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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I struggled with this book at the beginning. It's got a meandering pace, the way it talks about women... isn't great, and it didn't seem like the plot was very coherent. I finished it because I wanted to read it (and because I was bored and driving for ~27 hours and this was not a boring audiobook).
And then the end happened. And it was so good. And it hit the emotions just the way I wanted to and explained all the other things and made everything crystal clear.
I'm not likely to read this again, but I'm glad I read it the first time.
And then the end happened. And it was so good. And it hit the emotions just the way I wanted to and explained all the other things and made everything crystal clear.
I'm not likely to read this again, but I'm glad I read it the first time.
Stopped at about 20% of the way through. While this seems like an excellent book, I think it arrived too late in my life.
Reasons I am not enjoying this book any more:
- america centric
- talks about war
- as a result, mostly men
I just can't relate to the first and the last, and don't care to immerse myself in the middle one.
I really enjoyed the (self-referential) humor and the narrative voice in this book. I suspect I would have loved it as a teenager, or if I pick it up on vacation and read it in one or two sittings in quick succession. Right now, I'm favoring books that stay in my head through long gaps between readings. The details in the book that make the humor what it is require an attention to detail that isn't possible with my current style of reading. Maybe one day.
Reasons I am not enjoying this book any more:
- america centric
- talks about war
- as a result, mostly men
I just can't relate to the first and the last, and don't care to immerse myself in the middle one.
I really enjoyed the (self-referential) humor and the narrative voice in this book. I suspect I would have loved it as a teenager, or if I pick it up on vacation and read it in one or two sittings in quick succession. Right now, I'm favoring books that stay in my head through long gaps between readings. The details in the book that make the humor what it is require an attention to detail that isn't possible with my current style of reading. Maybe one day.
3.5 stars
In my continual journey of reading the classics, I read one of Bruce's favorites. As a war novel fan myself, this was an interesting one to read because it diverges so strongly from the genre. I think that it does some really cool things with the non-linearity and the way the story builds on itself but it really takes forever for the book to get even slightly gory or horrific which is cool in retrospect but really boring in the beginning.
The contradictions and ludicrous nature of war is really well highlighted. This is a cool writing style and I like what it tried to do but I think ultimately this wasn't my favorite style so I didn't feel I could rate it higher. It also was a pretty long book for what it did.
In my continual journey of reading the classics, I read one of Bruce's favorites. As a war novel fan myself, this was an interesting one to read because it diverges so strongly from the genre. I think that it does some really cool things with the non-linearity and the way the story builds on itself but it really takes forever for the book to get even slightly gory or horrific which is cool in retrospect but really boring in the beginning.
The contradictions and ludicrous nature of war is really well highlighted. This is a cool writing style and I like what it tried to do but I think ultimately this wasn't my favorite style so I didn't feel I could rate it higher. It also was a pretty long book for what it did.
Amazing. Perfect satire of beauracracy and hierarchy.
I really liked the writing. The absurdity and humor were also great. The way it depicts the messiness, and the chaos of war bureaucracy is also incredible. But the one thing I couldn't reconcile myself to is the portrayal of woman. I don't understand the tendency of male authors using extrmely sexist, misogynistic language to get a point across.
This is an issue that I have increasingly with "older" novels. Recently, i read 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' - the same f**ing thing. Idk why men can't write without calling women "whores".
This is an issue that I have increasingly with "older" novels. Recently, i read 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' - the same f**ing thing. Idk why men can't write without calling women "whores".
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I have never found another book as effectively comical as Catch-22. Many times I found myself laughing aloud, completely unaware of myself, just delighted by the sheer absurdity of what I was reading. There’s something in it of the classic Abbott and Costello comedy routine. What makes the book special though, is Heller’s unique ability to leverage comic absurdity to poignantly illustrate both the mind numbing silliness and disgusting injustice of war.
As for what I didn’t like, I found myself thinking that the women in the story were often only objects of the men’s desires and sexual fantasies. Often their dialogue is as simple as yelling “Stupido, stupido” over and over like an enraged Pokémon. It felt as though the women had very little agency, and things simply happened to them rather than them making distinct choices. What undercuts this criticism somewhat though, is the committed violence that Nately’s W**** (not sure if her name is suitable for posting) enacts on Yossarian. It hardly paints the picture of feminine docility that I otherwise noticed in the novel.
As for what I didn’t like, I found myself thinking that the women in the story were often only objects of the men’s desires and sexual fantasies. Often their dialogue is as simple as yelling “Stupido, stupido” over and over like an enraged Pokémon. It felt as though the women had very little agency, and things simply happened to them rather than them making distinct choices. What undercuts this criticism somewhat though, is the committed violence that Nately’s W**** (not sure if her name is suitable for posting) enacts on Yossarian. It hardly paints the picture of feminine docility that I otherwise noticed in the novel.
dark
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I just don't get it.
I understand the message. I get that it's a satire on war and the ridiculousness of it and the strange heirarchy and rituals of the military, but the writing style is just too all over the place for me. I understand that that's the point and it's meant to be more of a stream of consciousness than a standard narrative but it just makes it very confusing to follow. If it was a shorter book then I could probably push through it and still enjoy it but 500+ pages is far too long (personally) for what this book is trying to do. Some of the jokes are really funny, others are lost on me because I don't understand the references (it is an older book to the fair), but I just feel some of the jokes are beaten to death and haven't really added anything. Add that to the quick fire dialogue scenes where it's easy to get lost in who's saying what and I just can't follow it.
It feels like a Marmite book. I know a few people who adore this book but for me personally I just can't get through it, which is a shame but it's also not for want of trying. I understand the importance of this book and the host of books, films, shows and other media it inspired, but it's just not for me. Maybe I'll try again in the future.
I understand the message. I get that it's a satire on war and the ridiculousness of it and the strange heirarchy and rituals of the military, but the writing style is just too all over the place for me. I understand that that's the point and it's meant to be more of a stream of consciousness than a standard narrative but it just makes it very confusing to follow. If it was a shorter book then I could probably push through it and still enjoy it but 500+ pages is far too long (personally) for what this book is trying to do. Some of the jokes are really funny, others are lost on me because I don't understand the references (it is an older book to the fair), but I just feel some of the jokes are beaten to death and haven't really added anything. Add that to the quick fire dialogue scenes where it's easy to get lost in who's saying what and I just can't follow it.
It feels like a Marmite book. I know a few people who adore this book but for me personally I just can't get through it, which is a shame but it's also not for want of trying. I understand the importance of this book and the host of books, films, shows and other media it inspired, but it's just not for me. Maybe I'll try again in the future.
dark
slow-paced