Though not as accomplished as his later novels, Soldiers' Pay still has moments of revelation, which reveal Faulkner willing to bend language to get at a feeling."They greeted him with the effusiveness of people who are brought together by invitation yet are not quite certain of themselves and of the spirit of the invitation; in this case the eternal country boys of one national mental state, lost in the comparative metropolitan atmosphere of one diametrically opposed to it. To feel provincial: finding that a certain conventional state of behavior has become inexplicably obsolete over night."Like a rough house Proust. The vocabulary he pulls from doesn't suck either. At times, I couldn't tell if I wasn't getting a phrase because I was intellectually inferior or just not Southern. At other times, his stylistic daring worked better than others. He seems to be going along with the whole "make it new" dictum of the postwar period yet not fully buying into it.There are amateur moments in the book as well. A lot of gorgeous descriptions of sunset... but like, a LOT of them. Many characters who don't fully flesh out and so become intellectual exercises, instead of insights into the human experience. The more moments like this I read, however, the better I felt. He's human, this Faulkner, and perhaps writing a novel can be learned after all.I only recommend this book to Faulkner fans and those horrified at how paltry their first novel has turned out.
I read this because I was compelled by my passion for Faulkner's work to begin at the beginning-- I'm as curious about an author's personal history as I am about his books. Faulkner claimed to be a fighter pilot in WWI, although historical records make it seem as if he never saw action. I think his fighter pilot fantasy was enfleshed in the Sartoris epics, while this story illuminates a war and homecoming still very fresh in young Faulkner's consciousness. His description of Donald's deterioration is chilling, and, as always, his description of the setting of the story is brilliant. The story never really comes together-- some characters show up and don't seem to go anywhere, like unwanted guests. Its worth reading if one is really interested in finding out where this literary genius originated. However, if one wants to just read some good early Faulkner, skip ahead to "Sartoris"/"Flags in the Dust" ("Flags in the Dust" is the complete novel as Faulkner wrote it, while "Satoris" is the edited-for-publication version which was released, as perhaps the literary world was not yet ready for the hyperextended Faulkner vision.) Are we ready now?? who reads anymore??
What do You think about Soldiers' Pay (2000)?
Though I'm a huge fan of Faulkner and have read nearly all of his books, I somehow never got around to reading this, his first. It's about one of my favorite topics, World War I, or rather the aftermath of the war and how it permanently changed the American psyche. The story is a bit melodramatic and the writing a bit forced; you can tell Faulkner was a young writer trying too hard to make an impression. But it displays many of the qualities that would later make him such an excellent writer. It's at times very emotionally powerful and haunting, which are characteristics I identify with his best work. A must read for any Faulkner fan, if only to see how he evolved into the author who gave us some of the best books of all time.
—Brock Silvey
I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone who adores powerful and poetic imagery. The plot of the story is a little bland, it's almost soap operaish, but the characters who drive the narrative are anything but your typical soap stars. They are real and engaging individuals and you find yourself amazed at how their plights tug at your heart. The skillful way in which Faulkner uses language to tell this story will impress even the least literary individual. If you are to read only one book this winter this should be it.
—Nicholas Hansen
This early Faulkner novel was the first I've read by him, but I'll definitely go on to more. I was attracted to this by its subject matter, as I've been reading a lot about the First World War lately, and this is an account of a wounded, dying soldier who returns to his home in Georgia and his unfaithful sweetheart. I found the story moving, but the book really exerts a grip because of its writing style and intense, overheated atmosphere. 'Soldiers' Pay' can be confusing at times, as some of it is written in stream of consciousness, but you can feel the writer's intoxication with language, which makes it exciting to read. As I read, I was aware that this was early and uneven work, with an intrusive "comic" character, Januarius Jones, getting in the way of the story at times. But I still found the book compelling and it was hard to tear myself away from it.
—Judy
