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Through the story of an ordinary man unwittingly drawn into a senseless murder on an Algerian beach, Camus explored what he termed "the nakedness of man faced with the absurd." First published in 1946; now in a new translation by Matthew Ward.
"Matthew Ward has done Camus and us a great service. This is now a different and better novel for its American readers."--Chicago Sun Times
Anonymous
Posted May 22, 2006
You have to go into this book with an open mind, and a slight knowledge of Existentialism. It also helps if at one time in your life, you had questioned your existence. That is probably why I enjoyed the book so much.
9 out of 9 people found this review helpful.
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Posted September 8, 2008
The Stranger by Albert Camus is among the curious classics which seem to slowly lure you into the romantic plot of part one. Truthfully, the beginning goes at a snail¿s pace, introducing the characters and meeting the narrator Meursault. But, a chilling surprise waits for you at the end of part one that gets you right back into the story of part two, wanting you to flip through the pages to see what happens next. In this novel, the narrator does not tell it through his eyes. It seems as if we¿re listening to this novel through Meursaults thoughts and ideas. You¿ll read as this apparently average man shares his own philosophy on happiness and the absurdity of life. The author displays great acts of Meursault¿s absurdism and passiveness in many of the unfortunate events. He demonstrates being emotionally unfazed at his mother¿s funeral. Before the wake, he is found at her coffin, drinking and smoking a cigarette. It seems almost as if he is in a different world then others in the story live in, and he continues through his life unaffected by its consequences. You¿ll travel with him in his Meghreb town on the coast of Africa, you¿ll dine with him, visit the beach with him and even perform the unthinkable, as he challenges the world with Camus viewpoint. Together, Meursault and Camus will show you a new way of looking at the meaningless of life. This book will certainly delight both young adults and older readers alike with its fascinating plot. And unnerve you when you see what happens when one man is faced with the absurdity.
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I studied this novel in English class this year, and although a fast-paced read, I had trouble getting into it. Reason number one? The narrator, Meursault, is the epitome of an existentialist, and proceeds to show hardly any emotion throughout the entire story. His mother dies, yet he feels no sadness. He kills a man and feels no guilt. He does this, he does that; but all with robotic acceptance and zero feeling. Who wants to read about that? Okay, well, a lot of people love the work of Albert Camus. He's very intelligent, and it's clearly evident in his writing (check out his thought-provoking essay, The Myth of Sisyphus). But instead of reading about existentialism (I guess I just don't understand the philosophy very well), I'd rather dig into the more emotional stuff that causes laughter and tears... Then again, I am just a teenage girl with a lot of opinions.
My main point: while reading The Stranger, I might as well have been Meursault, accepting everything I took in with very little reaction. Not good.
2 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted March 1, 2013
This was the most disturbing, disgusting and most depressing book that I have ever read in my life. We had too choose a french author and read a book by them. Im in seventh grade and boy did i choose the wrong book to read. Let me just give you the last line of the book; i will go to my execution tomorrow and hope there will be a big croud full of hate. What kind of book is that.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted June 11, 2010
I Also Recommend:
I first read this book in my senior year in high school, and have kept the copy, not for interest, but rather I just kinda stole it.
My first year of college I took a class in which we read The Plague, another book by Camus, and it is through that book that I related with Dr. Bernard Rieux, and realized that I am an existentialist.
I just re-read The Stranger, and it has been some time since I have read The Plague, but have found that after a few years existentialism takes on a somewhat new meaning for myself, and it was really refreshing to now read The Stranger with an actual understand behind the philosophy of the novel and made it a very interesting, thought-provoking, and intellectual read for such a small book.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.This is the very first time I read Camus and definitely "The Stranger" has become one of my favorite books. His style is not only original but dramatic at the same time. Camus can take the reader to unimaginable places where everything can be possible without being science-fiction. The themes within The Stranger makes a book to discuss over and over again.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.The Stranger focused on one main character. You get to know him; what he thinks, what he does, all that. It was written in a very unique and timeless way. Camus has a very distinct voice.<BR/>I could relate to the main character in so many ways. It was moving and touching. It makes you think about what your morals are and what the value of life is. It's a fast read with long-term thoughts that will linger in your mind. I think it's a book for most people. It might bother people with a lower maturity level because it can be kind of heavy.<BR/>Camus is brilliant.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted October 1, 2008
This is one of the worst books I've ever read, in French or English. If this is a classic for the existentialists, I deeply pity those people. For chapter after chapter, Marseult does nothing but smoke, drink, eat chocolate, whine about aches and pains, chat with neighbors, and flirt with his girlfriend. It's boring! When I finally got to the part about the murder of the Arab, I was so disgusted that it barely registered. I thought I was imagining things! Honestly, this book is about as dull as damp cardboard. Don't waste your money!
1 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Posted July 25, 2006
i can't exactly say what i thought about this book. i loved it and raced through it. until i got to the last 10 pages. they were very boring and it took me about a week to read those last 10 pages. while reading it though, it's very interesting and i'm sure everyone is trying to figure out what drives the main character a man without feelings. as i once read in The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chobsky, this book is 'easy to read but hard to read well'. that is true and i think to truly take in the book and understand it, you must read it twice.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted March 20, 2006
I read this book for class last Saturday and currently I'm quite indifferent about this book. I loved the subtle irony that is persistant throughout it. There is even irony in my indifference because what keeps me on the fence from saying I enjoyed this book is the narrator's consistant indifference about everything and his lack of ability to form true opinions about others or even the situation he is in. This bothered me and I would even go as far to say that it got on my nerves, but I think that I will read this again in the future and maybe my opinion will change...
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 1, 2006
The Stranger is so strange,yet captivating. Marsol is the weirdest character I've ever met in a story. There is so much symbolism in this book. You have to wonder how any character could be this careless. Every writer should read this truly existenalist piece.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 20, 2005
This the first Camus book I've read and it was so incredible! I underline my favourite lines in books and I think that I underlined nearly the entire book. Personally, i wish that he had kept writing. I didn't want it to stop.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 9, 2003
The Stranger starts out with the main character, Monsiuer Meursault, finding out that his mother had died. Meursault was a low income hard worker who could not support his mother at home, so he sent her to an old peoples hime in the country. This was the first of Meursaults so-called sins, used against him later in the story. At first it would seem as though Meursault wasn't sorrowful of his mothers passing, but Meursault's main foible was that of his taciturn nature and unwillingness to show emotion. Later in the story he commits murder in a vehement moment of rage. All of a sudden he is thrown in to a trial with a magistrate. His little mistakes that he had thought nothing of before were sudenly brought to the jurys attention, including his unresponsiveness to a priest and religion. This author did a great job writing this book and showing how society can tear a person apart using small insignificant mistakes. The author shows exactly what Meursault is thinking throughout the book plus his views on certain matters. The author also points out the flaws of religion and how God is not for everyone and should not be pushed upon by someone. This book is insightfully written and give credit to Matthew Ward who translated it into English.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 30, 2012
This book, with a slight knowledge of exiatentialism, brings the world around you closer to grips and sheds an entire new light on things typically seen as menial. It does the opposite with those subjects one would see as a "big deal" and makes them entirely accessible. It was a great-- albeit short read that is definently worth picking up! Approach it with an open mind and you may walk away a more wholesome person.
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Posted December 29, 2012
I was made to read the book. I actually like the fact that it does not go into depth. It is not so analytical. It is easy to read. Should research about Nigeria in the 1940s.
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Posted December 20, 2012
This is the first book I've read by Albert Camus. I purchased it 4 years ago and just got around to reading it. I'm a huge Vonnegut fan and this author was recommended to me. That being said this author's writing style is very different from Vonnegut. I'm not sure whether I liked it or not but I did read it in less than a day so it certainly kept my interest. I found the main character, Mersault to be completely unbelieveable. Mersault took indifference to such an extreme level that it made you not care about him. Mersault didn't care about the dealth of his mother, the woman he agreed to marry, his job, he didn't believe in God which is fine by me but he appeared to find no value in his life or the life of others.. The only thing of interest to him was the sun and how hot it was. So, I was entertained by the book but I didn't get the main character. That being said, this will not be the last Albert Camus book I read.
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Posted June 17, 2012
One of my favorites by Camus.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted June 4, 2012
This novel resonated with me days after I finished reading it. As mentioned by other readers, this is a novel that must be read with a slight understanding of existentialism.
Albert Camus brilliantly portrays the mindset of a man who is not openly emotional. One could say that Meursault, the narrator, is even somewhat of a sociopath.
This novel blew my mind because it made me think about society as a whole. If you don't reform to the norms set by the majority, you're considered a L'Etranger.
From the first page on, I had a tough time putting this novel down. It's fast paced, which means there aren't any boring paragraphs describing unnecessary objects. Everything mentioned in the novel served a purpose. I feel like this novel could have used an extra 100 pages because the 120+ I read weren't enough! I wanted more from Albert's brilliant mind.
BobbyTenpin
Posted September 12, 2011
I loved this book. I loved the simplicity and direct approach of Ward's translation and how it still evoked a deep inner quality of Camus' independent attitude and for his day a somewhat revolutionary manner.
I read through the pages deeply entranced by Camu's imagery, yet easily comprehending each word. It was only after I put it down that the layers of thoughts arose.
Bravo!
My original intention for reading the book was its 123 pages. It was for a major project and I wanted to spend no more than five hours of reading. As I began to read it, I also began to lose hope for it. Then, I got closer to the end of Part One and suddenly gained interest. Part Two, by far is the most thought provoking. In P2, my perspective of Meursault is completely altered and I catch myself rereading multiple times to truly understand Camus's amazing story. I oh-so strongly recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a fast book, to someone who has questions of religion or existence, or to anyone who really just needs a good book to read.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Overview
Through the story of an ordinary man unwittingly drawn into a senseless murder on an Algerian beach, Camus explored what he termed "the nakedness of man faced with the absurd." First published in 1946; now in a new translation by Matthew Ward.
"Matthew Ward has done Camus and us a great service. This is now a different and better novel for its American readers."--Chicago Sun Times