Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
Can’t come up with a rating. So confusing, grotesque, and distorted it’s hard to even wrap your brain around (see: written with insane humor). The only takeaway is its absurdity. The ending (last 40 pages or so) contains the only plot development of the book and is quite good.
dark
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is pretty much a comedy of a tragedy. It is very clever satire. The humour is dark and the absurdity is funny despite what you are laughing at being quite sad. It sheds a lot of light on war and bureaucracy and how war can cause men to lose their empathy for other human beings. Female characters are written in a dehumanising way throughout the book which is pretty reflective of the army culture of the time and how women were viewed/treated in wartime.
Despite recognising the book's genius, I can't say I loved it. It just wasn't for me. But I'd definitely recommend it to others!
Despite recognising the book's genius, I can't say I loved it. It just wasn't for me. But I'd definitely recommend it to others!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual violence, War
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Violence, Medical content, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Suicide, Murder
Minor: Rape, Vomit
Set in Italy during WW2, an American Air Force fleet is trapped, but not by the enemy. Preposterous rules and moving goal posts keep the traumatized pilots from going home in this satirical look at war.
This book is an incredibly difficult read, but not in the way you may think. It's not that there's a lot of hard-to-stomach subject matter (although it does deal with war), it's that the writing style is purposefully nonsensical. It is genuinely difficult to read a page and comprehend what's happening. The comparison I made was that this is what would happen if "Who's On First?" was a 400+ page book. There is also very little progression for most of the book - yet again, this is on purpose. The point of this book is that the characters are trapped and aren't allowed to get anywhere, so neither does the plot. This makes this a very frustrating book to even try to get through. While that made my reading experience not a favorite of mine, I do understand a lot of its purpose.
This book shows how the people who are calling the shots in war aren't actually the people who are fighting on the ground, who are traumatized by the battles, who have the fear of death following them at every corner. The people who keep these airmen from going home do it for optics, to boost their own egos and stations, rather than for any actual benefit to the fight. They have plenty of reserves ready to take their turn, but the powers that be would rather torture the people already there for their own personal gain. Most of the men fighting have no desire to fight and are just doing what they can to survive.
As the book enters its final act, we get a shift. Our main character feels like he wakes up out of a daze. Situations start changing. People express emotions. This last section felt like an entirely different book, with people to root for and a plot line that I could follow. This shift makes sense: the light at the end of the tunnel brings clarity. I really struggled through the majority of the book, but this ending felt like it was all worth pushing through.
I will say, the way that women were talked about in this book wasn't my favorite. I completely understand that this book is a satire and the portrayal of most characters regardless of gender or station here are satirical, but a lot of the way women are treated as objects in this book didn't feel satirical to me personally.
Overall, this modern classic frustrates the reader in the same way its characters are frustrated with the nonsense that keeps them shackled. Knowing about this ahead of time might have increased my appreciation for the book, but by the end I came around to it.
This book is an incredibly difficult read, but not in the way you may think. It's not that there's a lot of hard-to-stomach subject matter (although it does deal with war), it's that the writing style is purposefully nonsensical. It is genuinely difficult to read a page and comprehend what's happening. The comparison I made was that this is what would happen if "Who's On First?" was a 400+ page book. There is also very little progression for most of the book - yet again, this is on purpose. The point of this book is that the characters are trapped and aren't allowed to get anywhere, so neither does the plot. This makes this a very frustrating book to even try to get through. While that made my reading experience not a favorite of mine, I do understand a lot of its purpose.
This book shows how the people who are calling the shots in war aren't actually the people who are fighting on the ground, who are traumatized by the battles, who have the fear of death following them at every corner. The people who keep these airmen from going home do it for optics, to boost their own egos and stations, rather than for any actual benefit to the fight. They have plenty of reserves ready to take their turn, but the powers that be would rather torture the people already there for their own personal gain. Most of the men fighting have no desire to fight and are just doing what they can to survive.
As the book enters its final act, we get a shift. Our main character feels like he wakes up out of a daze. Situations start changing. People express emotions. This last section felt like an entirely different book, with people to root for and a plot line that I could follow. This shift makes sense: the light at the end of the tunnel brings clarity. I really struggled through the majority of the book, but this ending felt like it was all worth pushing through.
I will say, the way that women were talked about in this book wasn't my favorite. I completely understand that this book is a satire and the portrayal of most characters regardless of gender or station here are satirical, but a lot of the way women are treated as objects in this book didn't feel satirical to me personally.
Overall, this modern classic frustrates the reader in the same way its characters are frustrated with the nonsense that keeps them shackled. Knowing about this ahead of time might have increased my appreciation for the book, but by the end I came around to it.
A seminal work for a reason, the non-linear narrative, character building and storytelling will ensure this stands the test of time for years to come. Any book that can introduce a phrase into the lexicon has to be amazing, and this lives up to the hype
This book reminds me of LetterKenny. At first you’re like what the actual f*ck is going on? But then after a little while you start to get it and it feels like you are in on some kind of inside joke.
Definitely a whiplash of emotions, funny but devastating. I love stories that can balance between the whole range.
So many characters and jumping timelines, could be hard to keep track of. Looking up the details on spark notes was helpful. Definitely a satirical book that you could read 3+ times and still catch something new each time.
4.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Definitely a whiplash of emotions, funny but devastating. I love stories that can balance between the whole range.
So many characters and jumping timelines, could be hard to keep track of. Looking up the details on spark notes was helpful. Definitely a satirical book that you could read 3+ times and still catch something new each time.
4.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
3.5 Stars
What the heck did I just read? I have no idea. At moments I was laughing out loud until tears came to my eyes... "I see two of everything!!" and other times, I really just wanted to sit the book in the fireplace and watch it slowly burn with a cigarette hanging out of my mouth. I don't even smoke.
This book is like M*A*S*H on crack; it is too much humor at times. Too much ranting at times. Too much bloody hell at times. It was just too much. I am glad the hilarious torture is over.
I do recommend this book, because everyone who has read it, gets something totally different from it. A whole experience that I cannot fathom. Please read and form your own opinions.
What the heck did I just read? I have no idea. At moments I was laughing out loud until tears came to my eyes... "I see two of everything!!" and other times, I really just wanted to sit the book in the fireplace and watch it slowly burn with a cigarette hanging out of my mouth. I don't even smoke.
This book is like M*A*S*H on crack; it is too much humor at times. Too much ranting at times. Too much bloody hell at times. It was just too much. I am glad the hilarious torture is over.
I do recommend this book, because everyone who has read it, gets something totally different from it. A whole experience that I cannot fathom. Please read and form your own opinions.
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
All start fun and light, weird in a sense...then shit happens... Yossarian struggle and struggles but what for?
It starts off as hilariously funny and absurd, and while it remains absurd, as the war goes on and more and more injustices are spotlighted, it starts to not be so funny anymore. And what does Yossarian endure this for?
‘Do you really mean that it’s not my business how or why I get killed?’
My favourite chapters were Clevinger’s Trial, the one about the Loyalty Oaths, Bologna and Doc Daneeka’s troubles. Also the mystery surrounding Snowden was done perfectly, with a very grounding conclusion. What is worth being turned to just matter for?
‘The enemy,’ retorted Yossarian with weighted precision, ‘is anybody who’s going to get you killed, no matter which side he’s on.’
‘Do you really mean that it’s not my business how or why I get killed?’
My favourite chapters were Clevinger’s Trial, the one about the Loyalty Oaths, Bologna and Doc Daneeka’s troubles. Also the mystery surrounding Snowden was done perfectly, with a very grounding conclusion. What is worth being turned to just matter for?
‘The enemy,’ retorted Yossarian with weighted precision, ‘is anybody who’s going to get you killed, no matter which side he’s on.’
quite hard to catch up with the old style english as a non native speaker