As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
The narrative unfolds through the eyes of 15 different characters over 59 chapters. It is the story of the death of Addie Bundren and her poor, rural family's quest and motivations—noble or selfish—to honor her wish to be buried in her hometown of Jefferson, Mississippi. As the Bundren family undertakes a journey to fulfill Addie's last wish, they face many hardships and personal revelations. The novel explores themes of existentialism, death, and the nature of family relationships.
The 96th greatest book of all time
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Total Points: 2566
This book was first published in 1930
43 Lists
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- score: 145 -- The Best Southern Novels of All Time - 2009 (Weight: 130)
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- score: 133 -- 100 Life-Changing Books - 2006 (Weight: 126)
- score: 127 -- The Great Books Podcast from John J. Miller - 2025 (Weight: 120)
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- score: 119 -- The 100 Best Novels of the 20th Century - 1999 (Weight: 118)
- score: 105 -- 200 Books That Shaped 200 Years of Literature - 2021 (Weight: 105)
- score: 90 -- Radcliffe's 100 Best Novels - 1998 (Weight: 80)
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- score: 84 -- The Modern Library | 100 Best Novels - 1999 (Weight: 79)
- score: 73 -- Quintessential American Fiction, According to the Rest of the World - 2015 (Weight: 60)
- score: 63 -- Harold Bloom's The Western Canon - 1994 (Weight: 60)
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- score: 42 -- 150 Great Reads - 1988 (Weight: 40)
- score: 42 -- The 16 Greatest Books of All Time - 2008 (Weight: 36)
- score: 32 -- 100 Best 20th-Century American Books - 1999 (Weight: 31)
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- score: 31 -- Gabriel García Márquez’s Formative Reading List - 2003 (Weight: 30)
- score: 30 -- The Modern Library's 100 Best Novels: The Readers' List - 1998 (Weight: 30)
- score: 30 -- The Novel 100: A Ranking of the Greatest Novels of All Time - 2004 (Weight: 30)
- score: 20 -- The 500 best books of all time from Culture Café users - 2008 (Weight: 20)
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- score: 10 -- David Bowie's Top 100 Favorite Books - 2016 (Weight: 10)
- score: 10 -- The 100 Greatest Novels - 2007 (Weight: 10)
- score: 1 -- 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List - 2018 (Weight: 1)
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- score: 1 -- Select 100 - 2015 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- The 80 Books Every Man Should Read - 2015 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- The College Board: 101 Great Books Recommended for College-Bound Readers - 2002 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- The Complete 500: OCLC - 2024 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- One Hundred Best American Novels, 1770 to 1985 - 2014 (Weight: 1)