As I Lay Dying

By: William Faulkner

Narrated by: Marc Cashman, Robertson Dean, Lina Patel, Lorna Raver

Length: 6 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best novels of all time

From the Modern Library’s new set of beautifully repackaged hardcover classics by William Faulkner—also available are Snopes, The Sound and the Fury, Light in August, Absalom, Absalom!, and Selected Short Stories

One of William Faulkner’s finest novels, As I Lay Dying, originally published in 1930, remains a captivating and stylistically innovative work. The story revolves around a grim yet darkly humorous pilgrimage, as Addie Bundren’s family sets out to fulfill her last wish: to be buried in her native Jefferson, Mississippi, far from the miserable backwater surroundings of her married life. Told through multiple voices, As I Lay Dying vividly brings to life Faulkner’s imaginary South, one of literature’s great invented landscapes, and is replete with the poignant, impoverished, violent, and hypnotically fascinating characters that were his trademark.

Along with a new Foreword by E. L. Doctorow, this edition reproduces the corrected text of As I Lay Dying as established in 1985 by Faulkner expert Noel Polk.

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(P)2005 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"For range of effect, philosophical weight, originality of style, variety of characterization, humor, and tragic intensity, [Faulkner's works] are without equal in our time and country."--Robert Penn Warren

Faulkner at his finest

Despite his well earned literary praise, it isn't hard to find lovers of literature who absolutely hate Faulkner. And while I am a fan, I can understand the criticism.

As I Lay Dying is told via the narrations by each of its characters, often capturing long inner monologues that can be rather monotonous, particularly when told from the perspective of Vardaman, the youngest child.

Faulkner's stream of consciousness style of writing is modeled after his predecessor Joyce but from a distinctly southern perspective.

Focusing on the passing of matriarch Addie Bundren and the massive storm that makes the days long wagon laden journey to carry her unembalmed body to her family burial ground a travail and spectacle. The natural tendency to make bad decisions combined with a false sense of pride yet inherent laziness patriarch Anse Bundren makes every circumstance and event that much more complicated.

Faulkner's style birthed the Southern Gothic literary movement. His love and fascination for those of rural and poor Mississippi were a recurring theme throughout his books. And, while his characters certainly may not be loveable, you can't help but be sympathetic of their plight.

Like listening to poetry.

I'm a Southern and no one captures our peculiarities better than Faulkner. The way we talk and act. The different outlook a Southerner has about things. The use of language was like it was in meter. Narrators were great also.

Faulkner's As I Lay Dying review

As a Faulknerian scholar, I was pleasantly surprised by this audio rendition of one of Faulkner's complex works. I used this recording to assist a blind peer who was studying the novel, and I read my copy along with the recorded reading to help establish and clarify the characters' points of view, especially with regards to the sections involving stream of consciousness.

Together, we found the use of multiple readers helped distinguish the different narrators of this work. We thoroughly approved of the readers' Southern accents and (being from the South)found very few flaws in that regard. A few artistic interpretations of the stream of consciousness sections were distracting, as the readers chose to add punctuation rather than flow rapidly from one thought to the next without breaks. This did not take away from the story as a whole, but I did need to clarify this for the academic purposes of my peer.

All in all, this was an excellent rendition of Faulkner's novel. I am pleased to have this recording in my permanent library.

Classic

Always a great one. William Faulkner has a way of capturing the feel of an act without spoon feeding the reader, yet guiding them to the same conclusion he desires. Masterful

Everyone needs to read this

I have read this 4 times (once in Audio form) . if you can -you should read a paper or Kindle copy first. it is written in the perspective of 15 characters. it has typographical features. Once you have read it in print - you will better appreciate the audible version.

Better Read

Though the performance was exceptional, the way the story is set up makes me think that a slow, analyzing read would be better.

Fantastic work of genius

Loved this so much. Faulkner's command of prose is unparalleled. His grasp of the philisophical muse here is truly something to behold, a novel about what it means to live and die. Humanity laid bare.

Narrators' Accent Struggles Distract, but Good

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of the narrators?

Will Patton's Light in August narration is wonderful. Someone who can do an authentic Southern accent would have been better here.

Any additional comments?

The Southern accents adopted by the narrators were rather awful and quite distracting at times as the actors struggled and missed. The actor who reads Vardaman, the little boy, does catch these sections well, however, and rendered them in a very moving way.

The novel itself is a classic of the twentieth century, and a tragicomic masterpiece.

Wonderful narration

The reader of Daryl is one of the best audio book performances I've experienced to date.

Inside Faulkner's twisted mind.

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Yes. If you love diving into the twisted mind of writer like Poe and Faulkner you will love this twisted tell.

What could William Faulkner have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Spoiler alert ... I don't like that Darl was used as a scapegoat to end the story. It is as if Faulkner just got tired of the characters and abruptly ended the story with out tying up loose ends.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The Narrators give a different voice to each character allowing the reader to follow the story more easily.

Do you think As I Lay Dying needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Yes. I would love to read what happens to Darl and Dewey Dale after mamma is buried