Reviews with content warning for Mental illness - The Sound and the Fury

How to rate a classic novel that is technically fine but you didn’t enjoy? I wanted the writing to call to me more, but it didn’t. It lept for the page a few times, but they were little hops, too weak to make it too far. I wanted more from it and, despite there being nothing technically wrong, it didn’t sing to me. It’s an incredibly difficult read as well because it displays a stream of consciousness style for certain characters. Again, while I applaud the technical ability it takes to write in that style, nothing jumped out at me.

Characters: 3.5⭐️/5

The majority of characters are horrible people or people who are slowly morphing into horrible people or, perhaps, just people being treated horribly. The characters had moments that gleaned off the page, for better and worse reasons, though, which did in fact make them feel real and horribly vibrant.

Plot: 3.25⭐️/5

Again, the plot is difficult to parse, requiring it to be read slower and with greater intention. I don’t necessarily hate that; however, a book that fixates on the inevitable destruction of a family is hard to love as you watch a few characters fling themselves towards becoming more unredeemable. For some, it could be a necessary story of moral corruption and social decline, and it would be precisely perfect for that.

Who Should Read This Book?

Fans of classics
Those looking for a literary challenge with a dark and sombre theme
Readers wanting to understand the complexities of the southern United States post the Civil War

Content Warnings?

Abuse, Racial Slurs, Racism, Colonialism, Misogyny, Sexism, Abelism, Suicide, Emotional Abuse, Death, Death of parent, Antisemitism, Alcoholism, Alcohol, substance abuse

Post-Reading Rating: 2.5⭐️/5

I wanted to like it much more than I did. I understand the gist, I get why people think it’s brilliant, but it’s not a story that made me feel anything but sadness and frustration and, though I know that was the point, I didn’t have fun. It may be a book I return to. Maybe I read it at the wrong time.

Final Rating: 3⭐️/5

Content Warnings

braveprincess11's review against another edition

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dark slow-paced

Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

1.5 stars.

Assigned for university, and we haven’t had the lectures on it yet, so maybe there’s something I’m missing. But I doubt it.

I understand the events of the novel as they occurred (though I still haven’t figured out Quentin the Younger’s father, or which one of the brothers admitted to incest - Quentin, I think?), so I understand that it’s supposed to be a sad tale about intergenerational trauma, shame and secrets.

What I didn’t understand is - why I’m supposed to care? I didn’t find any of the characters in the slightest bit compelling, and Faulkner’s stylistic and syntactic choices served no other purpose than to confuse.

And the entirety of the final section - April 8th, 1928 - added nothing to the story, save Quentin the Younger robbing Jason and running off. I don’t understand the purpose served by the novel following Benjy & Dilsey to mass, and the ending is abrupt and un-final. Why can’t Benjy be taken to the left of the Confederate statue? Why does it upset him so? What is over there?

- Those are questions which I’m hoping my uni lectures will answer, though I quite doubt it. I really do hope my mind is changed on this book, as I was really excited about reading Faulkner, and am disappointed to be as let down as I was.

Content Warnings

greystimemachine's review against another edition

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challenging dark slow-paced

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

3.25

Content Warnings

redheadorganist's review against another edition

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I had a very hard time getting through the book. The stream of conscience narration was difficult to follow.

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