Rating: 
Summary: Pretty Bad
Review: I write this review realizing that this book is considered a classic, and people much more intelligent than I consider this book brilliant. But I didn't enjoy reading it. The whole 'stream-of-consciousness' style of writing is very hard to follow (especially coming first person from a mentally handicapped individual). I finished the book only because I hate not finishing books.On a positive note, the last two sections of the book are readable. In fact, the book actually gets somewhat interesting with these two chapters. I can identify with the reviewer who wrote that he felt Jason was his hero in the story. Though Jason was a rotten individual, it was a relief to be able to read something understandable. Now that I know 'classics' can be this bad, I am not as excited to read them as I was before encountering this book.
Rating: 
Summary: A work of utter brilliancy
Review: The Sound and the Fury, while oftern berated (at least by my 18 year old peers, certainly not by the intellectuals and lovers of great literature) as being confusing and difficult to approach, is easily one of the most brilliant works of literature I have ever read. I agree that if you were to pick it off the shelf in the library, without any sort of background information, it would tear most readers to shreds. This is mainly because the first quarter of the book is told through the eyes of a mental retard, and this is not directly stated until much later in the novel, and without being able to recognize the stream of consciousness style and the shifts in time employed using it the reader will quickly become lost(for the same effect visually, watch toward the end of the film Mulholland Drive). But with knowledge of this fact, the adept reader will quickly find this section to be brilliant in its innovation and experimentation, I frequently found myself in awe of Faulkner's immense skill as a writer, that he can create something like this. And then I read the next section. Quentin...words cannot express the beauty and brilliancy of this character, who narrates the second section. And for those who have never experienced depression, TRUE depression, I don't think words can. The work as a whole is brilliant, and the messages that Faulkner tries to impart to the reader through the 4 sections as a whole are fine and great, but this section by itself is perhaps the most beautiful, the most brilliant work of prose that I have ever read. Quentin's depression, that leads to his eventual suicide, is shown so perfectly. The line "And on the day he says rise only the flat irons will come floating up" burned itself into my mind the first time I read it, and has refused to ever leave. I just cannot even explain the beauty in all of Quentin's actions, in his love for his sister (that I feel was NOT incestuous in ANY way, but rather was love in its most absolute and pure form; it is analogous to Sam telling Frodo that he loved him in The Lord of the Rings. Just as Sam is not homosexual, Quentin never even contemplated incest with Caddy). And the tragedy, as the day coming to a close, Quentin quietly tries to clean his clothes and packs up his belongings, in complete control, until one last flashback feverishly bubbles up out of him, and then there is only quiet control again, as he leaves to end his own life. I could write for pages and pages on this section, and again it is utterly brilliant. It alone is worth the time you will spend on the book, and it remained in my mind far longer than did the rest of the work. Indeed, the rest of the work, while still good, is far less memorable and I have little to say about it. But I would recommend this book to anyone, if only for the character of Quentin, who is one of the greatest characters ever created, right up there with Hamlet and the Karamazov brothers. Faulkner is a winner of the Nobel Prize, and this work shows that he deserves it. It is a work filled with great characters, amazing images, and brilliant, brilliant writing. In looking back on it, I am filled with a sense of awe, and I could think of no better title for it THAN "The Sound and the Fury". I give 5 stars to only the very, very best, and this work is certainly that. Very Highly Recommended
Rating:
Summary: One of the Greatest Novels of All Time
Review: Considered William Faulkner's greatest novel of all time, "The Sound and The Fury" tells the story of the decline of the once eminent Compson family. The novel is divided into four parts, each of which consist of different narrators. The first part is told by, Benjy, a mentally retarded 33 year old. His tale best exemplifies Faulkner's title as his narrative is simply a whole lot of sound and a whole lot of fury. He jumps around constantly in his narrative and it is the most difficult section to read. The second section features the narrative by Quentin, another member of the Compson family. This section is perhaps the most beautiful and poetic narration in the novel. It can be difficult to read due to the use of symbols and complex allusions that Quentin refers to, but it is probably the most interesting part of the novel. The third section is told by Jason, the eldest Compson brother. This section is much easier to read through than the first two as it flows simply and smoothly. The final section is narrated by Dilsey, the black servant to the Compson family who has been with the family from the beginning as she is able to close the novel. The differing complexities in the brothers is what drives this novel. Their characters are very developed and very real in their actions. Their demands of their sisters attention is an intriguing theme that surfaces throughout. Love, anger, fear, depression, confusion and other emotions of the human condition fill this beautiful novel. The reader will become filled with grief for characters that are lost and confused, all because of different reasons. It is completely original and unlike anything that I have ever read before, and it is not the difficulty that makes it so appealing, but the beauty and truth that draws one to that appealing conclusion. It will forever stand the test of time.
Rating:
Summary: The beauty and the complexity
Review: William Faulkner is a master of the English language writing like no one else. Known as one of the most difficult North American writers he made justice to his reputation. But, what in someone else's hands would be totally absurd and pedant, in his is words turned into magic. 'The Sound and The Fury' is one of his most famous and most difficult novels. Indeed it is. However, at the same time it is one of most beautiful works ever done in English. The book tells the story of a supposed sexual abuse of a girl name Caddy. Her three brothers and a servant tell the story and its follow up. Most of the book is told using the stream of consciousness technique, what, if on the one hand makes the reading difficult, on the other only enhances its pleasure, once one gets used to it. The characters are fabulously developed. The three brothers are like real human beings, due to the fact that they are complex, filled with good and bad feelings and actions. And while their segments in the novel don't make too much sense, it is the last one, the one narrated by the servant, which makes some points clear. But, above all, do not start read 'The Sound and the Fury' expecting a regular novel or something straightforward. This is a sinuous book; things pop up and disappear in the change of paragraph. And this makes Faulkner's prose so brilliant, because all these devices are perfectly orchestrated. Virtually everyone who reads 'The Sound and the Fury' faces a problem with the time change in the book -- from one word to another it may be years. There are no magic advices for overcoming this device. The only thing one can do is reading with attention. Nowadays there are some good Internet resources that may help the reader to understand time in 'The Sound and the Fury', and while they are great when it comes to this point, they do not --and don't even intend to-- replace the actual reading of the book.
Rating:
Summary: Sound and Fury Review
Review: This novel is so intriguing; Faulkner's gift is so apparent in this novel. Although it requires an interpretive mind and patience in certain areas, it is definitely worth adding to your list. The first chapter really shows Faulkner's skill, in that he writes from the mind of a mentally handicapped child. It was difficult as the novel opened, but as I read on, I began to catch on to Benjy's dialogue. The way Faulkner incorporates Shakespeare's quote from Hamlet into this novel is brilliant. The quote speaks of a "tale told by an idiot", which is exactly how the story begins. It also says, "signifying nothing." In the novel, the Compsons are an upstanding family at one time. The family name has great ancestry to it, but we see as the novel progresses that the family eventually deteriorates and falls apart. As a result, the family name falls to ruin. Once again, this novel is wonderful, but requires much attention from the reader. I would recommend it to anyone willing to invest fully in this masterpiece by William Faulkner.
Rating:
Summary: vastly overated
Review: Not as difficult to read as I had expected from all the hype. The problem is that once you understand the complicated way of writing,you realise how little has actually been said. Jason's part was probably the best, but the author really took everyone for a ride. A case of the Emperor's new clothes I'm afraid, ... just being difficult to understand doesn't make it good ...
Rating:
Summary: Heartbreaking
Review: This is the best book I have ever read. Yes, it is the most technically dazzling. And it's the most perfectly realized--as others have said, the images of Caddy's soiled clothes and soiled life and soiled family and soiled South form a perfect thematic whole. But what keeps this book alive in my heart is the way that it broke it, over and over again. What in all of literature is sadder than Benjy's uncomprehending grief for the loss of his Caddy? His brute wandering through the remains of what was once a paradise for him, looking for the sweet sister who was the only source of security and love for him, and too dull-witted to understand why she is gone, or that she is still alive but kept from him by his cruel and jealous brother Jason. Is there anything more pathetic than what was done to Benjy because "normal" people misunderstood his obsession with the young girls coming home from school, that they didn't understand that he was just waiting for Caddy to come home to him? As for Caddy, some reviewers have stated Caddy was special only in the eyes of her brothers. I disagree. Caddy has always been my favorite female character in literature, and the most tragic. She was not promiscuous by nature or by intent. SHe was a teenage girl who fell in love and gave in to desire, and once marked as soiled and spoiled by the world around her, she had to make do the best she could. In the novel's "present," she is trying desperately to reunite with her illegitimate daughter Quentin, but Jason toys with her and denies her even a glimpse of her daughter. It is terribly, terribly sad. Faulkner paints Caddy as a glorious, brave, kind, gentle soul. I realize that in the terms of the novel she is "fallen" and impure and representative of the downfall of her family and the South itself, but I think the beauty of it is that her fall is so sympathetic and so larger than life. THere is a scene in which brother Quentin confronts young Caddy with her affair with her lover, Dalton Ames, and rather than reacting in shame, Caddy "demonstrates" to Quentin the depth of her desire for this man in a way that still haunts me. Half of the books and the movies in the world have tried to find a way to demonstrate a character's love for another character, with ever more graphic and sweaty coupling and ever more sappy and overwrought language, and nobody has come close to this scene in S&F. Without any character undressing or locking lips or making speeches, with barely a trace of physical contact and with only two words, Caddy shows her angst-ridden, repressed brother, "This is what it means. THis is what it means to feel a desire so strong that you can no more deny it than you can deny your heart beating."
Rating: 
Summary: Good but not as great as all the hype
Review: If The Sound and the Fury were not so difficult to read, I don't think it would get all the hype it gets. Once I was able to figure out what was going on in the plot, what I was left with was an interesting story about the decline of a prominent Southern family, with some interesting characters (namely the idiot Benjamin Compson, the venerable servant Dilsey, and the self-interested Jason Compson). But, I did not feel the story was as compelling as my favorite Faulkner novel, Absalom Absalom. Reading The Sound and the Fury is like cracking a cipher code due to the constant shifts in time, two characters with the same name, and another character whose name gets changed -- all without informing the reader -- and references to events that make no sense until several hundred pages later in the book. As a literary experiment that is very cool, but it doesn't render the book the greatest novel ever. I also was not able to suspend my disbelief about some of the characters' motivations, most notably the fact that Quentin Compson committed suicide because he couldn't come to terms with his sister Caddy's promiscuity. I just didn't buy it. But don't get me wrong, I still highly recommend this novel. I just don't think it's as great as the hype.
Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece Without Equal
Review: This is the best book I have ever read. The language and style is difficult to read at best... especially the first "chapter" however, I have never felt like I knew characters in any book (or movie) better. I read this book twice in a row (loved it just as much the 2nd time). Even the "bad" characters I loved for the humanness the portrayed. This is everything that American Beauty dreams of being. A masterpiece. It is brilliant and can not recommend it highly enough. A MUST read. But not for those with no interest in the human mind, spirit or someone with a short attention span. You must THINK and be able to THINK WELL to read this book. Other recommended novels: The Beans Of Egypt, Maine by Carolyn Chute, The Losers' Club by Richard Perez
Rating:
Summary: One of the Finest Novels Ever
Review: The first time I read this novel I thought it was very good but not as great as everyone claimed. I thought the style took away from the story (the story itself is incredible). Now that I'm rereading it, I have changed my mind. The style is perfect, as is Bengy's section. To fully appreciate this masterpiece you should really read a good, detailed synopsis before you start so you don't get bogged down in the time shifts. It is not that hard to figure out what is happening, but it wastes energy you will need to fully appreciate what is hapening. Then watch as the novel opens up with the shattered reality of Bengy walking through a golf course looking for his Caddy as the golfers call for their caddies. This novel ranks among the finest works in human achievement and remains one of my favorite books.
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