There is no way around the fact that Faulkner is hard to read. However, this is one of his more enjoyable books. It is humorous even though the subject matter is so disturbing. Personally, Varderman is the most intriguing character. No one cares enough to explain to him the situation surrounding his mother's death, so while his conclusion that his mother is a fish is disturbing, it still remains humorous.

Erin W. (
erinrae) wrote on 7/4/2009...
This was my first attempt at Faulkner. Somehow I managed to go through my entire undergraduate degree in English without so much as glancing at a Faulkner book. I was neither surprised nor disappointed in this book, it was about what I expected. It takes awhile to get in to the vernacular, but the story is interesting enough to get you through. All-in-all a worthy classic but by no means a "fun" read.
It was a good read overall but a little challenging understanding Faulkner's writing style. The main characters were so annoying with apologies and weaknesses. I wanted them to have a stronger backbone.
This is tough going at first until you get used to the way it is written. Then you see the humor in this picture of the incredible struggle of a lazy man with an obsession. Seems like an oxymoran doesn't it? Read it and see. Very tight and typical Faulkner.
I suppose everyone wishing to be considered well-read needs to read at least one Faulkner book. I read some of his shorter pieces in high school and didn't understand them; I've now read this book when it was assigned to my son's high school class, and discovered that I still didn't get it.
Age and experience level don't seem to matter--I just can't relate to these works. Certainly Faulkner's prose is powerful, but equally powerful are his unusual (or weird, or strange, or just downright disturbing) characters and the situations they find themselves in, and the prose isn't enough reward for me to continue reading.
Well, it's not my kind of prose, but lots of people disagree with me; it's a classic. From the back cover: "As I Lay Dying is Faulkner's harrowing account of the Bundren family's odyssey across the Mississippi countryside to bury Addie, their wife and mother. Told in turns by each of the family members--including Addie herself--the novel ranges from dark comedy to the deepest pathos.
This edition follows the text of As I Lay dying as corrected in 1985. It includes an editor's note by Noel Polk on the corrections as well as line and page notes prepared by Joseph Blotner."
Book set in Mississippi....good read
Annotation
As I Lay Dying is the harrowing, darkly comic tale of the Bundren family's trek across Mississippi to bury Addie, their wife and mother, in the town of her choice. The story is told by each family member -- including Addie herself.
Faulkner's use of multiple viewpoints to reveal the inner psychological make-up of the characters is one of the novel's chief charms.
From the Publisher
At the heart of this 1930 novel is the Bundren family's bizarre journey to Jefferson to bury Addie, their wife and mother. Faulkner lets each family member — including Addie — and others along the way tell their private responses to Addie's life.
great for teens or college students' summer reading lists