The Stranger

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Summary: The answer is in the question.
Review: Many readers ackowledge the quality of Camus' writing but question the truth of existentialist philosophy. Maybe this is because existentialism is approached by some as they might approach a theology: as a description of the absolute truth of existence or even a prescription for how one should live.

As a devout Christian, I find these works to be valuable illustrations of what happens to the person who cannot transcend his neuroses via spiritual catharsis (see C.S. Lewis for such remedies). The best lessons are learned from reflecting on ideas we find adverse to our own.

The thoughtful reader must find Marsault to be a singularly unpitiable character. One of many object lessons I take from The Stranger is that to be preoccupied with oneself is to place one's soul in peril. Its a sad story that perhaps could have been told with more depth if Camus were more novelist and less philosopher. A good book; I would buy it again.

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Summary: Case study or story?
Review: This novel came highly recommended by a friend. I bought it at a used book store, fearing the worst and then regretting paying full price for a work of trash. Boy, was I wrong! The Stranger is one of the best books I've ever devoured. Albeit, it could have gone into more detail, given the story and the characters more 'meat', however, I can't complain about it's poignant quality.

Mersault: idiot? victim? extraordinary? This is left up to the reader to decide, which I loved. Mersault's actions made me think of the isolation that comes with being different and indifferent. Mersault did not CHOOSE to be indifferent, he was naturally. Or so I assume, because there never was an explanation for his decidedly rotten behavior toward the people close to him.

I think this book's length was a factor in letting the reader make their own judgements regarding Mersault and his place in the theories of nihilism and existentialism. I STILL, after having read the book months ago, haven't made a definite decision. Hopefully, the conclusion won't come any time soon. I'm enjoying mulling the story over in my mind and talking about it with my book-loving friends.

I recommend this book to anyone who is beyond the idle fluff of such writers as Dean Koontz and Jackie Collins. Feed your brain some oxygen. You'll never think the same way about life again.

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Summary: Existentialism?
Review: I am having a difficult time understanding what existentialism represents. If it represents the notion that humans merely exist but nothing really matters, then Mersault is definitely an existentialist. Is existentialism then merely having low blood sugar? What is the difference between this man and a common animal such as a dog? Nothing really matters to the dog except physical sustenance. How can there be an entire literary movement based on something so inconsequential? And if nothing really matters, then why does Camus spend energy writing a novel about an idea that doesn't really matter?

I apologize for the sour tone, but this philosophy seems to go against everything I think normal people believe in. It opposses the foundations of human life.

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Summary: highly over-rated but intriguing short novel
Review: Though Camus is an exceptional prose stylist he is no thinker and this is never more clear than in The Stranger. Walter Kaufmann has noted the general vacuity of Camus' thought in his (Kaufmann's) prolific criticism on existentialism. Philip Freund, in his meticulously long essay "Albert Camus and Symbolism" (in The Art of Reading the Novel) has convincingly demonstrated the alarmingly weak structural integrity of much of Camus' fictional work. I recommend The Stranger as an experiment, as it incidentally yields some intriguing insights; but I qualify this recommendation as, architectonically (inclusive of plot execution, coherence of symbolism, philosophical cogency) The Stranger, largely, is a failure.

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Summary: One of my Existentialist Favorites
Review: I must say that I enjoyed this book to the highest degree. I find much joy in reading existentialist novels such as those by Camus, Jean Paul-Sartre, and some by Kurt Vonnegut. I find this genre interesting in its reflection of post-war literary sentiment. In essence, I found the main character delightful in his randomness and expressive in his callousness and indifference. "The Stranger" was prompt and concise reading for me and it's a book I definitely want to keep on my bookshelf! Praise to Camus and his wonderful novel

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Summary: excellent new translation.
Review: It has been ten years since I read "The Stranger. I am quite pleased with the new version. I must admit that the early translation did not live up to the principles of existentialism. This new version does. It is enriching to read. This book must be read at least once every ten years; as a good reminder of how we place value on things in life and life itself. A last note, in order to make the reading more enriching, a little search into Camus' political interest is worthwhile. If this is done, the symbolic language, such as the blistering sun, and the fact that it is an arab that is shot in Algiers, become clear in his writing.

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Summary: Interesting, but frustratingly so....
Review: Might I just say that Meursault annoys me, to start with. The thing with this book is that, if you get the symbolism of it, it really makes you think. But, in thinking on it, it slightly frustrates me. Meursaults attitude is that which I see all around me and can not stand...its all linked into existentialism (a philosophy, that while intriguing, I almost comepletly disagree with). I cant imagine why people actual sympathize with Meursault, and hail him as a hero. I think he teaches us some things about ourselves, but nothing positive. He has somehow escaped the integral thing that makes us human, feeling. I do not feel that this excuses him from anything. I do understand, however, that he was judged not on his crime so much as on behaviour that did not suite the society he was living in. I get the point, but he *did* kill another human being, for no reason, and did not care about it at all. Anyway, the book reminds me of all those who want to answer to nothing, of those who convince themselves they simply do not care, when they do. Meursault keeps saying that he doesnt care, but even at the very end, when he attacks the chaplain,he is doing so with the emotion that he had previously denied to himself existed. In all, I like this book and would recommend it, though I found myself frustrated with it several times:)

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Summary: [e-mail]
Review: Each moment of my life a recall this book, I think every life of the human beings will resemble in some moment to this book, because life has this kind of no sense moments, and nobody can't say have everything under control.

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Summary: Juh?
Review: This bizarre little novel was recently named one of the 100 best of the century. If there were (a la Ayn Rand) some philosophical speeches, perhaps this could be redeemed, but it is very difficult to find sympathy with a murderer, even one condemned for the wrong reasons.

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Summary: An interesting idea, but Meursault deserves no sympathy...
Review: Camus has a point to make in this book, but sometimes he makes it hard to find. True, it is unfair to judge a man because he fails to live up to societal standards and not because of the crime he commits. The fact remains, though, that Meursault DOES commit murder. That he does so for no particular reason (the sun gets in his eyes?)only makes the act more unthinkable. Shouldn't we be more afraid of a man who kills another man randomly than one who does so with some sort of motivation?

Since the book is written in the first person, Camus obviously intended for this story to come across as the oft-told tale of the ordinary man caught up in a world gone mad. However, I came away from this book with the impression that Meursault was the one who was mad. Or perhaps he was simply autistic. Either way, he neither understands the system nor operates within it, and it is this failure that causes his downfall, not society.