Whew! Well that was no easy, beach-y summer read! It definitely took me a good 50 or so pages to get into this novel. I found the stream of consciousness technique that Faulkner uses very challenging at first, especially because he also alternates between many different narrators (throughout the beginning of the novel I found myself flipping back to the beginning of each section to double-check on who was narrating it!). However, once I was able to read the book for an uninterrupted stretch of 100+ pages at a sitting, I was finally able to catch on and 'fall into' the world of Yoknapatawpha County. Having spent years in the deep South and having relatives from very rural areas of Louisiana, I can say that Faulkner absolutely nails the dialect and turn-of-phrase of rural Southerners, to a T. He was clearly a talented writer, and I was shocked to discover that he wrote this particular novel in only 6 weeks!

In the end, I did like "As I Lay Dying." I don't know that I enjoyed it, as it was often a little too depressing and gritty for my taste. Plus I found myself still confused about bits and pieces of metaphor and symbolism even when I was done reading the novel (talk about making your reader use inference--whew!). But overall I am impressed by this novel and very satisfied with my first venture into Faulkner's works...I hope to read a few more of his novels in the not-too-distant future. That is, when I've rested up for round 2!

I hated William Faulkner. For years he has remained one of those authors that is praised and lauded as being the "best". All these accolades made me want to go out and read "The Sound and the Fury". I love reading: anything from horror, epics, classics, and history novels. Yet reading The Sound and The Fury I was completely lost. I had no idea what was going on and a quarter of the way through it I gave up in disgust and frustration. Still this great image of Faulkner haunted me. If he was so good, how come I didn't get it? Was it me? It took a few years to get around this. I went to college majored in History and English Literature and once again was confronted with Faulkner. I read a few of his short stories like "A Rose for Emily" and "Barn Burning" and something clicked in my head. I actually liked these stories, they were beautifully written, comic, gothic, and drenched in southern ambiguity. Slowly I was being introduced to Faulkner. I think in order to read Faulkner you have to build up to him. Don't start reading the "Sound and the Fury" right away. Instead start slow with short stories and move into his easier works. As I Lay Dying was my first Faulkner novel, and so far it's my favorite. It's much easier to understand then his other heavy stream of consciousness novels. It follows the story of the Bundren family and their journey to bury their wife and mother. When reading Faulkner it's important to understand that you won't get everything. Faulkner's writing is beautiful and if you take nothing else away from As I Lay Dying at least appreciate the power of the prose. In this book I found the reason Faulkner is toted as such a grand master of literature. The writing is dripping with emotion and the powerful symbology of poetry. Many of the reviews claim this story is boring or that it's a chore to read. This wasn't the case for me. I started reading and could not stop. The story felt so personal with images of tragedy and comedy that added to such a powerfully human story. As I Lay Dying has characters both loved and hated. The chapters are short and each one offers a little glimpse into their minds and the odyssey they are taking to bury their mother. Tragedy strikes and each character deals with their set backs in remarkable ways. Fear, anger, joy, sadness, and jealousy plague these characters, but Faulkner brings out the humanity that is present in all of them. The ending of the story I found to be quite remarkable with Faulkner revealing himself by adding a little wink to the reader. As I Lay Dying will not be the only Faulkner I read. I will probably go back to tackle the Sound and the Fury, but As I Lay Dying will remain the most memorable and personal for me. I can't recommend this novel enough!

For all its frustrating quirks, this is a book that deals powerfully with grief. I read this almost three years after I lost my mother, and I had a difficult time getting through some of the more intense scenes. When one of the sons has a touching moment without a verbal farewell, I seriously considered putting the book down and trying again in a year or two. I pushed through, though, and I'm glad that I did. The characters, as they set about bringing their mother's body on a dangerous course to her hometown for burial, seem true. I can see a lot of my family and friends in the way the neighbors assess the family, the way the father is overwhelmed by his loss, the way the siblings support each other while their grief brings out some of their less presentable qualities, etc.

It is difficult to fully enjoy this book, as it is written in a series of short first-person chapters that never really describe who everyone is, and they employ a jarring dialect, written phonetically. I had to concentrate to decipher what people were talking about, and while that is often rewarding in a novel, in this powerful emotional piece, I think the distance between the characters and me detracted from the potential impact. I will not race to find another Faulkner novel to read, but I feel pleased that I was so moved by this one.

Faulkner uses 59 short chapters, most of them monologues, to tell his story in AS I LAY DYING. That story--the final few days of Addie Bundren and the nine-day odyssey of her coffin to Jefferson for burial--gradually unfolds through the observations of 15 narrators, seven of them Bundrens. IMHO, the effect of these short chapters and many narrators is mixed, especially at the start of the novel when technique overwhelms story. But eventually, DYING achieves focus as a bleak and black comedy, with the sly and manipulative Anse doing whatever is necessary to restart his life.

Regardless, there are great chapters throughout DYING where the narrative is completely riveting. These describe the efforts of the Bundrens to cross a flood-swollen river, a fire in a barn, and the emergence of the backward Bundren family in modern Jefferson, escorted by soaring vultures. And, don't miss the wonderfully named Dewey Dell as she visits the pharmacies.

AS I LAY DYING isn't a masterpiece, like ABSALOM, ABSALOM! or THE HAMLET. Still, it's still great to see the amazing and sui generis Bill strut his stuff.

I loved this book - with its multiple themes and messages, compelling story, likable (and hateable) characters.