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terri24601 's review for:
Catch-22
by Joseph Heller
A black comedy about the ridiculous nature of men at war, bureaucracy is a frequent target of Joseph Heller's wit in Catch-22. Shortly into the book, the main character's attempts to be declared unfit for service and therefore sent home from the war reminded me of Corporal Klinger from M*A*S*H (although Yossarian never resorted to wearing drag). Ironically, Catch-22's movie adaptation was released the same year as M*A*S*H. I guess Hollywood has been releasing similar themed movies in the same year for a long time now.
The book was not what I would call an easy read. This is a rich character study and chapter after chapter introduced new men to you. It becomes hard to distinguish one Colonel from another, one General from another, after a while. Plus, the book is not a chronological narrative. Eventually, you get to the point where you are dealing with characters you "know" and the focus becomes unraveling some details about key events hinted at over and over again before the final reveal.
Gruesome at parts, Catch-22 is overall a funny read even if some of the moments that will have you laughing are also brutal and full of injustice. And, the pages that describe the title rule are worth reading the whole book for.
The book was not what I would call an easy read. This is a rich character study and chapter after chapter introduced new men to you. It becomes hard to distinguish one Colonel from another, one General from another, after a while. Plus, the book is not a chronological narrative. Eventually, you get to the point where you are dealing with characters you "know" and the focus becomes unraveling some details about key events hinted at over and over again before the final reveal.
Gruesome at parts, Catch-22 is overall a funny read even if some of the moments that will have you laughing are also brutal and full of injustice. And, the pages that describe the title rule are worth reading the whole book for.