Scan barcode
vrushaly's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
5.0
starlessnebula's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-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
4.0
J'ai voulu lire ce livre dans sa langue originelle, et je pense que c'était une bonne idée. Le style d'ècriture de Camus et non en même temps complexe et descriptif, mais aussi facile à lire.
En vérité, au début je ne comprenais pas pourquoi ce livre est classifié comme un des chef d'oevres de la litterature française moderne. Meurseult paraissait comme un personnage trop simple, indifferent à tout et qui ne fait que décrire le monde autour de lui. Mais vers la fin de la première partie, on comprends pourquoi cet aspect et clé pour l'histoire.
J'ai bien aimé le changement de narration dans la deuxième partie. On voit comment la situation dans laquelle Meurseult se trouve l'affecte, cependant, il reste fidel à son character jusqu'au bout.
En tant que lecteur omniscient, la fin peut paraître injuste, mais les réfléctions de Meurseult sont si poussées et objectives que le lecteur-même peut-être convaincu.
En bref, on y reconnait que c'est une histoire écrite au milieu du 20ème siècle. Et même si certains passages m'ont ennuyé ou laissé confuse, je comprend pourquoi c'est le livre préféré de tellement de gens.
Une fois que je suis arrivée au troisième chapitre de la première partie, je n'ai pas pu laisser le livre sans le terminer. Sa longueure d'une centaine de pages ne dit ni plus ni moins que nécessaire, exactemment comme Meurseult.
En vérité, au début je ne comprenais pas pourquoi ce livre est classifié comme un des chef d'oevres de la litterature française moderne. Meurseult paraissait comme un personnage trop simple, indifferent à tout et qui ne fait que décrire le monde autour de lui. Mais vers la fin de la première partie, on comprends pourquoi cet aspect et clé pour l'histoire.
J'ai bien aimé le changement de narration dans la deuxième partie. On voit comment la situation dans laquelle Meurseult se trouve l'affecte, cependant, il reste fidel à son character jusqu'au bout.
En tant que lecteur omniscient, la fin peut paraître injuste, mais les réfléctions de Meurseult sont si poussées et objectives que le lecteur-même peut-être convaincu.
En bref, on y reconnait que c'est une histoire écrite au milieu du 20ème siècle. Et même si certains passages m'ont ennuyé ou laissé confuse, je comprend pourquoi c'est le livre préféré de tellement de gens.
Une fois que je suis arrivée au troisième chapitre de la première partie, je n'ai pas pu laisser le livre sans le terminer. Sa longueure d'une centaine de pages ne dit ni plus ni moins que nécessaire, exactemment comme Meurseult.
pihapeikko's review against another edition
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
oatmilklatte23's review against another edition
story about a man who does not give a single fuck until the end of it all
conjugatingmayonnaise's review against another edition
5.0
The Stranger has a reputation of being some sort of existentialist masterpiece. And as someone who’s struggled slightly with thoughts along this vein, I had high expectations for this book, which unfortunately were let down somewhat.
This book is more about absurdism than existentialism, and the existentialist part only comes in during the last 2 pages, when Meursault realises that it doesn’t matter whether he is executed tomorrow or dies a natural death in a few decades’ time, because human life is futile anyway. However, I thought those 2 pages were very well written, and still go back to read that part again frequently.
That being said, I very much enjoyed the way absurdism was portrayed in the book. The events leading up to Meursault killing the man are absurd, but somehow logical in their absurd progression, to make this absurd chain of events make sense to the reader. The end result is also perfectly believable: when he finally kills the man the reader feels as if it were completely expected and a natural turn of events. The premise of him killing a man because the sun was bright sounds absurd on paper, but the fact that Camus manages to justify it is a testament to how perfectly illustrated the absurdism is throughout the book.
I also loved the exploration of how heavily society believes that emotion is what makes one a good person, as Meursault is very quickly demonised by the court for not feeling sad at his mother’s death; in fact, he even watched a comedy movie the day of her funeral. The court even denounces him more for not grieving for his mother than his murder of a man. I thought this was an interesting exploration of how society as a whole interprets the importance of emotion in a person.
Finally, the opening line of The Stranger is one of my favourite opening lines out of any book: ‘Mother died today. Or maybe it was yesterday, I don't know.’ It perfectly encapsulates Meursault’s indifference towards the absurd world that we live in, in which he feels very much like a Stranger (or an Outsider, depending on the translation of your edition.)
This book is more about absurdism than existentialism, and the existentialist part only comes in during the last 2 pages, when Meursault realises that it doesn’t matter whether he is executed tomorrow or dies a natural death in a few decades’ time, because human life is futile anyway. However, I thought those 2 pages were very well written, and still go back to read that part again frequently.
That being said, I very much enjoyed the way absurdism was portrayed in the book. The events leading up to Meursault killing the man are absurd, but somehow logical in their absurd progression, to make this absurd chain of events make sense to the reader. The end result is also perfectly believable: when he finally kills the man the reader feels as if it were completely expected and a natural turn of events. The premise of him killing a man because the sun was bright sounds absurd on paper, but the fact that Camus manages to justify it is a testament to how perfectly illustrated the absurdism is throughout the book.
I also loved the exploration of how heavily society believes that emotion is what makes one a good person, as Meursault is very quickly demonised by the court for not feeling sad at his mother’s death; in fact, he even watched a comedy movie the day of her funeral. The court even denounces him more for not grieving for his mother than his murder of a man. I thought this was an interesting exploration of how society as a whole interprets the importance of emotion in a person.
Finally, the opening line of The Stranger is one of my favourite opening lines out of any book: ‘Mother died today. Or maybe it was yesterday, I don't know.’ It perfectly encapsulates Meursault’s indifference towards the absurd world that we live in, in which he feels very much like a Stranger (or an Outsider, depending on the translation of your edition.)
20dollarnosebleed's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
dalfaia's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
badgirlrhyrhy's review against another edition
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0