Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
I thoroughly enjoyed reading the novel that inspired both the show and film. Although it certainly carried a bit of a different vibe with the main characters compared to those in the show, I really loved every moment. I highly suggest checking it out when you get the chance.
Not for everyone, there's pick up football, Korean golf and plenty of opening up and closen up the blown up bits of the Korean war. With their eyes always watching for the 6 o'clock helicopters from the front these surgeons find ways to kill their time and save their patients. Never watched the show, but I loved this book. Can only imagine what people got up to so they could stay sane in the situation
I liked the show, so I read the book...not the best move on my part. It was really hard to get past the racial slurs. I would say that this book hasn't aged well, but I'm pretty sure these terms weren't acceptable in the 60s either. Also, one thing I liked about the show was the balance between the "Swampmen's" banter and insanity with the sub-plots and the other characters in the 4077. The book was very much embedded in the modernist, "there is no order" insanity style of the time it was written. Hooker writes almost entirely about the Swampmen's banter to show how much discord and silliness occurred in the army. It still has the good moments of tragedy and grief mixed in that made the MASH show so great, but the Hawkeye/Duke/Trapper jokes gets a little monotonous and repetitive after a while.
I might be in the minority, but I much prefer the TV show. Hawkeye, Radar, Henry, Margaret, Klinger, Father Mulcahy, Colonel Potter as well as BJ and Trapper were part of my childhood (thanks re runs) and I honestly prefer the TV show over the book/movie
Awesome backstory
I am a huge fan of the show and was excited to finally get around to this. I think there are some bits that could have gone in the show.
I am a huge fan of the show and was excited to finally get around to this. I think there are some bits that could have gone in the show.
I grew up watching MASH and picked up this book on a whim thinking it would be a fun change of pace. I loved getting reacquainted with the characters I loved and their ridiculous antics. The racial slurs definitely threw me for a loop, but given the historical context I can see why they are present.
Az elején lelketlennek éreztem, de apránként megszoktam a száraz stílust, és a végén már tulajdonképpen élveztem is. Ezzel együtt a sorozat nekem továbbra is etalon, sokkal több szív és élet van benne.
dark
funny
reflective
sad
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
Points deducted for the football scene.
I'm not even sure why I started reading this. I watched the show with my family as a young person, and it definitely left an impression on me, but I fucking hate war stories (from real wars). They remind me of why I read to escape. So why I picked this up is a combination of "my housemate left it in the bathroom" and "sure, why the fuck not. I don't even have to finish it." I can't even be mad at the rampant references to 'broads' and 'chicks' and 'nigras', and the rampant disregard for anything resembling political correctness of any kind. Of course, I'm one of those people to begin with who feels "PC" is just shortform for "How about we not be dicks to each other", and the Swampmen's entire schtick is "let's be dicks for the lulz", so I mean, those expectations would be totally incompatible.
Still, it's a story about some basically decent people shoved into a deeply, profoundly shitty situation, taking advantage of their position to be raunchy drunken apes as their only form of protest, while still doing the best job they can. They pretend to set a guy on fire, they cure the dentist of his depression, they train new surgeons, they send their houseboy stateside for college by selling autographed photos of Trapper John made up as Jesus. I couldn't stop laughing, until I did for every serious piece of bullshit they went through.
It's powerful without being heavy-handed, and that's probably why it became as immortal as it did. I'm glad I read it. Now I'm going back to my urban fantasy happy place.
Still, it's a story about some basically decent people shoved into a deeply, profoundly shitty situation, taking advantage of their position to be raunchy drunken apes as their only form of protest, while still doing the best job they can. They pretend to set a guy on fire, they cure the dentist of his depression, they train new surgeons, they send their houseboy stateside for college by selling autographed photos of Trapper John made up as Jesus. I couldn't stop laughing, until I did for every serious piece of bullshit they went through.
It's powerful without being heavy-handed, and that's probably why it became as immortal as it did. I'm glad I read it. Now I'm going back to my urban fantasy happy place.
A rating of 3 is generous. More of a 2.5 or 2.25.
I had much higher hopes for the book and I blame that 100% on the fact that I grew up watching the TV show while it was in first run and then in constant re-runs. I was even a bit disappointed by the movie.
Things I liked:
*actually seeing the characters how their creator envisioned them.
* each chapter was like it's own short story - which made stopping and starting the book easier.
*reading chapters that were almost direct scripts for some of the show's episodes - down to even the same dialog.
Things I didn't like:
*realizing how much the characters were different than the ones I grew up with. In the TV show, Hawkeye is an ass. In the book - well I would need to employ strong language to really describe what I thought of him. The Movie was much closer to the true character than the TV show.
*I was disappointed to not have the suicide scene in the book that was in the movie.
*very little of Trapper in the book, though he was the third main character.
*I actually hated the writing style of the author. There were points where I had to fight my way through and skimmed a lot because his choice of language and grammar just bugged me.
I am glad I read it as it is a popculture icon. However, I am never going to read it again and have no intention of finding any other books in the series. I will stick to my happy nostalgia of the TV show.
I had much higher hopes for the book and I blame that 100% on the fact that I grew up watching the TV show while it was in first run and then in constant re-runs. I was even a bit disappointed by the movie.
Things I liked:
*actually seeing the characters how their creator envisioned them.
* each chapter was like it's own short story - which made stopping and starting the book easier.
*reading chapters that were almost direct scripts for some of the show's episodes - down to even the same dialog.
Things I didn't like:
*realizing how much the characters were different than the ones I grew up with. In the TV show, Hawkeye is an ass. In the book - well I would need to employ strong language to really describe what I thought of him. The Movie was much closer to the true character than the TV show.
*I was disappointed to not have the suicide scene in the book that was in the movie.
*very little of Trapper in the book, though he was the third main character.
*I actually hated the writing style of the author. There were points where I had to fight my way through and skimmed a lot because his choice of language and grammar just bugged me.
I am glad I read it as it is a popculture icon. However, I am never going to read it again and have no intention of finding any other books in the series. I will stick to my happy nostalgia of the TV show.