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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
Didn't really see what all the fuss was about. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't award-worthy, either.
Normally I adore books about war, but Powers' prose never clicked with me. Too much poetry, too many flowery words, and it left me very
unsatisfied. I know he has an MFA in poetry and perhaps someone who loves poetry (unlike myself) would really like this book.
unsatisfied. I know he has an MFA in poetry and perhaps someone who loves poetry (unlike myself) would really like this book.
In Al Tafar, Iraq, Privates Bartle and Murphy fight for their lives, together against what seems less like any particular enemy and more like the grueling, senseless odds of war itself. Continue reading →
For months I resisted reading "The Yellow Birds". At the library I'd pick it up, read the blurb, read a couple of pages and put it back on the shelf, not wanting to read anything heavy, not wanting to read about the war in Iraq.
I couldn't stay away from it, it continued to call me name. Every notable book critic put it on their "must read books of 2012", finally I took a deep breath and checked it out.
What an amazing, powerful read. Uplifting? No. Feel Good? Nope. Powerful, unsettling, upsetting? All of the above.
I couldn't stay away from it, it continued to call me name. Every notable book critic put it on their "must read books of 2012", finally I took a deep breath and checked it out.
What an amazing, powerful read. Uplifting? No. Feel Good? Nope. Powerful, unsettling, upsetting? All of the above.
This has been on my list for ages, and I finally got to it this summer. I am glad I read it, and I was certainly moved in parts. That said, I think Powers’ stunning poetry about his war experiences (and experiences as a returned veteran) is more successful for me as a reader.
There isn't much story here - no plot that moves forward throughout the book. Instead we get a sense of one man's psyche as he experiences the brutalities of war.
A powerful book that will leave you reeling from both the beauty of the prose and Bartle's story of violence, confusion, and loss. Kevin Powers is the real deal.
This is a raw, in your face perspective of the war in Iraq as seen through the eyes of two young US soldiers. The author's writing style is quite lyrical, especially when it comes to descriptions, such as of the desert and the heat, which to me seemed to offset the harshness and intense adrenaline of some of the action. The book is altogether sad, though, as it shows that this war ruined healthy, reasonably happy lives and the families connected to them.
The Yellow Birds is a powerful novel, one I wish I could somehow force every person in Congress who voted for the Iraq War to read. Kevin Powers is first and foremost a poet, and that is evident in the beautiful use of language throughout the book. The point sometimes becomes tangled in the words, but not so much that it tarnishes the story. Some readers may complain about excessive scenic description, but I personally enjoyed those touches, because they made the world, and the horrors of war, all the more real. While some chapters are more effective than others, the story overall is well put together, with just enough suspense to keep the reader's attention. I'll be recommending this one to everyone I know.