A review by sjlen
The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer

adventurous challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A group of men seperated and driven to the edge.  Male relationships in groups is a main theme of the book.  It would be quite interesting to find out how plausible the book is and how much like real war it is.  There is quite a bit of racism, antisemitism and misogyny.  Mainly the book talks about one particular platoon, their missions and exploits but there's also sections that delve into the history of the individual characters of the book and I think I probably enjoyed those sections the most.  It took me a long time to read it, more than a week and I've put some long hours in, but I'm glad that I've read it.  
Expand filter menu Content Warnings