Reviews tagging 'Murder'

The Stranger by Albert Camus

270 reviews

omg_pear's review against another edition

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funny reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

Im so confused but i also understand it all. Philosophy amirite?

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inniag's review

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reflective tense 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

5.0

L’étranger

Probably one of the best books of all time

The cynical, apathetic and utterly deranged main character, whose calm and collected personality makes an incredible contrast to the book's tense and dark climax is probably the best starting point for Camus's complete work.

(Sorry for my level of English)

Content Warnings

afonsob's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Of course, Camus was a philosopher who developed the existentialist branch of absurdism, in which life is viewed as meaningless, but - as far as I understand it - not necessarily in a despairing manner like nihilism sees it. In absurdism, the meaninglessness of life is a blank canvas where a person, not having chosen to be born, can enact their free will to choose what meaning their life should have and what in their life should give it meaning. The magic of this book lies in conveying that philosophy (more explicitly in the final chapter); but also in the book itself being a blank canvas where each reader can paint their own interpretation of what is happening in/with Meaursault (the main character), and what the plot is ultimately about. Just read other people’s reviews: some see in this book a statement about not conforming to social norms; some see in it a prescient exploration of neurodivergence; some see a conversation about grief and what is the “correct” way to express it; some take from the book a commentary on race, colonialism and jurisprudence. It might seem like the book tries to cover too much in too few pages, but perhaps that is the point: existentialism, after all, is about existence itself and the conscious experience of being a person - what part of life isn’t affected by that?

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readingwithgoose's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

Much to think about.

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jorgeisz's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

mushasha's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted reflective sad fast-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

2.5

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bet137's review

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emotional fast-paced

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

4.0

Content Warnings

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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kajasversion's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

4.0

I really enjoyed it, I thought it was a perfect reflection of Camus’ philosophy. It’s definitely a book that makes you think after you’ve finished and I was able to connect with the views of the main character. Over sll i liked it a lot, I found it to be very entertaining and accessible.

Content Warnings

probablytoolate's review

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dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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

4.0

Content Warnings

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