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A reader posted a review at 2009-09-24 17:53:21.
(Language: English)
September Twenty-fourth, 2009
Turning the pages, reading between the lines, I could understand any given paragraph at a time. When I tried to read more than one paragraph it got ugly. It was about the same people, members of the Compson family, and sometimes about people with the same name as other people. There was even one character who's name changed at some point in my reading. I read and the characters did things and characters with the same name did things in a different time in history and then the time changed again. And I read. There was the caddie on the golf course and sister Caddy, brother Quentin, niece Miss Quentin, Uncle Maury and Maury who's name was changed to Benjy. The story is told from Benjy's point of view in the first chapter. Benjy who is mentally disabled and does not actually speak throughout the entire book. Then there is Dilsey and Mother who's names stay the same but they show up in memories of the various stages of their life. It is Benjy's 33rd birthday on April Seventh, 1928. Benjy is walking along the Golf Course fence with Dilsey's grandson Luster. Benjy's clothes are snagged on a nail as they go through a broken place in the fence.
Caddy uncought Benjy from the nail and the two try to stay hidden as Uncle Maury had instructed. Caddy tells Benjy to put his hands in his pockets so they won't be frozen on Christmas.
Dilsey's son, Versh tells Benjy that he shouldn't want to go out doors because it's too cold out. "You Benjamin", Mother said. Uncle Maury tells Mother to let him go. Benjy goes with Versh and they meet Caddy coming home from school. They go back in the house to get warm by the fire but Uncle Maury wanted to talk to Caddy. Versh took off Benjy's overshoes. Then Caddy wanted to take Benjy back out with her so Mother told Versh to put Benjy's overshoes back on. Mother said, "Someday I'll be gone, and you'll have to think for him." Caddy smelled like trees.
Luster told Benjy to stop moaning as they passed the carriage house.
Dilsey shoved Benjy into the carriage. Mother came out with some flowers. Dilsey's son T.P. was going to drive them to the cemetery. Mother was afraid to leave Quentin. "You, T.P.", Mother said.
I forget where the first chapter goes after that but there is talk about changing Maury's name to Benjy. 33 year old Benjy goes to the branch with Luster to look for Luster's quarter so that he can go to the show that night. At one point Maury, Caddy, Jason and Quentin all go to the branch and Caddy gets her drawers wet and muddy.
Have you found this review to be confusing? This was the most convoluted story I've ever read! The first three chapters of the novel include both current thoughts and past memories of the three Compson brothers, captured on three different days. As I mentioned, the first chapter is Benjy's story told in April of 1928; Harvard student, Quentin voices his thoughts in June, 1910; and Jason, who works for a farm-supply store in town, writes in April, 1928. The fourth chapter is given by the author's narrative. Once I read through the third chapter, I had an idea who was who and went back to disect the first two chapters. I separated them into different thought processes and then tried to piece them together chronologically in order to understand what I was reading. Once I figured out who the characters were and what was happening in each section, I started to enjoy the book!
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