Customer Reviews

Absalom, Absalom!

5 star:		(79)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I can understand why this book has so many 5 star ratings. It's ideas on the decay of the South are pretty brilliant and perceptive, and the plot is devastating. However, the language, although poetic, is enigmatic and completely exhausting. What's more troubling is that every character in the book has the same way of talking, without ever stopping or completing a thought. Sentences literally go on for over a page. Apparently, that's how every single person talked in 1909.

"Not cowardice which will not face that sickness somewhere at the prime foundation of this factual scheme from which the prisoner soul, miasmal-distillant, wroils ever upward sunward..." This continues for quite some time. While an occassional sentence like this would add a sense of mystery and mysticism to the novel, when the whole thing reads like this, you get pretty tired. Another reviewer noted this sentence: "I became all polymath love's androgynous advocate." What?

I do like the narrative style though. You have a basic idea of the plot from the beginning, but pieces get filled in my different sources, leading to the overall picture of murder, decay, revenge. I didn't think the characterization was very good though, and that to me is the most important part of a book. Sure, you know who Sutpen is, but you don't really understand him. Ellen is called a moth, desperately clinging to the light but not understanding why. That's pretty a beautiful simile, but not incredibly useful, since we don't know why Ellen is a moth, just that she is.

Basically, if you're going to read this novel, know what you're getting yourself into, and read it slowly, or you'll have to go back a million times and re-read.

faulkner is an acquired taste. like brussel sprouts, you either like him or hate him, but he is definitely good food for the brain. his books are by no means easy reads, but they are a must for any true lover of literature.

absalom, absalom could have been a simplistic story of the sutpin family from thomas, the father, birth to the death of his youngest child henry. it could have been told in chronological order by an omniscient narrator that provided all of the usual insights and motives into every act. but it is not!

Faulkner tells the story through the eyes of 4 people, all of a different generation or background. the story is told somewhat haphazardly with many gaps which are not filled in until later in the book. the facts are viewed through the eyes of the different story tellers with parts further filtered through stories told to them by others. all of this makes an engrossing tale all the more fascinating. at the end we have a picture of the family that is part history and part saga.

this unusual approach to story telling is classic faulkner. you need to admire the style to really appreciate the ingenuity of the author.

the story is better understood by reading the biblical reference of king david's son as well as faulkner's sound and the fury which involves two of the same characters--specifically quentin compson.

this is faulkner's best novel. it is not for the first time faulkner reader. you need to work your way up to this one by reading as i lay dying, light in august, and then sound and the fury. the trip through these books will challenge even the best reader, but the rewards are well worth it. you will truly never read someone like faulkner again.

Faulkner is not for everyone, and this book is exhibit number one. I read half of it a year ago before going back and starting over, determined to finish it. I am certainly glad I did, and I will say without doubt I will read it several more times in my life, for this book is at the same time one of the most difficult I've ever read, and one of the most rewarding.

First, the cons: vocabulary that continually drives you to a dictionary; long, run-on sentences, with digression piled on top of digression, parenthesis within parenthesis within parenthesis; multiple telling of the same story. The reading is not easy, in other words.

But the pros: Faulkner is a master of "showing, not telling." He writes poetry without line breaks. For example:

** "a creature cloistered now by deliberate choice and still in the throes of enforced apprenticeship to, rather than voluntary or even acquiescent participation in, breathing"

** "battles lost not alone because of superior numbers and failing ammunition and stores, but because of generals who should not have been generals, who were generals not through training in contemporary methods or aptitude for learning them, but by the divine right to say 'Go there' conferred upon them by an absolute caste system."

** "and maybe they never had time to talk about wounds and besides to talk about wounds in the Confederate army in 1865 would be like coal miners talking about soot."

From these three examples alone, one can see that it's unfair to say that Faulkner's book is one run-on sentence without any differentiation in style or voice. Instead, they show a mastery of language, which Faulkner admittedly gets a little carried away with from time to time, but generally uses much like we use our lungs - without seeming to think about it.

What is most striking about the book is the similarity it has to the human experience. Walter Allen said this is the book in which Faulkner "most profoundly and completely says what he has to say about . . . the human condition." And what is that? That humans are weak and prone to lying, and more dangerously, prone to believing lies that are more comfortable than the truth. When we finish the book, we're still not sure about the details of the story. We don't know who twisted what in his/her narrative, and because the story is told from several points of view, we get conflicting interpretations from the characters about the meaning and cause of certain events. But as in real life, there's no omnipotent interpreter to sort everything out. Almost . . .

"AA" is particularly engrossing in the final half. Just when you think you pretty much know Sutpen's story, Faulkner reveals yet another detail -- coincidence turns out to be anything but, ignornance is shown to be willful, and many other facets which can only be called "plot twists" fall into place in the final 100 pages, and though the prose is anything but easy, it's difficult to put the book down then.

If you're not into "academic" books, stay away. If you're interested just in "a good yarn," steer clear. If you want to see an impressive effort at capturing in writing the frustrating experience of being a fallible, limited human, give it a read.

Whew! What a read! I loved it - especially the mesmerizing quality of Faulkner's prose. Hard to put down after you get thru the incredibly difficult 1st few chapters. Definitely has a very mythic feel to it. I loved the way he kept backtracking and repeating and filling in. Very much a "Rashomon" feel to it. Different narrators, different tales.

I probably would never have touched any book by Faulkner - the sentiment that seems to be unconsciously passed down from generation to generation is that Faulkner is dense to the point of impenetrability (is that a word?) - if I hadn't had to read "Absalom, Absalom" for a class on American literature. I'm glad I took the class; this book was a wonderful surprise. It brought me back to the pure joys of reading, the delight I feel any time I tackle something truly meaty. Admittedly, "Absalom, Absalom" is confusing, even schizophrenic, in its multiple narrators and its page-long sentences. You can't read it half-heartedly; I had to turn off the stereo and retreat to the quiet of my room to give it my full attention. And I was blown away. There is so much here for a literature lover to delve into. I won't even bother offering a synopsis - it wouldn't make much sense, and you should just read it anyway. I've heard people say that one shouldn't read "Absalom, Absalom" for their first Faulkner experience, and I can see why: this book is hard work. Still, it has inspired me to explore the rest of Faulkner's bibliography. And to read other books I was hesitant to read before. And it reminded me why I love to read. Not bad for a book I was dreading.

I apologize for the two stars, but I found this novel virtually unreadable. It was very dense, with few rewards. I understand and appreciate Faulkner's historical importance, but this book, in terms of pure enjoyment, did nothing for me. I am a fan of Updike, Tobias Wolf, Andre Dubus, and even some Faulkner (like As I Lay Dying), but not of Absalom.

I often had difficulty figuring out who was speaking, what they were talking about, who was the father of who...if it weren't for the time line, I might not have been able to establish even the basic setting. The text is dotted with gorgeous moments, but they are too few and far between.

That being said, a lot of people seem to love this book. Maybe they were up for more than a challenge than I was. I would suggest reading the first chapter (or even the first page) before buying. For me, it straddled the red zone on the readership-annoyance scale.

Although this is a tough book of Faulkner's--even more so than his usual tough reading--it is well worth it. The language, imagery, his style are all in top form in Absalom, Absalom! I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Faulkner. If you haven't read any Faulkner before, it might be better to start with As I Lay Dying or The Sound and The Fury for a slightly less complex read that will introduce you to the characters.

This was my first approach to Faulkner, and a very satisfying one, though experts advise on NOT starting with this one, as it is one of the most complex and obscure of his novels. However hard to read, it is very rewarding, since Faulkner's prose is so intense, dark and realistic. Clue after clue, the reader puts together the pieces of a nightmarish puzzle, a story of ambition, sin, revenge, envy, hard work, disappointment and tragedy. Indeed, it reminds of a Greek tragedy, one that takes place during several decades, in the torrid scenery of the Yoknapatawpha county in the American Deep South.

The story is totally phantasmagoric; it is the account and the reflection of the diverse -and improbable- narrators, who imprint their own passions and longings as they build the story. The Sutpen saga is a journey of madness and perversion, close in its own way to Russian classical stories. Just as in Greek tragedy, the main character is Fate. The most disturbing aspect of this novel is the ambiguity which characterizes the narrators.

Thomas Sutpen is a man of humble origins in the Appalachians, a man who has suffered rejection and discrimination. But he is terribly strong-willed and so he travels to the South looking for fortune. He dreams of building an empire and a dynasty that will prevail and avenge him for his misfortunes. He arrives at Yoknapatawpha and buys some land, which he, by virtue of hard work, turns into an emporium. But he is also a dark and violent man, who rejects his first wife and son for having black blood in their veins, an action that will come back to haunt him.

The main narrator is Quentin Compson, the son of a neighboring family, who years later recounts the story to a roommate in Harvard, so building a parallel story of drama and death.

Even if it is a challenging read, it is much worth it, since Faulkner develops a very powerful narrative with a strong prose and a great gift to create moods and sceneries. It leaves you with the sensation that you have read an epic of grand proportions, a "War and Peace" with much war and little peace, without balls nor nobility.

Absalom Absalom it a very complex book..It's very difficult to understand because Faulkner switches narrators so many times in the book. I had to flip back numerous times so i could remember who said what..If your up to a challenge then this is the pefect book for you however it wasn't for me..If you do choose to read this book, keep a dictionary handy..

Granted, William Faulkner is an acquired taste. I believe it was Sherwood Anderson who said he didn't mind Faulkner living with them (in New Orleans) just as long as he didn't have to read his work.

But don't be mislead by that statement, for while Mr. F. is an acquired taste, he's well worth the effort you have to put in. Like anything in life that's rewarding, it doesn't come easy. Yes, his sentence structure is bizarre and yes, he uses the "stream of consciousness," sometimes ad nauseaum, but if you study him, his works, his life, you'll see that he's miles ahead of all of us.

Which brings me to this book: Absalom is not one of this author's easiest reads if you're starting out with one of "Bill's" books. Sanctuary or As I Lay Dying are probably easier to take. But Absalom, along with Light in August, are his greatest achievements.

If you're a fan of Southern Literature, Faulkner is probably the highest you can go. That said, there are others out there that are more accessible. Works like Conroy's Prince of Tides or McCrae's Bark of the Dogwood (Dogwood was even compared to a cross between Faulkner and Sedaris, if you can imagine that!).

Still, I would highly recommend this book to anyone. Read it--you'll be better off when you're finished.