my heart in one way or another. By the end of the story, I was cussing and crying. It was almost as though the characters and the story were based on real people and circumstances. What else might I say that would explain how wonderful this book is? I suppose that what touched me most was how a family that people sterotyped as worthless revealed more honor, more devotion, and more heroism than could have ever been thought. It is an eye-opening book about life and responsiblity, about honor and pride. It is a book that everyone should definitely read at least twice.
Rating:
Summary: Southern Perspective
Review: Published in 1930, As I Lay Dying uses thirteen narrators to explore the many voices found in a Southern family and community.
In this particular novel, Addie Bundren, the wife and mother to a poor white farm family, is on her deathbed. Friends and family members gather to help ease her pain and to prepare for her funeral. She is a proud, bitter woman who is ready to die. She feels her husband is worthless, her neighbors overly-religious and annoying, and of all her children, she only loves her son Jewel. As her last wish, she requests that her husband bury her among her family in the town of Jefferson. And so, upon her death, her family, for the most part begrudgingly, follows through with her wish. We hear from everyone involved in the journey, including Addie from the grave-a testament to Faulkner's creation of an environment so believable that such outrageousness is allowed. The humor is dark. You might not expect to laugh at the image of a dead women's corpse falling from a casket into a river-but you will.
Faulkner used multiple narratives, each with his or her own interests and biases, to create a puzzle that readers could piece together the 'true' circumstances of the story.
The conclusion presents a key to understanding the background to the central event in a way that traditional linear narratives simply cannot accomplish. With that said, As I Lay Dying all of the narrators are believable, even Addie who is dead when we hear from her. This method of narration greatly effects how you encounter the story since a character speaking from his own point-of-view creates a limited but intimate perspective while an omniscient narrator often gives the impression of authorial investment and oversight, yet maintains a distance from the characters.
The most brilliant aspect of this novel is how Faulkner carefully weaves bits and pieces from the many narrative voices, thereby creating a rich tapestry of often conflicting and competing perspectives. With this complex technique, seamlessly accomplished, we are forced to analyze the information and come to our own understanding.
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