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gsatori's review against another edition
3.0
I know this is well-written by a man who lived through some of these horrors. I know it is beloved by many. I know the writing is clean and from the heart. I just didn't like the novel and I feel bad about that.
For me, I found it predictable and the characters too generic, or at least most of them. There were a couple moments where I was moved, but overall, it wasn't for me. Again, a well done book, but not for me.
For me, I found it predictable and the characters too generic, or at least most of them. There were a couple moments where I was moved, but overall, it wasn't for me. Again, a well done book, but not for me.
bookishwendy's review against another edition
5.0
I first read this book many years ago, in seventh grade during one of my earliest forays into war fiction. I must have affected me deeply because a few vivid scenes and images still stand out in my brain over 15 years later: a snowball fight between young German and American soldiers isolated in a forest (the Germans stuck sticks into their own snowballs to mimic the shape of their grenades), red crosses painted with blood to mimic medical personnel, frozen bodies "dancing" with one another, and the narrator's "legendary" case of the runs. I finally read it again, and I'm so glad that I did.
A Midnight Clear tells the (purportedly sorta true) story of a depleted squad of intelligence & reconnaissance specialists who are sent to man and monitor a forward location at an isolated chateau at the start of the Battle of the Bulge. Narrator Will Knott (aka Wont) informs us that these guys are insanely smart, had all received special training and then were transferred to the front as cannon fodder thanks to a bureaucratic error. Wont's own chatty yet introspective style seems to prove his intellectual prowess. Normally I like cleverness, but my biggest issue with this book is that there is a little too much of it--the endless bridge hands and trivia that fill the soldier's many hours of boredom force the pace to a crawl. Also, the six American GIs all talk with the same witty, smart-ass soldier tone as Won't himself, and it's impossible to tell them apart without dialogue tags. Even by the end, the reader only knows most of these characters by the stereotypes they represent: the NY Jew, the almost-pastor, the sensitive weakling, the mechanic. Despite this, the situation of their isolation, the creeping terror they experience cut off from anything familiar, makes it impossible not to identify and empathize. Soon they make accidental contact with a similarly isolated, strangely submissive group of German soldiers who call "Schlaf gut, Ami!" (sleep well, Yank!) each night across the clearing. This isn't a black & white war story where good fights evil, but it's still a gripping, sometimes terrifying, always thought-provoking yarn.
A Midnight Clear tells the (purportedly sorta true) story of a depleted squad of intelligence & reconnaissance specialists who are sent to man and monitor a forward location at an isolated chateau at the start of the Battle of the Bulge. Narrator Will Knott (aka Wont) informs us that these guys are insanely smart, had all received special training and then were transferred to the front as cannon fodder thanks to a bureaucratic error. Wont's own chatty yet introspective style seems to prove his intellectual prowess. Normally I like cleverness, but my biggest issue with this book is that there is a little too much of it--the endless bridge hands and trivia that fill the soldier's many hours of boredom force the pace to a crawl. Also, the six American GIs all talk with the same witty, smart-ass soldier tone as Won't himself, and it's impossible to tell them apart without dialogue tags. Even by the end, the reader only knows most of these characters by the stereotypes they represent: the NY Jew, the almost-pastor, the sensitive weakling, the mechanic. Despite this, the situation of their isolation, the creeping terror they experience cut off from anything familiar, makes it impossible not to identify and empathize. Soon they make accidental contact with a similarly isolated, strangely submissive group of German soldiers who call "Schlaf gut, Ami!" (sleep well, Yank!) each night across the clearing. This isn't a black & white war story where good fights evil, but it's still a gripping, sometimes terrifying, always thought-provoking yarn.
thisotherbookaccount's review against another edition
3.0
Full disclosure: I read this book while being slightly under the weather. I caught something during a trip to Indonesia and, while it wasn't anything serious, it did affect the way I read this book. If I had read this book with a clearer mind, perhaps I'd have rated it higher. Nonetheless, you don't choose when you get to fall sick so, sorry Wharton.
Anyway, I will tell you what I like about A Midnight Clear. Having been through the military, Wharton does a great job at recreating what it is like out in the field. The banter between the soldiers are perfect, and the things we do to entertain ourselves in between actions is true to life as well. There is a line somewhere in the book about how the war is mostly just soldiers sitting around and waiting for things to happen. I've never been to war before, but military training is more or less the same. You sit around and wait for something to happen. There was a real sense of familiarity while I was reading the book.
However, as true as it is that the military is most a bunch of waiting around, it doesn't translate quite well to the book. There are entire sections of this book where literally nothing happens, and you are stuck in the wintry landscape with our characters, just waiting for something — anything — to happen. As realistic as that might be, it doesn't make for a particularly good read. It also doesn't help that all six characters have nicknames, and the writer uses nicknames and real names interchangeably. It's bad enough that I was reading this while being a little high on medicine, it's worse that I had to figure out who's who on the page. I admit that it got a bit confusing for me.
But I think the core of the book is good. It is about how wars are mostly fought by people at the top, with us lowly soldiers as dispensable pawns. Most of us don't actually want to fight. Most of us just want to not die, and it doesn't matter which side of the battle lines you are on. I think there is a tragedy in this book that is expertly masked by the tragic-comedy approach by the writer, and that's a brilliant way to drive the message home. I just wished that I wasn't ill while reading this book, and that the middle sections of the book didn't feel so bogged down by endless descriptions of sentry shifts and bridge games.
Anyway, I will tell you what I like about A Midnight Clear. Having been through the military, Wharton does a great job at recreating what it is like out in the field. The banter between the soldiers are perfect, and the things we do to entertain ourselves in between actions is true to life as well. There is a line somewhere in the book about how the war is mostly just soldiers sitting around and waiting for things to happen. I've never been to war before, but military training is more or less the same. You sit around and wait for something to happen. There was a real sense of familiarity while I was reading the book.
However, as true as it is that the military is most a bunch of waiting around, it doesn't translate quite well to the book. There are entire sections of this book where literally nothing happens, and you are stuck in the wintry landscape with our characters, just waiting for something — anything — to happen. As realistic as that might be, it doesn't make for a particularly good read. It also doesn't help that all six characters have nicknames, and the writer uses nicknames and real names interchangeably. It's bad enough that I was reading this while being a little high on medicine, it's worse that I had to figure out who's who on the page. I admit that it got a bit confusing for me.
But I think the core of the book is good. It is about how wars are mostly fought by people at the top, with us lowly soldiers as dispensable pawns. Most of us don't actually want to fight. Most of us just want to not die, and it doesn't matter which side of the battle lines you are on. I think there is a tragedy in this book that is expertly masked by the tragic-comedy approach by the writer, and that's a brilliant way to drive the message home. I just wished that I wasn't ill while reading this book, and that the middle sections of the book didn't feel so bogged down by endless descriptions of sentry shifts and bridge games.
oceanwader's review against another edition
3.0
Wasn't what I was expecting. Had confused this book, unfortunately, with another (whose title escapes me), which is why I picked it up in the first place.
I generally don't read books about war-time. However, that this novel points to the stupidities of war - not least those exercised in the selection or drafting of war-time personnel - makes it well worth the read.
I generally don't read books about war-time. However, that this novel points to the stupidities of war - not least those exercised in the selection or drafting of war-time personnel - makes it well worth the read.
bokko's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
michielsaey's review against another edition
1.0
This book only gets good at the last chapter.
His writing in the beginning really isn't great.
His writing in the beginning really isn't great.
imacherryghost's review against another edition
4.0
This book is so wonderfully written, and so heartbreaking. It is not exactly satire, but I often think of this book when thinking of Catch-22....I guess its more about the humanity of war (and lack thereof). As a sidenote, this movie (starring Ethan Hawke) does an excellent job of doing this novel justice. I highy recommend it.
sarahbowman101's review against another edition
4.0
FUBAR. This short book about a recon mission at the end of WWII should be the very definition of FUBAR. 5 intelligent soldiers camp out at a chateau in the Ardennes forest and have unusual contact with another similar small group of German soldiers. The end is both horrible and perfect. This makes me think a little bit about Tim O'Brien and his ideas about war stories. They are all real, they are all unreal and can be the truth, a lie, and both all at the same time. I found this to be a little bit of a clunky read, but a nice and short book that tells a singular war story and no more.
kikiandarrowsfishshelf's review against another edition
4.0
I’ve passed up on seeing the movie version of this book several times because I really don’t like Ethan Hawke. Way back when TLC and A&E were actually watchable there was a show call The Great Books. One episode was about Great Expectations. Hawke was interviewed because a movie version with him was coming out. Whatever he said convinced me that he really didn’t understand what he read. Combine that with I don’t think he can act, and well, there you go.
But I just might watch it now.
Wharton’s novel is All Quiet on the Western Front set in World War II with a dash of Catch-22. It is told from the viewpoint of a young sergeant who finds himself (and his men) in a rather confusing situation with some Germans. It’s true that some of the supporting characters could be more developed. The story, however, does grip the read, and the voice is compelling. You know how it’s going to end, you have to, but the book still moves you. It always will.
There’s something to be said for that.
It isn’t all depressing; there are some wonderful funny passages and scenes. It’s not about heroism, but about people struggling to be people. It is really good. Wonderful.
But I just might watch it now.
Wharton’s novel is All Quiet on the Western Front set in World War II with a dash of Catch-22. It is told from the viewpoint of a young sergeant who finds himself (and his men) in a rather confusing situation with some Germans. It’s true that some of the supporting characters could be more developed. The story, however, does grip the read, and the voice is compelling. You know how it’s going to end, you have to, but the book still moves you. It always will.
There’s something to be said for that.
It isn’t all depressing; there are some wonderful funny passages and scenes. It’s not about heroism, but about people struggling to be people. It is really good. Wonderful.
elisabeth's review
3.0
Read for Junior Summer Reading July.
It was alright. I gave it 3 stars because I didn't want to kill myself while reading it. Maybe if I had time to actually read and comprehend it, I would have done better on the test but I read it in one night so bad life decisions there. From what I heard though, it was better than Cold Mountain which was like 500 pages long.....
Not too bad for a school book
It was alright. I gave it 3 stars because I didn't want to kill myself while reading it. Maybe if I had time to actually read and comprehend it, I would have done better on the test but I read it in one night so bad life decisions there. From what I heard though, it was better than Cold Mountain which was like 500 pages long.....
Not too bad for a school book
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