The Stranger: A New Translation by Matthew Ward by Albert Camus, Matthew Ward (Translator)

An Interesting and Dramatic novelby CameronM

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September 29, 2009: This book started out with Meursaults mother dying and he had to go to her funeral. He finds out that his mother and Thomas Perez were really good friends before she died, some people said that they were boyfriend and girlfriend. Then he goes to the beach and he sees Marie, a woman he used to work with. He made a date with her to go see a movie and she said yes. After this Meursault meets up with his next door neighbor, Raymond Sintes. Raymond invites Meursault to dinner and he tells Meursault about how he thinks his wife has cheated on him, and he beat her. Raymond wants Meursault to write Raymond's wife a letter telling her to come back, and Meursault does and then Raymond considers Meursault his "pal". Raymond gets caught by the police for beating his wife and he asks Meursault to be his defendant in court. After this Marie asks Meursault if he loves her and if he will marry her, he told her it doesn't matter to him, he would be fine either way. So they are now engaged, but he ends up getting put in jail for murdering an Arab, and they don't get married.

This was a really good book, and it was also really hard to put down. The reason I think The Stranger by Albert Camus is a fantastic book is because it is really interesting, you want to keep on reading to find out what happens next. The reason I think this book is interesting is because Meursault doesn't care what happens in the whole book, from his mom dying, to him being put in jail, to him getting married. I believe if you like drama this would be a great book for you to read. It was a fun and fast read and I would give it a four and a half out of five. Other books I have really like were Tell No One and As Simple As Snow. These two books were a lot like The Stranger, because of the mystery in this book.

I Also Recommend: Tell No One, As Simple As Snow.

An Intriguing Taleby booksreadbooks

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September 14, 2009: From the first sentence to the last, Alburt Camus has you in his grip. The intriguing classic, "The Stranger" draws you in by its story line, and keeps you into it by making you one with the story.

"Mother died today. Or, maybe yesterday; I can't be sure." From the first couple of sentences to the last, "The Stranger" has you hooked. As the book progresses, you can see in full description the narrator's life as it unfolds. From his mother's funeral, to his friend's conflicts, and the aftermath of his pointless decisions, it is as if you were seeing things first hand.

Because the narrator is faceless and the book is in first person, you feel like you are the criminal. You personally experience all the narrators emotions. You interact with everyone. You face all the obstacles. When the narrator is imprisoned, it feels as if you are locked away from all humanity. It is just you, the cell, and the prison guards.

In the lowest depths of his sanity, the questions of humanity, society, the law system, and the overall reason to live, can come to the surface of your conscience. That is the time you can find yourself pondering over controversial questions. Questions that can never be answered.

Although I, along with many others, have enjoyed this book, I could see how some might not like it. At times, "The Stranger" could seem depressing, for many times through out the book, life itself is viewed as meaningless. The narrator sees the world through eyes that not many people could look through. The world to him has no Religion, no thinking ahead, and no reasons; things just happen and you need to take them one day at a time. For that reason, I would only recommend this book to those who wish to see the world differently; would like to be puzzled by the questions of society and mankind; and people who can open their minds to new views.