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creenareads's review against another edition
4.0
Masterful writing to show the end result of indifference toward oneself and everything else. And now I know where the Cure song "Killing an Arab" comes from!
pajammies's review against another edition
Meursault faut arrêter d'être une petite pute sur dieu!!!!
maryfoley2001's review against another edition
4.5
A well written Hemingwayesque style reflection on absurdism and nihilism.
phantomsparrow's review against another edition
challenging
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
namrata_jain's review against another edition
3.0
It's a strange read to say the least. The natural instinct of humans is to try to fit in, to make sense of things and justify their actions to always be right and full of morals. Albert Camus does the complete opposite of that. It is what it is, right is right and done is done. It's somewhat disappointing to lead a life without lofty ideas of meaning, but in the end, it IS what it is. This book pretty much asks us to "take it easy".
The story was gripping and simple, a vehicle for his philosophy.
The story was gripping and simple, a vehicle for his philosophy.
lil_2102's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
pascalibrary's review against another edition
5.0
I am always amazed when books like this are able to fit so much into such a small novel. How they can convey such depth in little volume. Camus manages to press so much meaning into nearly every page.
I came to this book for the absurdism, but I stayed for the characters. They fascinated me. Salamano and Raymond were detestable, but still human. They did awful things, but were still attached to the world.
Contrast this with Mersault, who seems disconnected from everything. He constantly loses track of time, before and after his time in prison. He's clearly emotionally detached, and can't really connect with his friends, family, or lover.
Yet even still, Mersault is a human being, but everyone denies him that. He still feels things, just differently, but he's condemned for that difference. People in the novel couldn't fathom how his mind worked, why he didn't believe in God, and why he didn't show remorse. Even I can't fathom some of those, and its probably only because of his POV that I was able to recognize his humanity.
I thought the exclusion of Mersault's thoughts in the first half was an excellent creative decision. It worked well to paint him as a cold, unfeeling person. Then the second half opens up and we get a lot of insight into him. But this is only after we see all the same things that the people around him saw. They indict him on the same evidence that we initially do, so how can we condemn them afterwards.
This book is so much more than I expected, and I really like that. I can't recommend this book enough.
I came to this book for the absurdism, but I stayed for the characters. They fascinated me. Salamano and Raymond were detestable, but still human. They did awful things, but were still attached to the world.
Contrast this with Mersault, who seems disconnected from everything. He constantly loses track of time, before and after his time in prison. He's clearly emotionally detached, and can't really connect with his friends, family, or lover.
Yet even still, Mersault is a human being, but everyone denies him that. He still feels things, just differently, but he's condemned for that difference. People in the novel couldn't fathom how his mind worked, why he didn't believe in God, and why he didn't show remorse. Even I can't fathom some of those, and its probably only because of his POV that I was able to recognize his humanity.
I thought the exclusion of Mersault's thoughts in the first half was an excellent creative decision. It worked well to paint him as a cold, unfeeling person. Then the second half opens up and we get a lot of insight into him. But this is only after we see all the same things that the people around him saw. They indict him on the same evidence that we initially do, so how can we condemn them afterwards.
This book is so much more than I expected, and I really like that. I can't recommend this book enough.
inphynite's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
3.75
meriwetherz's review against another edition
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes