The Sound and the Fury
I was thisclose to taking away a star. Sixteen year old Ashley was way more impressed with Faulkner's machinations than twenty-five year old Ashley is (this is mostly because sixteen year old Ashley was ecstatic that she even managed to understand the thing, in fact, it was basically her proudest moment). But even though my awe has considerably lessened in the ten years (!) since I first read this book (and my patience for overly serious literature with it), you just can't deny the genius of this book. So: five stars. Grudgingly.
[First read in Fall 2001]