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4.18 AVERAGE
4.18 AVERAGE
What a harrowing read. I certainly hope I don’t lose my arms, legs and face in a mortar accident. If anything, this book has inspired me to sign up for a half marathon to make the most of my limbs and celebrate the fact that I still have legs.
As well as an effective fitness motivator, Johnny is a stark rumination on the human, fleshly cost of war. Chapter 10 in particular seems to depart slightly from the protagonist Bonham’s voice, and Trumbo speaks directly to the reader. As a stand-alone passage, that chapter is the most powerful and graphic argument against war I have ever read. And it is absolutely, chillingly, applicable not only to the so-called Great War that inspired it, but to Vietnam, Korea, Iraq, Afghanistan and all the other meat grinders that followed.
The writing style won’t be for everyone - it has an unpunctuated stream-of-consciousness affectation that prefigures the later Beat Generation authors, which kind of grinds on me, although I must admit it conveys well the internal monologue of a tortured consciousness trapped in an insensate corporeal prison.
Oh, another thing it’s inspired me to do - learn morse code. You can never be too prepared for life’s eventualities.
As well as an effective fitness motivator, Johnny is a stark rumination on the human, fleshly cost of war. Chapter 10 in particular seems to depart slightly from the protagonist Bonham’s voice, and Trumbo speaks directly to the reader. As a stand-alone passage, that chapter is the most powerful and graphic argument against war I have ever read. And it is absolutely, chillingly, applicable not only to the so-called Great War that inspired it, but to Vietnam, Korea, Iraq, Afghanistan and all the other meat grinders that followed.
The writing style won’t be for everyone - it has an unpunctuated stream-of-consciousness affectation that prefigures the later Beat Generation authors, which kind of grinds on me, although I must admit it conveys well the internal monologue of a tortured consciousness trapped in an insensate corporeal prison.
Oh, another thing it’s inspired me to do - learn morse code. You can never be too prepared for life’s eventualities.
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
This book is a short read, but incredibly deep and there's certainly no lack of emotion. It's told from the standpoint of Joe Bonham, an American soldier, through sometimes incoherent rambling, but primarily a solid train of ongoing thought. The phrasing is from the WWI era and lacks punctuation and most structure, but this is what gives the book what it needs to really understand the memories and life from the perspective of the main character. It was heartbreaking and painful at points and will stick with me forever, no doubt, but definitely a MUST READ.
Amazing read, incredibly dark. Ending feels like a dagger to the heart.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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:
No
This book started off strong and I really enjoyed the flashbacks mixed with the narrator’s current state of being and thoughts. By the middle of the book, though, the flashbacks turned into random tangents that didn’t advance the plot at all. The book ended strong again, so overall it was a good read with a powerful message.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes