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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
I loved this. It's not the show but it's got all the hallmarks of what made the show so great. I found myself laughing more often than not. There are a few awkward moments given the age of the story and the setting of the war, but those moments are few and far between. This is such a short little book, five+ hours as an audiobook and it rounds out so nicely from Duke and Hawkeye's arrival at the 4077 and ends with their departure. Lots of fun.
Much like the TV series it spawned, this book is full of side-splitting humor contrasted with the horrors of war. There are a lot of distinct differences between the book and the show. The book has a character named Duke who is a surgeon along with Hawkeye and Trapper, and unfortunately the book doesn't feature Klinger at all. Hawkeye, Trapper, and Duke are always pulling pranks in their free time and are able to manipulate Colonel Blake to do just about anything they want. Highly recommend to people who enjoy comedies, war novels, a mix of drama and comedy, and to fans of the movie or show.
I think this is another rare instance where the show is much better than the book. The writing is poor and lacks emotion- very telling not showing. I would not have finished this book have I not seen every single episode of MASH multiple times. The main entertainment I'm getting from the book is seeing how the screenwriter took this mediocre book and turned it into a tv show that is still interesting and funny many many years later to people of all ages. I remember watching this old show when I was younger and my now 13 year old daughter LOVES MASH. She has watched it every day after school for the last couple of years.
It's also been reinforced why I read a book first then watch the show/movie. It's easier for me to accept charges in a movie than a book. The changes are bugging me. Buck bothers me the most. The book and it's working are dated, some of the terminology is a little hard to read in this time period.
It's also been reinforced why I read a book first then watch the show/movie. It's easier for me to accept charges in a movie than a book. The changes are bugging me. Buck bothers me the most. The book and it's working are dated, some of the terminology is a little hard to read in this time period.
Having recently re-watched the series, it was fun to go back and re-read this book. You can see a lot of episodes taken from the book as well as the evolution from book to movie to TV show.
adventurous
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Interesting to know the basis of my beloved tv show mash. Some interesting insights on each person but not to be compared with the show.
dark
funny
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I think I like this book as much as I do because of my affection for the TV series. But without the book that started it all, there'd be no movie and there'd be no TV show so that's worth 4 stars in my mind.
Definitely a dated book as its depictions of casual anti-Asian racism (including slurs) is prominent theme through out without a lot of introspection on the matter. this is a factor in historical storytelling but i think it could have done with more than simply doing nothing.
It is effective in its aims to portray the various ways people cope with the trauma of war with a focus on medical professionals in a surgical unit using snapshot stories of the three main doctors antics (pranks, flirtations, harassment and various sporting events).
It is well done addition to a particular genre of war both true/untrue memoirs -think Tim O'Brien the things they carried as a not one to one comparison but they speak in a similar voice the sarcastic snarky quips with subtext of deep pain and trauma bonding people together in isolated spaces- and this lends on the lighter side of the genre not wading to far into the trauma and staying pretty situated in its comedic tone.
the book is dated and doesn't do much to harness an empathy of those of marginalized identities (Houlahan is harassed and slut-shamed, the use of anti-Asian slurs is abundant throughout; without any critique of this behaviour) it is understandable that these views are depicted as they existed and still do exist, but read with the knowledge that it there and isn't critiqued or engaged with actively in this text.
It is effective in its aims to portray the various ways people cope with the trauma of war with a focus on medical professionals in a surgical unit using snapshot stories of the three main doctors antics (pranks, flirtations, harassment and various sporting events).
It is well done addition to a particular genre of war both true/untrue memoirs -think Tim O'Brien the things they carried as a not one to one comparison but they speak in a similar voice the sarcastic snarky quips with subtext of deep pain and trauma bonding people together in isolated spaces- and this lends on the lighter side of the genre not wading to far into the trauma and staying pretty situated in its comedic tone.
the book is dated and doesn't do much to harness an empathy of those of marginalized identities (Houlahan is harassed and slut-shamed, the use of anti-Asian slurs is abundant throughout; without any critique of this behaviour) it is understandable that these views are depicted as they existed and still do exist, but read with the knowledge that it there and isn't critiqued or engaged with actively in this text.