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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
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
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Insane how reading this felt like a reflection of today's government when this is a book from the 40s (50s?)... The ended helped me realize there's still hope for me, too.
dark
funny
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, War
challenging
funny
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
As a member of the military, I can confirm this is a true story.
I liked the concept of this book, but I would not say that it is “brilliant” or “comedic.” Even though I can see certain aspects as being realistic to men in combat, especially during this time period, I really disliked how the author used women, sexually, as a plot device to show the characters’ flaws. The amount of violent and graphic sexual scenes was unnecessary to prove the point. I would argue there were more scenes objectifying women than scenes depicting actual war and its other absurdities..
dark
funny
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes