This was my first experience with Faulkner and I was overwhelmed. As I forced myself to get past the first few chapters, I loathed the language, the names of the characters, the interrupted style. To Faulkner's credit, however, I could see the vultures, smell the smells, and commiserate with the [unbelievable] lot of characters. I found myself getting completely unnerved just wishing they would hurry up and bury her! The ending was a great surprise and earned the story a few extra stars in my opinion. Reflecting back on the painful task of getting through it, I realized that this book actually made me think! His style is unlike anything I've ever encountered and I'm a better person for having read it. Tough? Definitely. Worth reading? I think so.