The fluency of the narrative in spite of the complexities of the story and the changes of perspective.
/Maria José Herrera, Spain

Well, I actually just began it today, but I love the way in which the story of Sutpen is told. The narration fluidly switches from one character to another, while still telling the same fascinating story. I can't put the book down.
/David Simins, United States

A story about stories being turned inside out. What exactly did happen at Sutpens Hundred? You never know for sure ...
/Thomas Hallock, United States

I had attempted to read 'As I Lay Dying' in my younger days only to abandon it half way quite a number of times, angry with Mr. Faulkner for his utter disregard for the grammatical sentence and the reader. The language, - indeed in American English dialect - was chiefly of the mind, incoherent, unrehearsed and random, and quite beyond my literary intellect which was nurtured on the realistic narratives of Dickens, Gorky, Hugo, Steinbeck, London, Orwell, Hardy etc. Today at my mature age, the book happens to be one of my five favourites, and especially so for the very traits which made it so indigestible in my earlier years. Written in the half-language, so to say, of rural characters of American Deep South, the book intends to depict the inadequacy of written words (of any language) to depict in full the intense feelings of crisis and motivation that lurks within its characters. The words are now poetic, now existentialistic, now matter-of-fact, now raw and earthy, but generally incoherent and often overwhelms the narrative track. The language perplexes yet the intensity of the feelings they describe prevails. Mr. Faulkner challenges the reader to read till the end and compels him to make whatever he can out of the book. He creates the creative reader out of us. Added to this are biblical myths like: Flood, Hell-fire, Adultery, Incest, Redemption etc - all undertoned aspects enacted in the lives of the characters very subtly. This book has influenced the first book of Mr. Marquez – 'Leaf Storm' - and I do believe that Mr. Faulkner will continue to influence future generations of writers of all languages and countries for ever.
/Soumitra Lahiri, Iran

I had attempted to read 'As I Lay Dying' in my younger days only to abandon it half way quite a number of times, angry with Mr. Faulkner for his utter disregard for the grammatical sentence and the reader. The language, - indeed in American English dialect - was chiefly of the mind, incoherent, unrehearsed and random, and quite beyond my literary intellect which was nurtured on the realistic narratives of Dickens, Gorky, Hugo, Steinbeck, London, Orwell, Hardy etc. Today at my mature age, the book happens to be one of my five favourites, and especially so for the very traits which made it so indigestible in my earlier years. Written in the half-language, so to say, of rural characters of American Deep South, the book intends to depict the inadequacy of written words (of any language) to depict in full the intense feelings of crisis and motivation that lurks within its characters. The words are now poetic, now existentialistic, now matter-of-fact, now raw and earthy, but generally incoherent and often overwhelms the narrative track. The language perplexes yet the intensity of the feelings they describe prevails. Mr. Faulkner challenges the reader to read till the end and compels him to make whatever he can out of the book. He creates the creative reader out of us. Added to this are biblical myths like: Flood, Hell-fire, Adultery, Incest, Redemption etc - all undertoned aspects enacted in the lives of the characters very subtly. This book has influenced the first book of Mr. Marquez – 'Leaf Storm' - and I do believe that Mr. Faulkner will continue to influence future generations of writers of all languages and countries for ever. /Soumitra Lahiri, 54, Iran Because it tells the story of the same moments from many different perspectives and how the same moments can be perceived by people with a certain mindset.
/Anouk Aimee, France

The epic, almost biblical quality of the interior monologues fascinated me. Great characters, some you love, some you hate, but either way, you'll remember Carl and Addie and Jewel when it's all said and done.
/Jonathan May, United States

Lying on the outskirts of Yoknapatawpha County are my personal favorite family, the Bundrens. The process by which they haul their mother Addie's corpse to Jefferson for burial allows us a look into each character. Everyone single character is someone we can identify with in real life, and more often than not is a part of ourselves we can understand. Just a phenomenal book.
/Raj Atri, United States

It's magnificent.
/Mikhail Nazarenko, Ukraine

One of the most perfect books I have read in my whole life, not only in means of how the story evolves and ends, but also in meanings of language, prose, characters and descriptions. Just one of my favorites, and maybe Faulkner's best.
/Santiago C. Bullard, Peru

I believe in destiny, so far as it applies to books and the reading of them. I have never picked up a book and read it all the way through without feeling like it applied to my life in its current state, somehow I can always tell within the first 3 pages whether or not this particular book is the book I should be reading right now. I had probably picked up 'The Sound and the Fury' 5 or 6 times over the course of my short life, during Middle School, High School, College, and finally during Graduate School when I actually read it. I'm no stranger to stream of consciousness writing, I enjoyed 'Ulysses' immensely, but in Faulkner's novel I felt the words and thoughts pulled through me, affecting me, pulling sympathy and empathy from within. The novel was written a long time ago comparative to this time in which I live and identify with, and I live far enough from Faulkner's South that many of the images I conjure of the landscape are stereotypical in origin, but the universal truths that I felt present in the writing and in the landscape affected me deeply, even more so having recently re-read the origin passage from which the title resulted. Like many great works of literature that affect and effect us it is difficult to put into words why they continue to tug at our soul and beg for re-reading. While this passage I have just written hardly counts as a gushing review of a novel, I hope I have conveyed my awe and wonder at Faulkner's writing, not relegated solely to the novel in question, but to the whole of his works.
/Graham Dethmers, United States

Vigorously attacks subject matter from all angles at once.
/Simon King, United Kingdom

This stream of consciouness style creates an atmosphere relevant to the plot ... and the plot is superb, the underbelly of the American Experience is tragically but beautifully exemplified in this novel, and Faulker's brushstokes create a portrait of some unforgettable characters ... a landmark in the history of Am. Lit, both in form and substance.
/Joanne Theodorou, United States

I like this book because of Faulkner's style of italicized stream of consciousness and the way he seeks the nature of man through characters seemingly inferior in thought and intellect.
/James Quaite, United States

Truly masterful understanding of the human condition.
/Ken Harold, Canada

I would recommend it for the underlying psychological motivations of the characters in what seems to be a story of just another dysfunctional family ... and for Faulkner's originality with regard to his style of prose ... Faulkner is a true original amongst originals!
/Nisha, Kuwait

Of all the great American literature, Faulkner's tale is of pain and suffering - and the endurance of the human spirit. Its complexity is only rivaled by its utter honesty and though it speaks from a point in the American past, I believe it may be read universally in the human soul.
/John Danchisko, United States

I'm certain it's been said before; Faulkner did for literature what Picasso did for art: he turned it inside out and allowed the reader/viewer see the whole from every angle.
/Kelly B. Hoots, United States

Other authors may give a moderately accurate view of their characters through first or third person perspective, but Faulkner steps beyond such mere records of events and steps into the souls of his characters, bringing them further into existence than any others I have yet experienced.
/Elliot Milco, United States

It is the best ever-written passionate book based on the stream of consciousness technique 'developed' by Faulkner. Reading becomes more of a walk into the characters' minds and feelings with the events blended and stretched in time and space.
/Anna Gavrilova, Russia