benkaboo 's review for:

All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
4.0

Summary: A thought-provoking story about war and life and how the two don't really mix that well. I'd say that anyone who's ever thinking of starting a war should be forced to read this book first.

Things I liked:

Structure/pace:

The first part of the book creates context with some characters and stories and the second part kind of goes more reflective and thought-provoky. The stories and short and punch and move quickly from one to the other.

Thought provokiness:

This book made me feel/think about war/life. All the way through I was thinking about people I know, my son (what if he got sent off to war like these boys). It's short but powerful in my experience.

Things I thought could be improved:

Really tough, I found right at the start you got dumped with a heap of characters; it might have been good if these had been introduced more gradually. Pretty darn good book.

Highlight: When Paul is drinking with his mates before going on leave. This scene really nailed it for me. I saw it vividly in my head and felt it in my heart. Bang, four stars right there.