I finished Faulkner "As I Lay Dying" about a week and a half ago and went straight into Bukowski's "Post Office" which I am nearly finished with. I had previously read neither of these authors.
Faulkner is amazing. It creeps up on you. You begin reading and think, hey, this is good stuff. I like it. I can see why it falls under that "classic" category. ...WAIT. You don't see. You must keep reading. How good is the book? ...I can't answer. It's amazing, but it will probably effect everyone in a different way. Read it. It's very good. That's all I can say. I'm no book critic. The portrayal of different points of view and the hard life in the south in what seems to me to be ages ago but in reality may even exist today (how would I know, I'm in a comfortable coastal state living in the suburbs...) is gripping, the emotional response at major points of the novel is moving, and I can only say it's good, because I know no other word.
Bukowski. I wasn't sure about this one at first. Again, WHY!?!? I have no idea why this book didn't wrap me up immediately, because it certainly did 30 pages in or so, and I can only imagine it had the same quality in the beginning. I must have been in a bad mood. Alcoholic postal worker who goes in and out of relationships, struggles with gambling, depression, and waking up with horrid hangovers. The characters, once again, are fantastically developed. That's what makes classics. Like I said, not quite finished, though I will be by tomorrow, I can already recommend this one.
