A Happy Death
Layered
Contemplative
Meaningful

A Happy Death

Albert Camus1995
The French author reveals his feelings of alienation in this novel about a young man's search for the key to facing death without fear
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Reviews

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Abigail Marie@abigailmarie
4.5 stars
Apr 6, 2024

Camus does such an amazing job at capturing the melancholy feeling of life but yet the innate, human desire to embrace it for the sake of embracing it

+4
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Maximus@maximus09
2 stars
Feb 11, 2024

The story focuses on the character named Patrice Mersault, a young man who isn't happy with his life, nor the direction he thinks it is going. He is introduced to a rich bloke called Zagreus who cannot fully reap the fruits of his wealth due to the limitions from an accident that has left him wheelchair-bound. Mersault and Zagreus become acquainted through Marthe (Mersault's girlfriend) and Zagreus explains that happiness can found in wealth and all that it has to offer. What's the logical conclusion in Mersault's mind? Yep, killing Zagerus and stealing his fortune. Shortly after killing Zagreus, Mersault becomes ill. An almost Raskolnikov-esque series of events unfold. He travels to a few different places aiming to find somewhere to comfortably settle down and find happiness, pursuing a kind of retirement from his previous unhappy life. This was challenging to read, however, I found it to be a philosophical tale, imbedded with a touch of irony. I kept in mind that this was Camus's first proper venture into writing a novel back in 1936. One which he never completed or thought would be published. The existence of this book is simply down to Camus's wife, Francine, who found the pages after he died and elected to have the book finalised and published. I found it to be okay, but others may enjoy this story more than I did.

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Fooder@fooder
3 stars
Jan 8, 2024

Bacanya bikin ngantuk dan bosan. Tapi kayaknya salahku aja yang pemalas

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Meriem💫@mer_iem
5 stars
Mar 10, 2022

My god that was surreal

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jam 🍯@daymarkist
3 stars
Jan 29, 2022

I think the parts that were the hardest for me to read were the ones in which I disagreed with the protagonist's theories and opinions. But by the end I was tearing through the book, trying to discern meaning behind a book that focuses on just being.

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armoni mayes@armonim1
5 stars
Jun 17, 2024
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juana de arco si estuviera cronicamente online@peperina_2004
4 stars
Feb 28, 2024
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Nate@emiliana
4.5 stars
Jan 24, 2024
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Ryan Brewer@ryanbrwr
5 stars
Jan 14, 2024
+2
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Ana@anaaniri
3.5 stars
Aug 27, 2022
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maddox Ireland@maddox_i
3.5 stars
Aug 21, 2022
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Tyler sanders@tsanders
3 stars
May 24, 2024
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ephe@etlahaine
5 stars
Apr 13, 2024
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Rifqaiza Pravangesta@rifqaiza
4 stars
Jan 9, 2024
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Hobbes@crookedbowtie
4 stars
Jan 8, 2024
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Kayleigh Septer@ksepter
4 stars
Dec 30, 2023
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Willy@willy_17
5 stars
Feb 2, 2023
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Ana Hotnog @ana_hotnog
4 stars
Oct 31, 2022
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Öykü@shostaninoff
4 stars
Aug 12, 2022
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Alexander Lobov@alexlobov
5 stars
Jun 10, 2022
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Jefferson Bottega@jeffersonbottega
3 stars
Mar 9, 2022
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Mircea Tara@mirceatara
3 stars
Dec 21, 2021
Photo of Taina K
Taina K@taina
4 stars
Nov 30, 2021
Photo of Stephanie Almogabar
Stephanie Almogabar@steph_a
5 stars
Nov 11, 2021

Highlights

Photo of juana de arco si estuviera cronicamente online
juana de arco si estuviera cronicamente online@peperina_2004

"You make the mistake of thinking you have to choose, that you have to do what you want, that there are conditions for happiness. What matters- all that matters, really- is the will to happiness, a kind of enormous, ever present consciousness. The rest- women, art, success- is nothing but excuses. A canvas waiting for our embroideries."

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cedar winslow@cwinslow

He discovered the cruel paradox by which we always deceive ourselves twice about the people we love — first to their advantage, then to their disadvantage.

Page 28

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