Customer Reviews
unintellegible - By: , 26 May 1999 
I'm sorry, but I can't agree with the other readers' enthusiasm. I found "The sound & the fury" a terrible book. Of course I can't but admire Falukner's technique, but, for Christ's sake, the plot is completely unintelegible! It took me a week just to find out who was who (why, I wondered, Quentin is a "he" & a couple of pages later becomes a "she"?). As for who did what, well that is still wrapped in mistery. A book that will give you a headache.
Simply amazing - By: , 18 Mar 1999 
Everything in this book, the writing, the characterizations, the plot, the setting, everything, is simply astounding. It draws you in & holds your interest like very few books. Definitely a classic, & certainly for anyone who wants to read a well written book with meaningful content. This book is a masterpiece of literature. It not only towers over alll the piddling "pop" literature that spews from the presses nowadays, but it is a titan over genuine quality literature.
Pure genius - By: , 11 Feb 1999 This book revolutionized the way I looked at writing. The idea of writing some of the chapters from the point of view of a person who cannot even speak & who is about on the brain level of a baby is absolutely brilliant to me, as is the fact that Caddy's voice is never clearly known; instead, only her brothers, Benjy, Quentin, & Jason lead the narrations, opening up the forum for so many possibilities of who Caddy reallly is & what the nature of her sexuality is as it moves from her to her daughter Quentin. The idea of Benjy, running up & down the fence screaming for Caddy, will be with me for the rest of my life & will creep in every time I try to write a page of my own. The title is one of the most perfect I've ever encountered, taken, of course, from Shakespeare: "Life is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound & fury, signifying nothing."
Comments on the emotional impact of the narrative - By: , 08 May 1998 What can be said, in terms of literary praise, about this novel that has not been said? Nothing. I can only comment on the emotional impact the book had on me. Some of the most disturbing & tragic moments in literature are found within the pages, & unlike many novels of acclaim, the last three pages are so dynamic that I found myself repeating the phrase, "Thank You." over & over to myself. Never, before or since, have I ever turned the last leaf of a book with such satisfaction.
To touch on the difficulty of the reading, I should say that, like an enormous jigsaw puzzle, to examine & scrutinize each little piece is futile. Simply read it through. When you've finished reading it, the whole story is crystal clear. Every brilliant sentence is crystal. In no way a cryptic or confusing thing, The Sound & the Fury is a landmark in complex simplicity.
Don't let anyone tell you Patrick McCabe is an innovative writer. It's alll been done, & done far, far better.
Reflections on the Compson Family and Faulkner's South - By: , 01 Apr 1998 
Step into the dark side of mint juleps & magnolias. The Sound & the Fury is one of the best Faulkner novels. He touches on many prominent themes in Southern literature, & the essays & guides provided here will help you to gain even more insight into this magnificent, multi-layered work.
