The Sound and the Fury

De: William Faulkner, Casey Cep

Narrado por: Grover Gardner, Gabra Zackman

NOBEL PRIZE WINNER • One of the greatest novels of the twentieth century is the story of a family of Southern aristocrats on the brink of personal and financial ruin. • The definitive corrected text, including Faulkner's Appendix

One of The Atlantic’s Great American Novels of the Past 100 Years

The Sound and the Fury is the tragedy of the Compson family, featuring some of the most memorable characters in literature: beautiful, rebellious Caddy; the manchild Benjy; haunted, neurotic Quentin; Jason, the brutal cynic; and Dilsey, their black servant. Their lives fragmented and harrowed by history and legacy, the character’s voices and actions mesh to create what is arguably Faulkner’s masterpiece and one of the greatest novels of the twentieth century.

“I give you the mausoleum of all hope and desire.... I give it to you not that you may remember time, but that you might forget it now and then for a moment and not spend all of your breath trying to conquer it. Because no battle is ever won he said. They are not even fought. The field only reveals to man his own folly and despair, and victory is an illusion of philosophers and fools.” —from The Sound and the Fury

Cover photograph: © Eggleston Artistic Trust. Courtesy Eggleston Artistic Trust and David Zwirner.

Check out more selections from Oprah's Book Club.(P)2005 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc.

Reseñas de la Crítica

One of The Atlantic’s Great American Novels of the Past 100 Years

Hang in

Grover Gardner is the best reader I have heard, and he is outstanding with this effort (which is a trial). Best to read a synopsis of the book before listening, or as I might have done, you would give up. I hung in after the first two sections and was rewarded. You will be as well.

Great narrator!!!

English is not my first language so classics are never easy for me, but the narration is truely superb, makes listening very enjoyable!!! I'm gonna check out what other books this guy have narrated, he certainly has the talent of making the story come alive.

Outstanding performance

Grover Gardner has got to be one of the best and he really showcases his talent when reading Faulkner or Twain. For anyone who hasn't read this book or is new to Faulkner's stream of consciousness writing, I would suggest maybe reading this book in print first. It's one of my favorite books, top 10, but it takes a little extra to keep up with the time shifts. I read this years ago and listened to it to enjoy again, I think someone listening especially someone new to his work may get a little tangled up. It's said that his writing is "difficult", in my humble opinion that's strong but you' can't expect to read it while distracted, I think you need to devote yourself to the pages. I think I remember reading that WF originally wanted to use italics or different color inks especially in the beginning with Benji's narrative. I think that would take a lot away but I digress. Great book, Faulkner really writing and at the top of his game, not one cranked out for money, wonderful work, beautiful prose, can't say enough. Hope this helps and more people are introduced to his work and enjoy it as much as I have.

A masterpiece of modern prose

Through its intricate narrative structure and stream-of-consciousness style, The Sound and the Fury showcases Faulkner’s unparalleled ability to delve into the complexities of human experience, cementing its status as a timeless classic.

Made a difficult book so much more understandable.

Any additional comments?

This is not an easy book to understand given its stream of consciousness format, but listening to it made it much more understandable and enjoyable. It really is a masterpiece.

A rewarding listen...just stick with it.

Would you consider the audio edition of The Sound and the Fury to be better than the print version?

No...but if you have a hard time with Faulkner then this is definitely worth the listen. Just make sure you do some extra research to keep the story straight.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Dilsey...somebody has to keep these Compson people from themselves.

Have you listened to any of Grover Gardner’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This one while good is inferior to his performance in Absalom, Absalom.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Elitist white people with way too many neuroses.

incomparable

Such an amazing experiment in prose handled consummately by the brilliant narration. Not an easy read, but worth the experience!

Wonderful narrator

Great narrator. No words to describe how good this book is.
So I won’t try.

Beautifully written, but confusing story

Faulkner did an excellent job showcasing his evocative descriptions and use of multiple narrators, but it was hard to differentiate the present from the past, leading me confused.

Loved the book, but the intro felt superfluous

I'm unlikely to add anything of import with a review, except to say that Mr. Gardner did an excellent job of narrating this fantastic book. As such I may sound a bit more negative than I intend when I say that I wish that whomever wrote the intro would leave art such as this unadulterated, rather than color people's perception of the text merely because Faulkner uses anachronistic language which many modern day readers may find offensive. It's (the intro) inclusion is, thankfully, the only thing about this novel I take issue with. Everything else is spectacular, and if you are fan of first person narratives, I'd whole-heartedly recommend this one, warts and all.