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katie_king's review
3.0
Much preferred the short stories to "Red Badge". The novella wasn't as good as I remembered. Way to much internal monologue for me. The short stories are tightly constructed and thought provoking. The Open Boat is an excellent piece of descriptive writing combined with suspense.
loki_sdaughter's review
informative
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This book just solidifies that I do not like war stories
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Gun violence, and War
Moderate: Ableism, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Minor: Alcohol
pfnikolai's review against another edition
4.0
Perhaps I was looking a bit too hard for the author's agenda, but I kept trying to figure out whether he was trying to scare young readers away from the horrors of war or to glorify war and the soldiers on the front lines. Seems like it was a bit of both...
amandag's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
chasmofbooks's review against another edition
2.0
I'll keep in mind that this was required reading as I write this.
This book was about two battles in two days. As the battles were featured, we followed the main character something-Flemming, otherwise known as "the youth". I hated that part of the book, how the author used the main character's name so little, I couldn't remember his name for half the book and only remember it now because it was used in one of the last pages.
Fleming (or is it Flemming? See, it was used so little I can't even remember how to spell it.) is mostly an antihero for most of the book, until a little more than half way through when he finally mans up and stops fleeing the battle. The "red badge" is actually a symbol of being wounded in battle; it supposedly showed a man's bravery or courage, at least, to the main character.
All in all, its an okay book. The descriptions were pretty good and the similes were very useful. I just didn't find it particularly wonderful. It was kind of boring for most of the book.
This book was about two battles in two days. As the battles were featured, we followed the main character something-Flemming, otherwise known as "the youth". I hated that part of the book, how the author used the main character's name so little, I couldn't remember his name for half the book and only remember it now because it was used in one of the last pages.
Fleming (or is it Flemming? See, it was used so little I can't even remember how to spell it.) is mostly an antihero for most of the book, until a little more than half way through when he finally mans up and stops fleeing the battle. The "red badge" is actually a symbol of being wounded in battle; it supposedly showed a man's bravery or courage, at least, to the main character.
All in all, its an okay book. The descriptions were pretty good and the similes were very useful. I just didn't find it particularly wonderful. It was kind of boring for most of the book.
quietkristina's review against another edition
2.0
War is not a topic I usually choose to read about, but the past several months seem to have thrown a lot of war books my way. Code Name Verity, Rose Under Fire, Ender's Game and now, The Red Badge of Courage have all discussed different military actions. It's a different kind of genre for me, but that's a good thing, right? Good readers should challenge themselves with a variety of texts. While I have generally liked the war books I have read recently, The Red Badge of Courage wasn't a favorite of mine. I feel immature saying this, but I found it to be . . . boring.
The plot follows Henry Flemming, a young soldier in the Civil War. He is fighting for the Union in the battle of Chancellorsville. The novel opens with a brief explanation of why Henry chose to enlist in the army, then focuses exclusively on what happens in the battle for the rest of the book. We read the story through Henry's perspective, which means that we don't get a lot of specifics about what is going on in the battle because Henry doesn't know. What we do get to read about are Henry's feelings throughout the fighting, which range from fear to shame to bravery to pride to anger and back again. This story is a look at the psychological effects of war on a soldier. It is not a plot-driven narrative.
I didn't exactly enjoy reading this novel, but I do fully acknowledge its literary merit. This book has received an abundant amount of praise for its beautiful writing and level of accuracy. It is generally considered to be one of the best examinations of the psychology of a soldier ever written. That becomes even more impressive once you consider that Stephen Crane was only 24 when he wrote The Red Badge of Courage and had never been in any kind of war before. He wasn't even alive during the Civil War. To achieve such acclaim at such a young age is an amazing thing.
While I did appreciate the language and could recognize that I was reading something that was very sophisticated and true, I struggled with the pace of the book. Henry drifts from one part of the battle to the next, experiencing a jumble of emotions each step of the way, but not a whole lot actually happens. It all started to sound the same after a while. Since military fiction isn't exactly one of my interests, I struggled to stay engaged with the text. This was a book I had to make myself finish. I didn't hate it, but I wasn't excited to read it either.
On a positive note, I did learn some very interesting things about the Civil War. For example, I learned that most of the soldiers doing the fighting could barely see what they were shooting at, due to the amount of musket smoke filling the battlefield. Crane describes a lot of the action as appearing faintly through a haze. I also learned that communication was so poor during the battles that most soldiers had no idea how the battle was going, what the plan was, or even if they had won or lost when the fighting was over. It makes sense when you think about it. A lot of the battlefields were vast and they had no radios at that time. People were literally passing orders around by riding horses from regiment to regiment. I had to look up the Battle of Chancellorsville after I finished reading, because at the end of the story, Henry isn't entirely sure how it turned out (and my history was rusty). Not only did Henry's side (the Union) lose, they suffered an astounding defeat. The Union Army lost over 17,000 soldiers in that battle. The talk around Henry at the novel's conclusion indicates that many men felt like they lost, but no one was sure.
The Red Badge of Courage didn't end up being a favorite of mine, but I can still say that I'm glad I read it. The explanation of the psychology of a soldier was interesting and I gained a new perspective on what the fighting was actually like in the Civil War. Anything that broadens your literary horizons is time well spent, in my opinion.
The plot follows Henry Flemming, a young soldier in the Civil War. He is fighting for the Union in the battle of Chancellorsville. The novel opens with a brief explanation of why Henry chose to enlist in the army, then focuses exclusively on what happens in the battle for the rest of the book. We read the story through Henry's perspective, which means that we don't get a lot of specifics about what is going on in the battle because Henry doesn't know. What we do get to read about are Henry's feelings throughout the fighting, which range from fear to shame to bravery to pride to anger and back again. This story is a look at the psychological effects of war on a soldier. It is not a plot-driven narrative.
I didn't exactly enjoy reading this novel, but I do fully acknowledge its literary merit. This book has received an abundant amount of praise for its beautiful writing and level of accuracy. It is generally considered to be one of the best examinations of the psychology of a soldier ever written. That becomes even more impressive once you consider that Stephen Crane was only 24 when he wrote The Red Badge of Courage and had never been in any kind of war before. He wasn't even alive during the Civil War. To achieve such acclaim at such a young age is an amazing thing.
While I did appreciate the language and could recognize that I was reading something that was very sophisticated and true, I struggled with the pace of the book. Henry drifts from one part of the battle to the next, experiencing a jumble of emotions each step of the way, but not a whole lot actually happens. It all started to sound the same after a while. Since military fiction isn't exactly one of my interests, I struggled to stay engaged with the text. This was a book I had to make myself finish. I didn't hate it, but I wasn't excited to read it either.
On a positive note, I did learn some very interesting things about the Civil War. For example, I learned that most of the soldiers doing the fighting could barely see what they were shooting at, due to the amount of musket smoke filling the battlefield. Crane describes a lot of the action as appearing faintly through a haze. I also learned that communication was so poor during the battles that most soldiers had no idea how the battle was going, what the plan was, or even if they had won or lost when the fighting was over. It makes sense when you think about it. A lot of the battlefields were vast and they had no radios at that time. People were literally passing orders around by riding horses from regiment to regiment. I had to look up the Battle of Chancellorsville after I finished reading, because at the end of the story, Henry isn't entirely sure how it turned out (and my history was rusty). Not only did Henry's side (the Union) lose, they suffered an astounding defeat. The Union Army lost over 17,000 soldiers in that battle. The talk around Henry at the novel's conclusion indicates that many men felt like they lost, but no one was sure.
The Red Badge of Courage didn't end up being a favorite of mine, but I can still say that I'm glad I read it. The explanation of the psychology of a soldier was interesting and I gained a new perspective on what the fighting was actually like in the Civil War. Anything that broadens your literary horizons is time well spent, in my opinion.
serenaasora's review against another edition
2.0
This is only the second war story I've had to read against my will, but it's the worst so far. I couldn't connect to anything, and the writing seemed to drone on and on.
bookwyrmknits's review against another edition
2.0
Read in middle school (I think). Guessing on dates.
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