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lemonfrog's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Gore and War
Moderate: Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Murder, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, and Vomit
melissakoe20's review against another edition
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Rape
cherub__'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Despite never having served in the military (much less in WWII), It's one of the funniest, darkest, most unnervingly familiar books I've ever read. Many of the same criticisms of American life could be translated into 2023 and still be just as accurate as they were 70 years ago. Many passages feel as if they were written from a "greatest hits" reel of comedy skits in the 1960s, and it surprises me to learn how few of them have ever been attempted to be filmed. Nevertheless, the comedic brilliance is surrounded by a horrific backdrop of insanity that keeps ratcheting up, chapter by chapter. The slow, methodical descent from absurd nonsense to hysterical, deranged insanity echos the methodology of The Turn of The Screw (though clearly the styles are significantly different). Catch-22 poses as a comedy but is closer to a horror novel, which seems to be the essence of its satire nature.
I'll be thinking about this long after I put it down, and maybe in another 10 years I'll give it another re-read and find I've missed something again.
My only criticism is that the earlier chapters can be slightly repetitive. However, this is offset by the later half of the novel, where the continued repetition and callbacks to such serve to emphasize the visceral horror of what was previously considered merely absurd.
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, and War
seapotatohowisitalrtaken's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, Vomit, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Classism
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Antisemitism
afreeby's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Violence, and War
Minor: Sexual assault
haleyd's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
Graphic: Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Excrement, Trafficking, and Alcohol
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Vomit, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Stalking, and Classism
A sometimes humorous, sometimes depressing classic full of paradoxes and contradictions that only prove themselves true, this take on WWII was a bit difficult for me to get through. Once I knew the writing style was to intentionally include these opposites, I became bored and would fall asleep after a few pages. It went more quickly toward the end, but then it was just so sad in some of the final pages, it was that what became the challenge for me. I'm reading this as part of a goal to get through several lists of "banned books" I've found. While I don't think any books should be truly banned, this one made me think several times, "Eek. This is part of the reason this was banned." Most of that is because it is so repulsive and very graphic. But also, things were quite different when this book was written which is evidenced by some of the behaviors wherein described. It could possibly be argued that children's minds are too vulnerable, but I would personally argue that I'd be confident letting my own teenage child read this, knowing that I've raised her well. However, I would definitely warn her that she likely wouldn't want to.emily_pemily's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Gore
Moderate: Death, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Murder
Minor: Child abuse and Misogyny