Reviews

The Red Badge of Courage / The Veteran by Stephen Crane

penguin_emperor_of_the_north's review against another edition

5.0

Really glad I read this. I remember reading this back in high school or middle school and being bored out of my mind. I figure I just wanted a fun war story at the time, not this.

Glad I decided to reread it though. The writing style was very abstract about what was going on. Often I'll read with music in the background but here I definitely needed my full attention to follow the book.

Also, the main character's name is Henry Fleming but you'd have to be paying attention to catch that. By and large he is simply referred to as 'the youth', his friend is just 'the friend'. Even the Union and the Confederacy are generally referred to as blue and grey. Took a bit to get used to, particularly the protagonist just being 'the youth' but I think it gave the story a more mythic quality so it was detached from its Civil War setting. Probably helped to make it so the real antagonist was the internal one rather than the men on the other side of the battlefield.

It did leave me confused or questioning, there's the famous

Spoiler

flight from the first battle where the youth flees alongside the wounded and tries to justify himself

but then the youth

Spoiler

returns to his regiment and fights valiantly, even distinguishing himself in combat

.

I kind of wish that he'd had a more direct reckoning with his earlier actions though maybe his actions in the second half were him dealing with his actions in the first half just without directly thinking about it. But, towards the end

Spoiler

he reflects on how he is glad that his cowardice early on was not seen or noted by his comrades but that his valor in battle was noted

. I guess that lent a bittersweet tinge to what I was really hoping would be a great story about a man overcoming his baser nature to rise to the occasion. But, it certainly left me pondering the end more.

I'll definitely have to reread this some day.

p_t_b's review against another edition

2.0

not a fan of this book. obviously some of its perceived shortcomings reside in the dated style (also good lord too many adjectives). it took me the better part of a week to get through 220 pages, which normally would take me half that long. it makes sense that the repetition, the facelessness of battle is part of the point, but i feel like the same repetition could have been achieved with about 50% the word count. also didn't like that henry outwardly redeems himself in the end. i understand why this book was successful commercially and why it became a kind of instant classic (it's vaguely patriotic, but with enough flecks of doubt to satisfy the wary). but reading it gave me a headache. i was kind of rooting for henry to die in the end, not going to lie. in terms of literary merit, this book was written 25 years *after* Crime and Punishment, and definitely loses to that book like seventeen different ways. there is definitely more here than i want to give credit for -- henry's red badge of courage actually comes from being slugged in the head by a fellow union soldier outside of battle, and he lies about what the wound is. there is something to say about the "mule drivers"/"mud diggers" theme, and the pronouncement of failure after the brief feeling of success. but in general i didn't really enjoy reading this. not that all books must be enjoyed, but this wasn't even the satisfying kind of non-enjoyment, like you get from an artsy film or from exercising. they definitely should not make high school kids read this, it will drive them howling from loving literature.

onesownroom's review against another edition

dark

4.0

alreadyemily's review against another edition

2.0

Really interesting to read the full version as an adult. It's hard to catch the painful pomposity and naive daydreaming of the idiot boy, when you're a wee daydreaming silly girl. As an adult it was definitely uncomfortable to sit through. I remember liking this book as a kid but it just doesn't speak to me anymore. 2.5 stars.

stjernesvarme's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

laurra_'s review against another edition

2.0

Like I get it. But wow!!!! This couldn't have been more boring!!!

oscarwildesghost's review against another edition

adventurous challenging slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.25

courtld90's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

3.5

anushb's review against another edition

1.0

Ahh finally done. Can't believe I actually mustered enough patience to finish this book.

wardo2700's review against another edition

3.0

As well written as this book is it was not as enjoyable to read compared to other Civil War stories. I found both Across Five Aprils and Rifles for Waite were as well written but more interesting to me. I would still recommend this classic piece of American literature to readers 12 and older especially those interested in Civil War stories.