Rating: 
Summary: Bone chilling meditation
Review: This is an exploration of absolute freedom and the indifference of existence to human desires and preconceptions. Whether you like M. is not a central point (although it could affect your enjoyment of the book, certainly). He does not really "not care about anything" - he just doesn't put value on anything beyond immediate sensation, and in the end he becomes passionate about the value of sensation. Can we obtain wisdom from this odd fellow?In the end he is alone in a jail cell, awaiting certain death, with nothing but his solitary mind and memories. That's where he was in the beginning, and where everyone in the book and the world really dwells; he has just been more acutely aware of it than others. His life at the end has no more or less "meaning" or even pleasure to offer than it ever has, but he has awakened to the immediacy of life and experience. No one else in the book accepts these facts, and they all spend time pursuing "greater" concepts to avoid M.'s reality. That is why he is judged and condemned, and that is why it doesn't matter. They have taken nothing from him, and they just merge with the rest of the indifferent and absurd world. This is the vision I took away from the book, anyway. Needless to say, I find this disturbing. I'd really like to say M. and Camus are wrong, but some of these propositions are ring true. I will remember this book forever, I'm sure. I can't give anything higher praise (certainly not in my limited absurd sensory universe).
Rating:
Summary: The Stranger shows the triumph of one man over his society.
Review: The Stranger is one of the most powerful short novels of the twentieth century. The story of Meursault is an existentialist battle cry, just as Sisyphus is doomed in his struggle against his fate, so are we condemned to death by a banal society. As Camus shows us, the hero must not allow himself to be cowed by this inevitability. This novel will only be appreciated by those who despise the slave-morality.
Rating:
Summary: Here's to the reclamation of ourselves.
Review: There is genius in this book. One must never forget why. If one does, one does die. To never confuse life with death. To never allow passing time to escape. To break forth into the world with every ounce of aspiration and energy, the only inspiration inside yourself. To know that you are alive at the very least. To know that "what dreams may come" are coming only today in these waking moments and never "in that sleep of death." That is all, and so it is TO BE. Why indeed I do love this book.
Rating:
Summary: An Existential Masterpiece!
Review: Camus' body of work encapsulates the whole of the existential experience. The Stranger is a modern masterpiece, a superb literary and philosophical work. The current translation by Mathhew Ward is the one to read.
Rating: 
Summary: This book was mediacator
Review: I thought this was a very UNREALISTIC BOOK. I thought was written very poor.
Rating:
Summary: 'The Killing Of An Arab'
Review: The book that inspired the debut single from seminal British band 'The Cure,' Albert Camus' 'The Stranger' is a great primer for anyone at all interested in the literary context of this controversial song. The story of Meursault is a harrowing one, highly intellectual and thought provoking. A great introduction to Existentialism as well as an expansive literary work, Camus' 'The Stranger' will intrigue generations to come. Highly Recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Camus' Existential Practical Joke?
Review: Yes- This is fantastic writing. Yes- The pacing, style, etc. are all great. I guess the idea is that you're supposed to see a bit of yourself in Mersault. I just don't. Yes, I understand that he doesn't live up to societies expectations. That can be admirable. Most literary heroes are outsiders to some extent. The trouble is not that Mersault has no respect for society's rules. The trouble is that he just doesn't care. About anything. I care about stuff, therefore, I cannot even begin to identify. Maybe Camus couldn't either. Maybe he just found the whole thing really funny. Maybe this is just one novel-length riff from the world's most misunderstood master of black humour. That, I can identify with.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Story Line!!
Review: This Book was very interesting and kept my apt attention. At points I could not put this book down. I would recommend this book to many people.
Rating:
Summary: Masterpiece of Literature.
Review: This is one of the best books of the 20th Century. Let Camus blow you away with his philosophical simplicity and texture. The first line clues the reader in immediately about the nature of Meursault. This is truly a book for our times.
Rating:
Summary: A work of genius
Review: I quote from the original (yup, I know it by heart): "Aujourd'hui, maman est morte. Ou peut-être hier, je ne sais pas. J'ai reçu un télégramme de l'asile: 'Mère decedée. Enterrement demain. Sentiments distingués.' Cela ne veut rien dire. C'était peut-être hier." At the same time I was gobbling up scifi (check my comments on Ray Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451"), I was also delving into the harder stuff; and this opening paragraph just bowled me over. The quality of information those few, dry sentences give on the character, and how they set the tone for the whole book, is simply mind-boggling. To this day, nothing in my reading experience compares to it, not Shakespeare's "winter of our discontent", not Joyce's "introibo ad altare Dei", not anything else you can throw at me. Take the time and effort to read it in French (amazingly enough, it's not a hard read). It has a lilting and, yes, musical rhythm (despite its dryness) that no translation can convey. Now, isn't it ironic that this book somehow got mixed up with the Animorph series, whatever that may be ?
| 
