Light in August

I finished my first classic for the 2016 Back to the Classics Challenge, for the category of re-reading a classic you read in school.

I was a bit surprised by this one. I found that I really enjoyed Faulkner's writing style in this book. It took me awhile to read because I really enjoyed the way he phrased things and used imagery that was clear but not unnecessary for getting his point across. At times I did find Faulkner difficult to understand, but I still enjoyed it.

The story was an interesting look at a few people who lived in the deep south in the late 1800s/early 1900s and how their lives intertwined. I can't say it was the best story I've ever read, but it was unique and interestingly written.

Some of the down sides are the normal things in dealing with that time period, how they viewed and talked about black people, poor religiosity, and ignorance. In the writing some of the chapters were REALLY LONG, while others were short. Some of the material made you wonder why he was going into this much detail on particular things. The end was full circle, but still uneventful and left you wondering what was really going on. With so much thought involved in the book, I wish he would have included Lena's thoughts.

One personally challenging thing for me in reading it was thinking how nice it might be to live a solitary life. I know this is a lie, but when you're reading about characters that were primarily solitary and seemed stuck in that state, it can seem blissful when you're life is chaotic. It caused dreaming of getting out in nature and just being alone, which is not bad, but must be held in perspective.

I would give this book 3.5 stars.