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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
dark
funny
fast-paced
funny
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
All-time favorite. Still picking up jokes on my third time through it. If you didn't like it or get it, reread it.
I am listening to the 100 best books on a scratch off poster. I am so glad I rented this from the library and didn't use a credit. I had to keep speeding it up, pretty sure I slept through sections. But I know I didn't miss anything.
Scenes in this book reminded me of the tattoo scene in Dude Where's my car?. "Dude what's my tattoo say?" "Sweet! What does my tattoo say" "dude What does my tattoo say?". Of course the tattoos say dude and sweet. Now put that in to a 20 hour audiobook about war.
Scenes in this book reminded me of the tattoo scene in Dude Where's my car?. "Dude what's my tattoo say?" "Sweet! What does my tattoo say" "dude What does my tattoo say?". Of course the tattoos say dude and sweet. Now put that in to a 20 hour audiobook about war.
My third time trying to read this book and I finally finished it!
This book could've been about 200 pages shorter and that would've bumped up the score a little bit. There were some very good chapters that I felt immersed in, but there was also a lot of fluff. A lot of characters that I didn't care about, and a lot of little anecdotal side stories and time skips that made me feel so lost.
Eventually I got used to the writing style. There were some lovable characters (Yossarian, the chaplain, Nately, Orr) and I kind of miss them now that I've finished. Personally I loved the dialogue; I'm a huge fan of sarcasm so this was right up my alley. I loved the absurdity and the "boys being boys" kind of atmosphere.
It was just... too long... but at the same time not very plot heavy and character development is only seen in a couple of characters. I'm really glad I read it though!
This book could've been about 200 pages shorter and that would've bumped up the score a little bit. There were some very good chapters that I felt immersed in, but there was also a lot of fluff. A lot of characters that I didn't care about, and a lot of little anecdotal side stories and time skips that made me feel so lost.
Eventually I got used to the writing style. There were some lovable characters (Yossarian, the chaplain, Nately, Orr) and I kind of miss them now that I've finished. Personally I loved the dialogue; I'm a huge fan of sarcasm so this was right up my alley. I loved the absurdity and the "boys being boys" kind of atmosphere.
It was just... too long... but at the same time not very plot heavy and character development is only seen in a couple of characters. I'm really glad I read it though!
funny
informative
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
I’m just going to chalk this up to I’m not sophisticated enough for this classic, also the dialogue repetition drive me nuts.
I really liked it! As other reviewers have noted, the audiobook is really incredible. I started reading the paper copy, then switched to audiobook around the halfway mark to get through the middle slump, but after that finished reading the last 10-15% with the paperback. Reading it myself, it was sometimes hard to appreciate (or stay focused for) some of the zany absurdist conversations between characters; I found myself skipping over sections I felt were just circular and "didn't add anything to the story". However, hearing it read aloud really makes you appreciate the humor in these passages, and that the timing is key! Skimming didn't really work for me here.
Overall would definitely recommend the book, and highly recommend the audiobook.
I don't know how to add a gif directly here like some reviewers, so here is a link to one which I think is fitting for this book.
Overall would definitely recommend the book, and highly recommend the audiobook.
I don't know how to add a gif directly here like some reviewers, so here is a link to one which I think is fitting for this book.
I tried reading this book last summer and made it about 70 pages in before I put it down. I don't know why I initially bought the book. I think a coworker told me that he made it a habit to reread this book every year and so I bought it for that reason? Honestly, I don't know where I'm going with this introduction. I can't remember why I bought it, I can't remember why I started reading it, I can remember why I put it down, and I think I picked it up again because I felt some sort of obligation to read it.
That's a funny word, though, right? Obligation. The main character, Yossarian, knows the kind of weight that word carries. He goes up in the bomber, the Germans shoot at him, he drops his bombs, then he goes home. Rinse and repeat, well, until one side dies. I think the beauty of this book comes from the fact that it's an introspective comedy, set in one of the darkest periods of human history. And yet, Yossarian is falling in love with every girl he sees, Milo is trying to pawn off the cotton he bought by covering it in chocolate, and Orr is talking about the crabapples/horse nuts in his cheeks, which you're not going to notice because of the rubber balls in his hands. Snowden dies slowly and painfully throughout the book.
I think the first 150 or so pages of this book, and the last 100 or so are some of the best writing I've ever seen. The middle is dense though, but I think it's worth getting through.
Lastly, this book is a product of its time. There's some problematic language/slurs used in the beginning, and the portrayal of women in this book is absolutely appalling. It's a shame that even side characters in the unit were given depth and yet most of the women in the book are just there to have sex with or idealize. I know it's meta-commentary about stationed men trying to sleep their way through whatever country they're invading, but I mean, this whole book is filled with all sorts of meta-commentary. It's hard to say how much of it helped/hurt the book.
I can see why this book is a classic, I think it has a lot to offer on a personal level. This is a story about living and it's written in a very sardonic manner, which basically guarantees that I'm going to like it just that much more. Plus it's got a lot of great quotes.
4/5. “Insanity is contagious.”
That's a funny word, though, right? Obligation. The main character, Yossarian, knows the kind of weight that word carries. He goes up in the bomber, the Germans shoot at him, he drops his bombs, then he goes home. Rinse and repeat, well, until one side dies. I think the beauty of this book comes from the fact that it's an introspective comedy, set in one of the darkest periods of human history. And yet, Yossarian is falling in love with every girl he sees, Milo is trying to pawn off the cotton he bought by covering it in chocolate, and Orr is talking about the crabapples/horse nuts in his cheeks, which you're not going to notice because of the rubber balls in his hands. Snowden dies slowly and painfully throughout the book.
I think the first 150 or so pages of this book, and the last 100 or so are some of the best writing I've ever seen. The middle is dense though, but I think it's worth getting through.
Lastly, this book is a product of its time. There's some problematic language/slurs used in the beginning, and the portrayal of women in this book is absolutely appalling. It's a shame that even side characters in the unit were given depth and yet most of the women in the book are just there to have sex with or idealize. I know it's meta-commentary about stationed men trying to sleep their way through whatever country they're invading, but I mean, this whole book is filled with all sorts of meta-commentary. It's hard to say how much of it helped/hurt the book.
I can see why this book is a classic, I think it has a lot to offer on a personal level. This is a story about living and it's written in a very sardonic manner, which basically guarantees that I'm going to like it just that much more. Plus it's got a lot of great quotes.
4/5. “Insanity is contagious.”