Reviews

The Hamlet by William Faulkner

b_m_thompson's review

challenging reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

showell's review

4.0

I find this book challenging what I remember of Faulkner from my college classes. There's more dry wit in here than I expected to find. I'm also not used to thinking of Faulkner as creating characters who are so totally defined by one characteristic that they become almost parodies of themselves. And was that Benjy Compson dragging his feet down the road in Flem's part of town?

krobart's review

3.0

This novel is created from a series of tales, and it is really about how the tales of an area form its history. It is elegantly written, reflecting a formidable intelligence and education, and is sometimes grimly comic.

See my complete review here:

http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/tag/the-hamlet/

tstuppy's review

4.0

Read this for a book club. It illustrates a sad little village full of miserable people all striving to one-up each other, each consume by the greed that Flem Snopes manipulates. Though ostensibly the villain of the story, he never acts against the otherwise honest townspeople, instead letting their actions bring about their own ruin and supplant his own claims. A lot of cool passages and interesting moments.

nerissassippi's review

5.0

As always, I love Faulkner just for the joy of reading his descriptions.
"The barred inconstant shadow of the day's retrograde flowed steadily over them as they crossed the ridge and descended into shadow, into the azure bowl of evening, the windless well of night."

oscardb's review against another edition

sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

weyburn13's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

sarah_dietrich's review against another edition

4.0

The Hamlet is the first volume of Faulkner's Snopes trilogy. The writing is excellent - beautiful and challenging - of course, it's Faulkner. This is second-tier Faulkner, a step below brilliant works such as The Sound and the Fury and As I Lay Dying. Not sure if this was easier to understand than the other Faulkner I've read, or if I've just become familiar with his voice.

jayrinehart's review

challenging dark reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

kristymartino's review

5.0

The first book in the Snopes trilogy. Just as funny and cunning as I hoped it would be.