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A review by ashbydodd
The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
dark
sad
3.0
I have to admit—before this, I had never read William Faulkner. Not once. He was never assigned in school, and I never felt the urge to pick up his work on my own. But then I saw that The Sound and the Fury had a new audiobook edition narrated by Edoardo Ballerini, and that was all the convincing I needed. If Ballerini is reading it, I’m listening.
Now that I’ve made it through, all I can say is… maybe Faulkner just isn’t for me. I fully appreciate his technical genius—each section is narrated by a different character, and Faulkner adapts his writing to fit their personalities, which is undeniably impressive. Benjy’s section is a jumbled mess because Benjy’s mind is a jumbled mess. Jason’s section is more linear and, well, bitter because Jason is a straight-up rage machine. I get why people call this book brilliant; I do. But my issue isn’t with the complex storytelling—it’s that this book is so bleak. I mean, I like a good dark and twisty story, but this? This is a deep, existential pit of despair. Yes, there was a glimmer of hope in the end, but I spent most of my time just counting down to when I’d be done.
That said, the real MVP here is Edoardo Ballerini. I don’t think I would have made it through without his voice guiding me. He nailed every perspective shift, bringing just the right tone to each section. Even when I was exhausted by Faulkner’s unrelenting tragedy, Ballerini kept me engaged. Would I have finished The Sound and the Fury in print? Probably not. But thanks to Ballerini, I saw it through.
So, if you love Faulkner (or want to finally give him a try), this audiobook is the way to go. But if you’re like me and need at least some joy in your reading life, maybe pick up something a little less, you know… soul-crushing.
Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the advanced reader's copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Now that I’ve made it through, all I can say is… maybe Faulkner just isn’t for me. I fully appreciate his technical genius—each section is narrated by a different character, and Faulkner adapts his writing to fit their personalities, which is undeniably impressive. Benjy’s section is a jumbled mess because Benjy’s mind is a jumbled mess. Jason’s section is more linear and, well, bitter because Jason is a straight-up rage machine. I get why people call this book brilliant; I do. But my issue isn’t with the complex storytelling—it’s that this book is so bleak. I mean, I like a good dark and twisty story, but this? This is a deep, existential pit of despair. Yes, there was a glimmer of hope in the end, but I spent most of my time just counting down to when I’d be done.
That said, the real MVP here is Edoardo Ballerini. I don’t think I would have made it through without his voice guiding me. He nailed every perspective shift, bringing just the right tone to each section. Even when I was exhausted by Faulkner’s unrelenting tragedy, Ballerini kept me engaged. Would I have finished The Sound and the Fury in print? Probably not. But thanks to Ballerini, I saw it through.
So, if you love Faulkner (or want to finally give him a try), this audiobook is the way to go. But if you’re like me and need at least some joy in your reading life, maybe pick up something a little less, you know… soul-crushing.
Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the advanced reader's copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.