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1.99k reviews for:

Η πτώση

Albert Camus

3.91 AVERAGE

cebolla's review against another edition

3.25

adventurous fast-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

I remember being in my mid-20s and getting a copy of The Myth of Sisyphus from my wife at the time. I remember reading it and feeling something, but I don't remember enough of it to say more. Then, a few years later, the same wife at the time, had a job in Harlem. I remember getting a copy of The Fall at a local bookstore and then sitting on a bench and reading it cover to cover. I also don't remember what that was about, but I must have liked it. So, it had been a long time since I had read Camus but I remembered liking him. Therefore, I had my local library purchase The Fall.

The fall is a 140+ page monologue by a weird french dude named Clamence, living in Amsterdam some time (I think) in the 1950s or '60s. He spends most of his time at a local bar that caters to tourists and sailors, and one day meets another man from France. Despite no clear sign that this man is interested in spending his vacation listening to our narrator, the next three or four days consist of nothing but this. They go on some adventures—a boat ride, some walks, a hangout at the narrator's house—but what stays the same is the constant babble of this arrogant man.

Clamence talks ad nauseam about how great he is. How much he loves to help the poor and downtrodden, how—in his previous life as a lawyer—he would represent the lowest of the low, how he would help blind people cross the street and hand out money to beggars, etc, etc. While bragging, he makes sure to tell his listener, at least a dozen times, how charitable and saint like he is and how much everyone in Paris knew and loved him. Along the way though, he also mixes in opinion (he supported the holocaust) and stories (he watched someone drown without lifting a finger) that show his true nature.

The whole time I was waiting for a big reveal that never came. The pages grew less, but my hope didn't. I thought Camus was a master writer and could easily save the peak of his novel until a few pages before the end. I was wrong though. It feels like I just spent a few days following these two dudes around, listening to the asshat babble on and on, all while staring silently, willing myself to finish. Now I'm finished and can go listen to someone else talk.

itspatcii's review against another edition

5.0

"Cel care se supune unei legi nu se teme de judecata care-l inlocuieste intr-o randuiala in care crede. Dar cel mai greu dintre chinurile omenesti e sa fii judecat fara lege. Un chin pe care trebuie, cu toate acestea, sa-l traim si noi. Lipsiti de fraul lor firesc, judecatorii, dezlantuiti la intamplare, isi pierd orice masura. Asa ca trebuie sa-ncerci sa te misti mai repede decat ei, nu-i asa? Si ce balamuc iese! Profetii si vindecatorii se inmultesc, grabindu-se toti sa vina cu o lege buna, cu o organizare fara cusur, inainte sa fie pustiit pamantul. Din fericire, am venit eu! Sunt sfarsitul si inceputul, eu vestesc legea. Pe scurt, sunt judecator-penitent."