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As I Lay Dying

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As I Lay Dying

Written by: William Faulkner, Jesmyn Ward - introduction
Narrated by: Marc Cashman, Robertson Dean, Lina Patel, Lorna Raver, Jesmyn Ward
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About this listen

A true 20th-century classic from the Nobel Prize-winning author of The Sound and the Fury: the famed harrowing account of the Bundren family’s odyssey across the Mississippi countryside to bury Addie, their wife and mother.

As I Lay Dying is one of the most influential novels in American fiction in structure, style, and drama. Narrated in turn by each of the family members, including Addie herself as well as others, the novel ranges in mood from dark comedy to the deepest pathos.

“I set out deliberately to write a tour-de-force. Before I ever put pen to paper and set down the first word I knew what the last word would be and almost where the last period would fall.”—William Faulkner on As I Lay Dying

This edition reproduces the corrected text of As I Lay Dying as established in 1985 by Noel Polk.

(P)2005 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc. Classics Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Mississippi
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The first thing that pulled me in was Faulkner’s poetry, and the sound of it in the character’s unique voices. The story lags at first, but we learn from each character about duty, love and lies on their long and eventful trip to bury their mother. The cast stands out. Instead of picking one actor to mess it all up, each character is imbued with humanity, no matter how selfish, foolish, crazy or devoted they are.

Be patient. This is extraordinary.

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The performance was fantastic to listen too, the story was exceptional. Great overall, definitely recommend.

Great listen, characters voices and story is 10/10

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This was my first foray into Faulkner and it went great! I'd read that he can be difficult, but this listen was pretty un-confusing. I did relisten to the first few chapters before moving on, just to get the characters clearer in my mind, and I looked up a quick list of the main characters too, but after that I had no significant problems. It probably helped extra that the different points of view were read (and read well) by different readers with different voices the whole way through. And the story was unique and interesting. My feelings towards the various characters shifted as I followed them and I really enjoyed that. My only criticism of the writing is that a few passages felt a little anachronistic - just a little too erudite for the character otherwise described - but it didn't bother me too much. And it does take a really good writer (perhaps a great one) to acheive what Faulkner did with these characters and their story. It really is an experience.

Oh - final comment on the book: the story is an excellent length. It could have been compressed or stretched out longer, with more or less packed into it, but I doubt it would have been as consistently interesting and enjoyable overall.

Excellent story, excellent audiobook

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