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spenkevich's review against another edition
3.0
'Given the choice between the experience of pain and nothing, I would choose pain.'
So check it out, this book includes an escaped convict having to wrestle an alligator to survive. Which is pretty wild. The Wild Palms however, is not a reference to his hands choking out that alligator but a psalm from which the novel took it's original title If I forget thee, Jerusalem. The psalm, which reads 'If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy' is about the Jewish people exiled to Babylon and having to process their freedom, or lack of it. Which, in effect, is the heartbeat that drives both stories that rotate between the covers here. Faulkner being Faulkner, this is a dark meditation on how the search for freedom often results in its lack with a robust prose and plenty of Biblical allusions abound that, ultimately, shows how memory is the one freedom that can remain.
'Love doesn't die; the men and women do.'
Honestly, I much prefered the Old Man story to the Wild Palms half, the former covering a convict who escapes during the flooding from a hurricane and teams up with a pregnant woman to survive together while the latter is an illicit relationship between a married woman and a young doctor hiding out in Mississippi. The two stories are a decade apart, yet there is a binding theme between them. Both sets of characters find that the routes to freedom often become the very things that confine them. The juxtapositions between the stories help each narrative become an abstract commentary on the other, with many foils between the two. For instance, a baby leads to imprisonment for both men but in very different ways.
This is classic Faulkner, though I think I prefer him best when he is mythmaking out of daily lives in rural towns than his affair plot here. It's a worthwhile read from what I remember, and I stumbled upon my old copy today and poured through the extensive notes I took on it when I read it in college for fun. A pretty solid story about memory as a means to endure even when freedom seems impossible.
3.5/5
'when she became not then half of memory became not and if I become not then all of remembering will cease to be.—Yes, he thought, between grief and nothing I will take grief.'
So check it out, this book includes an escaped convict having to wrestle an alligator to survive. Which is pretty wild. The Wild Palms however, is not a reference to his hands choking out that alligator but a psalm from which the novel took it's original title If I forget thee, Jerusalem. The psalm, which reads 'If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy' is about the Jewish people exiled to Babylon and having to process their freedom, or lack of it. Which, in effect, is the heartbeat that drives both stories that rotate between the covers here. Faulkner being Faulkner, this is a dark meditation on how the search for freedom often results in its lack with a robust prose and plenty of Biblical allusions abound that, ultimately, shows how memory is the one freedom that can remain.
'Love doesn't die; the men and women do.'
Honestly, I much prefered the Old Man story to the Wild Palms half, the former covering a convict who escapes during the flooding from a hurricane and teams up with a pregnant woman to survive together while the latter is an illicit relationship between a married woman and a young doctor hiding out in Mississippi. The two stories are a decade apart, yet there is a binding theme between them. Both sets of characters find that the routes to freedom often become the very things that confine them. The juxtapositions between the stories help each narrative become an abstract commentary on the other, with many foils between the two. For instance, a baby leads to imprisonment for both men but in very different ways.
This is classic Faulkner, though I think I prefer him best when he is mythmaking out of daily lives in rural towns than his affair plot here. It's a worthwhile read from what I remember, and I stumbled upon my old copy today and poured through the extensive notes I took on it when I read it in college for fun. A pretty solid story about memory as a means to endure even when freedom seems impossible.
3.5/5
'when she became not then half of memory became not and if I become not then all of remembering will cease to be.—Yes, he thought, between grief and nothing I will take grief.'
30may's review against another edition
5.0
6 stars out of 5, unironically best book i've read this year.... top contender for my favorite book ever
kira323's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
kwonset's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
jlefevers's review against another edition
4.0
“Yes, he thought, between grief and nothing I will take grief.”
This book told two stories, and though they never intertwined, they ran parallel to each other and reflected off each other beautifully.
The first story was the haunting and heartbreaking tale of a man and a woman who learn first hand the consequences of giving in to the world, but also the consequences of rebelling against it. This isn’t a love story, but it is a story about love, its depths and crevices that most of us choose to ignore.
The second story was about a prisoner sent down the Mississippi river to save a pregnant woman during a flood. This story confused me and a lot of the themes were lost in his storytelling. Though the descriptions of his battles against nature were outstanding.
The first story overwhelmed me with so many feelings, it was beautifully told and I think it saved this book for me.
Minus one star for Faulkner’s typical sentence structure that made this novel so slow to read.
This book told two stories, and though they never intertwined, they ran parallel to each other and reflected off each other beautifully.
The first story was the haunting and heartbreaking tale of a man and a woman who learn first hand the consequences of giving in to the world, but also the consequences of rebelling against it. This isn’t a love story, but it is a story about love, its depths and crevices that most of us choose to ignore.
The second story was about a prisoner sent down the Mississippi river to save a pregnant woman during a flood. This story confused me and a lot of the themes were lost in his storytelling. Though the descriptions of his battles against nature were outstanding.
The first story overwhelmed me with so many feelings, it was beautifully told and I think it saved this book for me.
Minus one star for Faulkner’s typical sentence structure that made this novel so slow to read.
jamesdanielhorn's review against another edition
4.0
If I Forget Thee, Jerusalem, or as it was alternately titled The Wild Palms, serves as my introduction to Faulkner’s rich, but divisively verbose prose.
Two alternating stories interwoven by theme(?) alone this novel, while arresting in imagery and opulent wordplay, may not be his most masterful, as it sporadically lost its thread. Although I found the writing occasionally meandering and a tad melodramatic at times, the book’s overall tragic beauty will haunt me for some time. Surely a master at work but is it his best? I digress.
Two alternating stories interwoven by theme(?) alone this novel, while arresting in imagery and opulent wordplay, may not be his most masterful, as it sporadically lost its thread. Although I found the writing occasionally meandering and a tad melodramatic at times, the book’s overall tragic beauty will haunt me for some time. Surely a master at work but is it his best? I digress.
joyful24's review against another edition
3.0
the counterpoint and balance of the concurrent storylines left me wandering. it successfully distracted me from the star crossed lovers resolution that was sort of contrived. never the less the prose was so eloquently written that i did not mind.
willowsfair's review against another edition
5.0
Probably one of the books that has influenced my own writing the most. Amazing literary piece that haunts you long after you've closed the cover and walked away.
ichirofakename's review against another edition
4.0
Reread this pair of stories because of the weather. One story takes place during the 1927 Mississippi flood, when the river was 60 miles wide. Exciting. The other is a young couple on the run trying to figure out life, unsuccessfully. Depressing. Recommended; excellent gateway to Faulkner. Get ready for som LONG sentences, and don't expect many commas.