The Stranger

brianna_billos shared a tip "This is definitely a book I want to read again in the future. Some parts I really want to dissect and try to understand. This is a very philosophical and psychological book that just kept me intrigued. If you’re the type of person that enjoys trying to figure out why certain things happen and have always pondered the question “What is the meaning of life?”, this is for you. This book is unlike any book that I have ever read and is a great French literature classic."

john_frazier_5534 shared a tip "If the existentialists were nothing else they were excellent novelists which can be seen here and in Sartre's Roads to Freedom trilogy."

regina_simmons shared a tip "“Mostly, I could tell, I made him feel uncomfortable. He didn't understand me, and he was sort of holding it against me. I felt the urge to reassure him that I was like everybody else, just like everybody else. But really there wasn't much point, and I gave up the idea out of laziness.”"

emily_7871 shared a tip "Really good! I like how I still searched for answers to why the narrator did something throughout the book, only to realize that was Camus’ entire point - there is no answer"

ellen_haarmans shared a tip "The first half was so choppy. It’s translated rather directly from French and it makes it more difficult to read. If the whole book was like the second half, it would have been great."

macy_montgomery_6708 shared a tip "This book was slow. I get the point of it and the purpose of the story being told this way but it was honestly a bore. I like the point he’s making, just painful getting there. But I think that’s part of the meaning."

lauren_konkiel shared a tip "Such a good book. I love a good book that makes you think. The plot twist got me good. The thesis of the book was amazing. Could not put it down."

jacob_longini shared a tip ""I opened myself to the gentle indifference of the world." -Camus 122 How do you live when nothing matters? How do you approach death? This is definitely in the running for the best short book I've ever read. Just over 100 pages, The Stranger is replete with rich literary energy. In this simple story, Camus' existentialist philosophy shows through the protagonist's struggle to find meaning in a meaningless life and its absurd ending. The shift from nonchalant, everyday activity in the first part to more intense events in the second hits the reader just right. Short, digestible, and yet invoking deep philosophical pondering. Definitely worthy of a place on your reading list."

anarella_garrido shared a tip "Just finished reading this book and to be honest it makes you think a lot the translation from the French is really interesting really artistic about making a man’s life seem simple, really good book to think about life. Posting a full review on my Instagram page @yiyislibrary"

kareyn_hellmann shared a tip "I did not particularly enjoy The Stranger. It felt much too long and dry for what became a simple point in the end, though the beginning pages drew me in inexpressibly. I know it was perhaps the point, but there was nothing in it that enticed me to keep reading or left me awed or even in quiet contemplation upon finishing. I read it solely because I ought to, considering it's renowned, and I feel it was a waste of the past few hours. My opinion alone."

someone_in_existence shared a tip "A light and easy summer read that absolutely wont change your output on anything. Such an optimistic and shallow novel that ends very happily"

rose_marlowe_9651 shared a tip "Wasn’t overly fond of this book. Read it in one sitting on 4/26 at Boulevard park. It was boring and melancholy. The lack of emotional and general apathy of the main character left me sad after finishing."

sarah_luke shared a tip "Short little book that explains how nothing inherently matters and to do whatever you want to do without fear because fear limits and controls you. perfect book for nihilists."

florence_narh shared a tip "One of my favorite books. Meursault may seem like a one of a kind, but he is very relatable in many ways. I sometimes saw myself in Meursault when I read this book."

mckayla_buell shared a tip "This was my first book I’ve read of French classics, and I was not disappointed! Great read and the characters were all unique in their own ways"

natalie_prickett shared a tip "made me extremely existential after reading, in a bittersweet kind of a way. the type of book you finish and immediately want to read it a second time."

kylie_seagroves shared a tip "I can’t tell if I hate the narrator because he is emotionless or because I see a lot of myself in him. Not so much because of his inability to share feelings or show affection, but his inability at times to feel anything at all. This was my first read in the ‘existentialism’ genre and I have to say: it left me empty but somehow content. I am starting to think that I could not have picked a better time to read such a confusing book. It resembles my life in that sense."

josie_diaz_8522 shared a tip "You can easily finish this book in day due to how intriguing it is. Sadly, I had to read this book in sections due to this being assigned by a professor. You would never expect what happens in this book and that’s what I thoroughly enjoy about it."

morgan_fatowe shared a tip "Very Nihilistic. I thought it would be more interesting but I read it through. I wouldn’t recommend to everyone. Probably a short good reason for those who like the Catcher in the Rye. Similar themes and writing in a similar fashion"