raolahcre 's review for:

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

4.0

dark funny informative lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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This book is pretty much a comedy of a tragedy. It is very clever satire. The humour is dark and the absurdity is funny despite what you are laughing at being quite sad. It sheds a lot of light on war and bureaucracy and how war can cause men to lose their empathy for other human beings. Female characters are written in a dehumanising way throughout the book which is pretty reflective of the army culture of the time and how women were viewed/treated in wartime.

Despite recognising the book's genius, I can't say I loved it. It just wasn't for me. But I'd definitely recommend it to others!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual violence, War