Being inside Quentin Compson's head as he takes his final walk before committing suicide is one of the most powerful and sad experiences in all of literature. Difficult? Sure. It makes necessary demands on its readers, but its rewards for the effort are many.

Never in the history of American literature has a writer been able to consume a character so well as William Faulkner.

I agree with all these comments, but would add that it's a book that stays with you. Twenty (twenty-five?) years later, I do remember not knowing what was going in a lot of the time, but I also remember being enthralled all the time. GIven this fact, I have to rate it an extraordiary and powerful book.

A difficult read. Faulkner wants you to work for it, and if you do, it pays off - kind of. I didn't love it, but I am glad that I read it. There are definitely some powerfully written moments. The problem is that I often didn't even know what was going on, and that is where Faulkner loses me.

This novel is the most difficult thing that I have ever read and most of the members in my book club felt the same way. Difficult to determine exacting what was occuring, and a lot of characters to decipher. Great if you have majored in Literature at university, but otherwise you will most likely require additional aid (there are many study guides available online). (Nov 2007)