Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
Just wasn’t the book for me, I didn’t love the writing style. It jumped around so much I couldn’t keep track of who was who.
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
tense
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
Sometimes really funny, sometimes painful, or tragic. I really enjoyed the way the author has with words.
"In short, he was a dope. He often looked to Yossarian like one of those people hanging around modern museums with both eyes together on one side of the face. It was an illusion, of course, generated by Clevinger's predeliction for staring fixedly at one side of a question and never seeing the other side at all."
"In short, he was a dope. He often looked to Yossarian like one of those people hanging around modern museums with both eyes together on one side of the face. It was an illusion, of course, generated by Clevinger's predeliction for staring fixedly at one side of a question and never seeing the other side at all."
dark
funny
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
funny
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3 out of 5 stars – Brilliant in Parts, But a Tough Slog
Catch-22 is a book I wanted to love more than I actually did. Joseph Heller’s satire is sharp, clever, and at times genuinely hilarious, especially in the way he exposes the absurdities of war and bureaucracy. The concept of the “catch-22” itself is iconic for a reason—it perfectly captures the frustrating logic traps that plague the characters.
That said, the novel’s nonlinear structure and constantly shifting timelines made it hard to stay grounded in the story. The repetition, while thematically intentional, started to feel tedious and slowed down the pacing. I also found it hard to connect with the characters on a deeper level, since many of them felt more like caricatures than fully developed individuals.
It’s a unique and important piece of literature, and I can appreciate its influence and daring style. But overall, reading it felt more like an academic exercise than an enjoyable experience. Worth reading once—but probably not something I’d revisit.
The first quarter of this book was absolutely painful to get through. Then, remarkably quickly, it somehow picked up. It was only after getting through that initial section that a sense of actual plot and character development came through and I began to see how all the things that happened in the beginning of the book were relevant and important to the overall structure of the novel. I also spent a lot of time infuriated at ridiculous characters while reading this, but given the commentary this novel's making on war, that's just good writing. Put all of that together with a fantastic ending and you have a really good book.
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
challenging
dark
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What a beautiful book. It always makes me feel overwhelmed when I realised I’ve had a deeply moving and wonderful unread book in my cupboard or bookshelf for years
adventurous
funny
slow-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-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