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cristine's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I really hated everything about this book. If this is being considered existential then I have lost hope. This is just all around bad. The summary is this simple: a psychopath who has no ability to feel emotions of any kind including love or remorse kills someone. There is nothing existential about it. I’m really starting to hate “classics!”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Domestic abuse, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Physical abuse
jennarebekah's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Violence, Gun violence, Domestic abuse, Murder, and Grief
marcepax's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Physical abuse, and Misogyny
Moderate: Gun violence
hopearianna's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
He got his point across well, but I didn’t like this book. I don’t like the idea that nothing matters in life, and many of the people the MC was friends with throughout the book and him himself did pretty terrible things without remorse, which honestly made me not care what they had to say or what happened to them.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Violence, Murder, Domestic abuse, and Physical abuse
alyc00per's review against another edition
dark
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual harassment, Domestic abuse, Xenophobia, Violence, Gun violence, Murder, and Physical abuse
_yams's review against another edition
medium-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Physical abuse and Murder
gvstyris's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I said that people never change their lives, that in any case one life was as good as another and that I wasn't dissatisfied with mine here at all.
Although the perspective Camus presents in The Stranger is painfully male, I definitely found some validation and self-awareness in its oppressive atmosphere and robotic prose. Not a particularly enjoyable read, honestly, but it's encouraged me to research absurdism if nothing else.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Physical abuse, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Death of parent and Forced institutionalization
jacob_dion's review against another edition
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Physical abuse, Animal cruelty, and Gun violence
asterixmj's review against another edition
funny
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I've been reading some reviews on this book and i think there's a lil something that people are criminally misunderstanding about this book (or maybe they aren't, and my interpretation of the book is as weird as any other, who knows?), and that is that you're supposed to loathe the way that Meursault is living his life, you're supposed to close the cover on the book and be like 'that is NOT how I want to live my life' and continue on, making a conscious effort to be as far removed from Meursaults life as you can be.
Meursaults life is a result of completely giving up your soul in the name of absurdism (or nihilism, or existentialism, I really can't remember which it is and can't be bothered at the moment to look it up) and the consequences of doing so. I'd recommend listening to Mitski's 'The Deal' from her latest album, and think of Meursault as the individual that would result from such an encounter. Meursault is criminally under-creative, there's nothing in his life that goes beyond sensual and physical sensations, his life has no meaning other than eating, having sex with Maria, sleeping, surviving, really. Meursault is not living, he's merely surviving, he has no opinion on anything at all, he chronically just does not care about anything, 'cus that's the absurdity of it all, isn't it?', 'what worth is it giving life any value when it is all so absurd?', and the book slaps you in the face saying 'you're purposefully making your life miserable and one devoid of any meaning at all, if your sole goal in this life is to survive, you're doing life itself a massive disservice'. Be creative, find a lil meaning in the stupid things of life. It's all absurd and in the grand scheme of things we're all worthless, epehemeral dots of life that'll have no impact in the fate of the universe, but what about the small scheme of things? What about your daily life? What about the life of the cat across the street? Of your neighbours? Of your colleagues, family, friends? We can give life a meaning, regardless of how small that meaning may be, so stop sabotaging your own life and take this book as a call to start enjoying the little things in life that Meursault would never have been able to enjoy.
Be a foil to Meursault, and maybe life will seem just a little bit more bearable :)
Meursaults life is a result of completely giving up your soul in the name of absurdism (or nihilism, or existentialism, I really can't remember which it is and can't be bothered at the moment to look it up) and the consequences of doing so. I'd recommend listening to Mitski's 'The Deal' from her latest album, and think of Meursault as the individual that would result from such an encounter. Meursault is criminally under-creative, there's nothing in his life that goes beyond sensual and physical sensations, his life has no meaning other than eating, having sex with Maria, sleeping, surviving, really. Meursault is not living, he's merely surviving, he has no opinion on anything at all, he chronically just does not care about anything, 'cus that's the absurdity of it all, isn't it?', 'what worth is it giving life any value when it is all so absurd?', and the book slaps you in the face saying 'you're purposefully making your life miserable and one devoid of any meaning at all, if your sole goal in this life is to survive, you're doing life itself a massive disservice'. Be creative, find a lil meaning in the stupid things of life. It's all absurd and in the grand scheme of things we're all worthless, epehemeral dots of life that'll have no impact in the fate of the universe, but what about the small scheme of things? What about your daily life? What about the life of the cat across the street? Of your neighbours? Of your colleagues, family, friends? We can give life a meaning, regardless of how small that meaning may be, so stop sabotaging your own life and take this book as a call to start enjoying the little things in life that Meursault would never have been able to enjoy.
Be a foil to Meursault, and maybe life will seem just a little bit more bearable :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Islamophobia, Murder, Misogyny, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Animal cruelty
probablytoolate's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Animal cruelty, Murder, Sexual assault, and Violence