Rating: 
Summary: Classic
Review: This short novel is a classic of existentialist literature. The novel is divided into two parts. The first part takes us from the death of Meursault's mother to his killing a man. Throughout Meursault is quite indifferent to whatever does not directly effect his physical comfort. He is largely unmoved by his mother's death. His girlfriend asks if he loves her, he responds that he doesn't know what that means, but he doesn't think so. Meursault becomes friends with a shady character named Raymond almost as if he has nothing better to do at the moment. At last he kills a man on the beach apparently for no other reason than that the sun hit his (Meursault's) eyes in a certain way.The second part of the novel takes us from Meursault's arrest to what is presumably a point near his end. The entire novel is in Meursault's voice and he is still in his cell at the end. He does not take us all the way to the guillotine. Throught the investigation and trial, Meursault is brutally honest. The trial takes on Kafkaesque tones when the prosecution is more interested in his indifference to his mother's death, his affair and shady friends than the actual killing. Self-defense is never suggested by the defense even though the man kill did pull out a knife. It is only in this part that Meursault is at all reflective upon his life, only when it is about to end. And it is only at the end that we see any emotion from Meursault. At the very end, he snaps at an unwanted priest's efforts to bring him into the fold before he dies.
Rating:
Summary: Indifferent Disillusion to Alienating Environment
Review: In "The Stranger", Albert Camus weaves a simple tale of the outright, inhumane, mechanistic, systemic conviction of a man who fitting certain seemingly unfit, merciless criteria for someone suffering from dementia and disorder, is given the death penalty. Based on trivial, superficial quota's this young man who was suckered into a conflict with his neighbor pimp over his former girlfriend and her Arab relatives and who eventually in an instance of a few brief seconds has his whole life condemned due to a series of common-day, hectic evolving happenstances. Was it calculated rage and execution at the world that left him feeling remorseless and seeking comfort of his own actions, irrational exuberance exploited by an older superficial role model, or confused, panicky nurture and nature created automatic, uncontrollable reaction and response? Through a simple, sad tale of events Camus shows how the individual and his motives, dreams, goals, and hopes can be trivialized and brushed aside by the greater biased, parochial, viewpoint of society. Relevant to modern day school shootings and the disillusionment hippies and others felt in the 60s and "slackers" felt in the 90s.
Rating: 
Summary: Finally someone agrees with me, this translation stinks
Review: A great book, the new translation may be more "American" somehow, but many of the most important parts seem much more clunky than in the original Stewart Gilbert translation. Some magic was lost, especially in the ending, the part where Merseault observes the people from his balcony, etc. Just get the other translation, it's easy to find used. 5 stars for the original translation, 3 for this one.
Rating:
Summary: Perhaps not so Strange...
Review: The main character in the novel (hero or anti-hero) is someone that its not attached emotionally to the world or anyone in it. He is more concerned with himself and his physical sensations. At the beginning it may sound just like a selfish person, but when we start to understand his nature things get so clear that we start to wonder about the way we lead our lives.
The hero(?) doesn't believe in God, the end is the end, so why live this life, which is the one we are sure we have, thinking or acting in behalf of some after life that might as well not exist? Why be attached to people when they all will die? Why not live fully and try to get the best for us and us only? Why worry about details when the final plan (death) is already laid out? These are all questions that we seem to ask, and in the end the character in neither strange nor selfish, but in a way a reasonable human being with a naked view of life - what turns out to be mind boggling.
He is a stranger in the sense that he doesn't quite follow society's "games" or predetermined line of conduct, he is truthful with above all - himself, and does not bother in justifying his actions or telling lies. And off course he has a huge lack of interest as if he were only a spectator of his own life (in a sense aren't we?) so his decisions really didn't matter. In the end he is judged by not (re)acting as he is supposed to, and things that are at first looked rather without importance are turned into a question of life or death...
Rating: 
Summary: Still Powerful
Review: This novella is probably the most widely read of Camus' works. It is a case study in alienation. The anti-hero and narrator is a man living in a moral and social vacuum. He has essentially no meaningful connections with the world except for some transient sensual experiences. Virtually everything that happens to him, the death of his mother, his work, his affair with an attractive woman, his murder of another young man, the prospect of execution, are received with indifference. In The Stranger, Camus presents a universe devoid of intrinsic meaning and with no special place for humanity. The life and plight of the anti-hero are told extremely well and this book has an impact completely out of proportion to its length. Camus' ability to describe this state in unsentimental terms and his pursuit of this idea to its logical conclusion are powerful. It is important to realize, however, that The Stranger presents only a part of Camus' demanding but ultimately rewarding view of life. Related themes are explored in the less successful The Fall and the positive aspects of Camus' version of existentialism are explored in The Plague. The anti-hero of The Stranger is the counter-example of how life can be lived properly and Camus does believe in alternative and meaningful ways of living. I recommend reading this book in conjunction with The Plague.
Rating:
Summary: Great book, atrocious new translation
Review: This powerful, disturbing book was better served by the eccentric translation English readers were used to than it is by this parched new one. There are passages where this translator is so literal, he literally takes the French grammatical structure and dumps it into English with no filter, when rearrangement would actually make the point better. You just want to strangle him sometimes. He took a fine wine and turned it into a raisin. --And no, it doesn't read like that in the original French.
Rating:
Summary: Masterful work of a brilliant man
Review: Camus has a way with words like that of the finest of poets. This brilliantly crafted story is a fine achievment in literature. As you have probably read from the other reviews, The Stranger is the story of a man, Mersault, who enjoys only the sensual pleasures of life, if only for brief moments. He does not love his companion and is totally indifferent to the death of his mother; he doesn't even know when she died. He commits a crime on the beach and stands trial, but is convicted solely because he is detached from society--he is a stranger.
I have nothing to add to the plot because many have done so much better than I ever could judging from the reviews I 've read already. I only have a few comments and suggestions.
If you've never read Camus before, then this is the book to start with; it gives you a glimpse into the mind of a brilliant thinker, writer, and artist. If possible, you should read The Myth of Sisyphus alongside(or even after) The Stranger. You will have a better feel as to what Camus is all about, though I doubt anyone will ever really understand him.
The Stranger will have many question the nature of their own existence. This is how powerful Camus's writing is. Overall, The Stranger is a profoundly beautiful work and it is one of my favorites. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Sartre eat your heart out!
Review: No one was more responsible for the nurturing and development of the existentialist philosophies than Jean Paul Sartre. That said, Sartre's words simply lacked the power and more importantly the compassion and understanding of Albert Camus. Camus starts his text, The Stranger, with the literary equivalence of a powerful punch. He ends it with two punches. Despite my disagreement over key elements in his philosophies, I am nonetheless more than impressed with his concise voice and storytelling. The Stranger is not only a must read, but a mantra to many bearing the angst of irrelevance. I highly recommend "The Myth of Sisyphus" for further insight into this wonderful text.
Rating:
Summary: interesting
Review: this was the first camus i read. the language is interesting and the story is compelling. quirky with meaning.
Rating:
Summary: A work of art and a fine book. I hated it!
Review: This short novel by Albert Camus was written in 1946. It's about a young Algerian Frenchman, Muersault, who works at an office job and lives a dull ordinary life. He describes his mother's funeral with clarity and dispassion and, as the story unfolds, the reader sees that this detachment is the general theme of the book. He doesn't love his girlfriend but it makes no difference to him whether he marries her or not. He helps an acquaintance commit an aggressive act because he just doesn't care enough one way or another. And, eventually, he commits a murder and is arrested. The trial then focuses on this disaffected aspect of his character. The conclusion is inevitable. I found this book quite uncomfortable reading. As Muersault observed the world around him, I was caught up in it, found myself seeing it all through his eyes, trapped in his inertia. I entered his world and felt a weird kind of sympathy as well as identification with him. This was very troubling. The little book packs quite a wallop. Yes, I do see this book as a work of art. Every word resonates with double and triple meanings. And every word is like a hammer blow. I read it fast, trying to shake off its impact. That didn't work, however, because "The Stranger" will linger long in my mind. This is the philosophy of essentialism and the book is a classic. I just can't help the fact that I hated it.
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