Reviews with content warning for Racism - The Stranger

Reviews tagging 'Racism'

The Stranger by Albert Camus

68 reviews

bluelien's review against another edition

dark reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I didn't really like this one, and it’s not only because I had to read it for class. The main character was trash. And the book was boring at times. But I liked that it was nuanced and thought-provoking. This is one of those that could lead to good conversations.

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jessica_rva's review against another edition

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reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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devermismysteris's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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saint_eleanor's review

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challenging dark informative mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was okay, i really liked the story actually and i can see how important it was at the time, but i kind of wish that it was longer or shorter/more concise? I like the themes of the übermensch, absurdism, and ultimate freedom from society’s norms/morals, but i think he could have gone even further with that. It reminded me a lot of Tayeb Salih’s Season of migration to the North, which i felt similarly about bc they deal with characters who kind of sit back and watch their peers assault women and kill people. I think the only reason i find these types of books to be irritating is bc the main characters are often like praised by people who are into Nietzche but all I’m seeing when I’m reading it is a man who is enabling/creating violence towards women and marginalized people and who is too spineless to have an opinion about it. Thats not really the book’s fault though, i feel like they are missing the point of the story. I also have an issue with the existentialism theme, bc it gets him off the hook for any guilt about the murder bc he embraces true nihilism. I think thats BS personally but again i think that’s the point— that nihilism is actually quite dangerous. Idk!!

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desiderium_incarnate's review

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reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

"Well, so I'm going to die." Sooner than other people will, obviously. But everybody knows life isn't worth living. Deep down I knew perfectly well that it doesn't much matter whether you die at thirty or at seventy, since in either case other men and women will naturally go on living - and for thousands of years. In fact, nothing could be clearer.

This book is really easy to read, which was the reason it got even 3 stars from me. I don't know why it won a Nobel Prize in Literature to be perfectly honest. Because basically these are the main points of the story:

Meursaults mom dies
He has/shows nearly no emotions during the whole book which makes it pretty boring character wise
He is convinced nothing matters (out of a very egoistical reasoning it seems)
Because of this he has no trouble making friends with pretty unkind, mysoginistic people and partly supports them in hurting others
Then he gets a sunstroke and shoots someone
He is tried and found guilty and will be beheaded

I just think that if nothing matters, or at least things only matter if you attribute them meaning, why do you choose to be a dick? Kindness and empathy are real, other people have feelings, why not choose to be kind? I expected to read a different, absurdist take on 'Life is meaningless' but once again I only found sexist, racist and violent men being nihilistic. Great!

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