makenzieamaya's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. I wanted to like it more than I did. Certainly beautifully written and a unique perspective on how war was made of boys. Young boys who’s lived still were consumed with what to eat and other mundane features despite the horrors around them. But it didn’t quite give me enough plot to make me love it.
ebischoff88's review against another edition
5.0
I felt that reading All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque has really made a big impact on my life. I feel like this book should be one of the books that everyone should read. It sheds light on what life really was like for a soldier during World War I and the feelings and the toil of the soldiers fighting the war.
To be honest, the book was a little hard to read in the beginning because of some of the vocabulary. But, I was able to understand the words after using context clues and I was able to infer what was being discussed. One thing that I noticed was that the book’s tone has changed from light and cheery in the beginning, then to dark and depressing in the end. Another thing the book reiterated on was that people didn’t really know what war really looks like. They were willing to send off their sons to war believing that it was their duty to fight for their country they will return home safe and sound. But really that wasn’t so much so. Many soldiers never returned home or if they did come home, they were severely crippled from their wounds, developed PTSD from the things they experienced, or felt out of place much like the main character. He felt like he belonged more at the war front rather than his hometown where his family lived.
I felt like this book was very moving as well. They book is so descriptive that when one of the main character’s friends died, I felt as if it were one of my own friend's death. It really put me in the mindset of a soldier during that time and it helped me to see what they were going through and what they might have felt.
To be honest at the end of this book, I cried when the main character died. If you read through the whole book, it kind kind helped you to get to know the character more and in the end when he died, you felt like you just lost somebody you knew. It was sad because his family would miss him and the main character wouldn’t be able to have a family of his own. But in some way, it made me feel happy since he had lost all his friends by the end of the war and now he could go and see them again. He could also find his peace and a place where he belonged.
After reading this book, I felt like it really redefined what war is. When I’ve heard of WWI I always thought that the Central Powers were the enemy. But when I read this book, It seemed to me that the soldiers were fighting for the same thing, which is for their families and for their countries. They are going through much of the same experiences. After reading the book, I went into deep thought about what war really is. And now I think that war is kind of like countries are just saying they hate each other and convincing to people believe that the opposing side is wrong while they are right. When actually, people are all technically fighting for the same things. I now believe that war is just an excuse to lay blame on someone else when in reality it is not really anyone’s fault but our own human faults.
I loved this book through and through that I would advise everyone to read this book. It has made an impact on my views and it has broadened my view on WWI. It moved me in many ways and I would gladly reread it again and again. I think that this book could impact this world.
To be honest, the book was a little hard to read in the beginning because of some of the vocabulary. But, I was able to understand the words after using context clues and I was able to infer what was being discussed. One thing that I noticed was that the book’s tone has changed from light and cheery in the beginning, then to dark and depressing in the end. Another thing the book reiterated on was that people didn’t really know what war really looks like. They were willing to send off their sons to war believing that it was their duty to fight for their country they will return home safe and sound. But really that wasn’t so much so. Many soldiers never returned home or if they did come home, they were severely crippled from their wounds, developed PTSD from the things they experienced, or felt out of place much like the main character. He felt like he belonged more at the war front rather than his hometown where his family lived.
I felt like this book was very moving as well. They book is so descriptive that when one of the main character’s friends died, I felt as if it were one of my own friend's death. It really put me in the mindset of a soldier during that time and it helped me to see what they were going through and what they might have felt.
To be honest at the end of this book, I cried when the main character died. If you read through the whole book, it kind kind helped you to get to know the character more and in the end when he died, you felt like you just lost somebody you knew. It was sad because his family would miss him and the main character wouldn’t be able to have a family of his own. But in some way, it made me feel happy since he had lost all his friends by the end of the war and now he could go and see them again. He could also find his peace and a place where he belonged.
After reading this book, I felt like it really redefined what war is. When I’ve heard of WWI I always thought that the Central Powers were the enemy. But when I read this book, It seemed to me that the soldiers were fighting for the same thing, which is for their families and for their countries. They are going through much of the same experiences. After reading the book, I went into deep thought about what war really is. And now I think that war is kind of like countries are just saying they hate each other and convincing to people believe that the opposing side is wrong while they are right. When actually, people are all technically fighting for the same things. I now believe that war is just an excuse to lay blame on someone else when in reality it is not really anyone’s fault but our own human faults.
I loved this book through and through that I would advise everyone to read this book. It has made an impact on my views and it has broadened my view on WWI. It moved me in many ways and I would gladly reread it again and again. I think that this book could impact this world.
josieheadley's review against another edition
5.0
chapter 11. chapter 11 and that's all I have to say. Cried in the public library, Remarque is an imagery and structuring god
fruitysaz's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
sad
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? No
4.5
one of the strongest anti-war sentiments ever recorded.
i learnt in the afterword of this book that, after labelling it "degenerate art" in 1933, this book was one of the first to be burned by the nazis on the ground that it dared to depict horror rather than heroism. how they destroyed the evidence in order to traumatise a generation just as others before them had done. how they too created a generation "destroyed by war, even though it might have escaped its shells."
i learnt in the afterword of this book that, after labelling it "degenerate art" in 1933, this book was one of the first to be burned by the nazis on the ground that it dared to depict horror rather than heroism. how they destroyed the evidence in order to traumatise a generation just as others before them had done. how they too created a generation "destroyed by war, even though it might have escaped its shells."
eleanorgking's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
livajoy's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
cr0wley25's review against another edition
emotional
informative
sad
tense
slow-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? No
4.25
callmeomana's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely love Remarque's way of writing,he just knocked my socks off! Became a huge fan of his books.
laperfettaxx's review against another edition
5.0
Fantastically written. Breathtakingly harrowing, and at times beautiful. One of the greatest novels ever written!