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.

Check out more selections from Oprah's Book Club.

(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.

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

This is mostly a survey of machine learning techni

This classic does not really tell a story or develop characters but instead expresses ideas about life through constantly shifting stream of consciousness and inner monologs. The narration fluidly shifts from character to character and inner to outer. There are dozens of points of view and single characters represent multiple narrations. Events are non-linear and repeated from multiple perspectives.

This is a difficult listen and the multiple readers helps, but the audible version is still harder to follow than the written work. If you haven’t read this book on paper, I wouldn’t recommend the audio and a first way to experience the material. If you have already read the book and enjoyed it, you will likely find the audible version interestingly different. If you read the book and did not understand what was going on, you might give the audible version a try.

The four narrators were excellent, but still could quite handle the many narrator points of view as well as my inner voice when reading the print version.

Frustrating, annoying, but ultimately satisfying

What made the experience of listening to As I Lay Dying the most enjoyable?

The ending. This was a challenge and I felt like giving up at times, but the last act was satisfying.

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

They sounded exactly like you'd expect the characters to sound. I'm not from the South, though, so I can't vouch for the authenticity.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I got angry at times listening to this. It was hard to know what was going on. Frankly, I benefited a lot by consulting SparkNotes. I was close to throwing in the towel on this, but, well, I kinda wanted to say I've read a few Faulkners, so I kept at it. It was a good decision because the characters and the story grew on me.

Any additional comments?

I've listened to many audiobooks, this was definitely one of the more challenging ones. Had to hit the rewind button quite often.

Faulkner is the conscience of a region

He does not disappoint in this tale of a poor white-trash family on an odyssey into the limits of love and loyalty. I teach this book in my AP Lit class, and I absolutely love this rendition of it.

Tragic Expose of Race, Poverty & Religion in 1900s

Long after the chains of slavery were taken off the black race in America, the bondage of religion, lack of Education and poverty clearly kept our black American brothers and sisters incarcerated in an ignorant, fallacious substandard existence that requires lunacy to escape. Oh, how Faulkner surely shook up the literary salons of the privileged throughout America and the world with this piece.

phenomenal

loved it absolutely positively adored every single sentence. personally my favorite piece of Faulkners works.

The writing style

Even though I can admit, the writing style is beautiful. I just cannot get into it. I just don’t think I’m a fan of his but I wanted to be :-)

Interesting

Interesting look at the ugliness of grief and selfishness with glimpses of humor here and there.