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Catch 22
I hate books with lots of characters. And this one had a ton. It seems like every chapter had five new people id "meet", then forget about a few chapters later. I kept reading it, but I just couldnt stand it. I stopped abut half-way through.
Catch 22
I really don't see what is the fun there except for the famous Catch 22 definition.
Catch 22
This book is without a doubt the best book I've ever read. No other book was so easily accessible, so entertaining, so thought provoking and so funny as Joseph Heller's 'Catch 22' was. In it's bizarre clarity the book effortlessly tackles the futility and zaniness of life. It's a must for anyone - I think I'll read it again.
Catch 22
It is sad,but perhaps fitting,that Joseph Heller should pass away just as the 20th century comes to an end,because his book "catch 22"is quite possibly thee book of this century.Unforgettable characters like Yossarian and Milo Minderbinder make this a must read for everyone.The book was misunderstood and underappreciated when first published in 1961,like all things ahead of there time,but is now recognized as a true classic and work of art.And remember,"That's some catch,that Catch-22."
Catch 22
It took two tries for me to finish this book. The first attempt I ended prematurely, annoyed at reading what seemed like the same joke over and over. Well, I deprived myself of the best book I've ever read for the time it took me to start again. I really don't know what changed between my first and second starts, but having finished the book, I can count myself one of the countless under its spell. Right now I consider this the best book I've ever read: the off-beat humor sometimes caught me off guard with inconspicuous deftness, the characters are worth knowing, the poignance worth experiencing. Perhaps it's close to my own world-view (read: left-field and cynical). But I urge you to give it a try (or two).I'm always absurdly curious why someone differs in opinion from me, but those who panned this tremendous novel never bothered to state more than their (by itself insignificant) dissatisfaction. Of those who expounded, Main Street seems to have misinterpreted the message.Here's mine: Read this book. At least give yourself a chance to form your own opinion. But enough talk--I'm off to find the sequel...
Catch 22
Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs may have made the fragmented plot style popular, but Heller got there first, in this deliciously anarchic look at the madness of war. Heller mixes vivid scenes of slapstick comedy with genuinely shocking incidents without the usual jarring that is found whenever an inexperienced author attempts the same.Heller's real accomplishment is his cast of characters. Most authors just stick with one or two central characters, but Heller gives us a whole battalion of men, each with individual weaknesses and strengths. Also, unlike so many other war stories, this is truly memorable - for years afterwards you'll recall with a smile Milo's impossibly complicated scams, Natley's desperate search for his whore and Yossarian's wry outlook on life.In fact, there are only two problems with this book: firstly, as the book draws to a close, Heller appears to be in a desperate rush to get rid of his characters (presumably so that when Yossarian attempts his final escape, there's not that much tying him back). Secondly, the chapter "The Eternal City" is just awful - it reads like the book Adrian Mole is writing in Sue Townsend's "Adrian Mole: the Wilderness Years" and is so totally depressing it doesn't gel with the rest of the book.Still, two minor glitches in what is surely one of the most superlative books of this or any milennium.