binstonbirchill's review against another edition
5.0
Catch-22 is many different things and while it may seem completely irrelevant it is anything but. Hilarious and poignant at the same time. Heller takes you on a frantic journey that uses comedic satire to point out the absurdities of war and it's bureaucracy but also acknowledges the necessity. It's often described as an anti-war novel but for me that's not quite right. You'll have to read it, and possibly re-read it to see if you agree.
This time around (I've read it 4 times) I read Catch-22 after having watched the movie (quite good but obviously not as good as the book) and read the book The Bridgebusters which is about the real-life bomb wing that Joseph Heller was a part of. When Yossarian is presented with a choice at the end of the book what Heller is doing is writing about the choice he made and expressing his regret. I can't recommend this book highly enough. Enjoy it for the comedy. Love it for its poignancy.
This time around (I've read it 4 times) I read Catch-22 after having watched the movie (quite good but obviously not as good as the book) and read the book The Bridgebusters which is about the real-life bomb wing that Joseph Heller was a part of. When Yossarian is presented with a choice at the end of the book what Heller is doing is writing about the choice he made and expressing his regret. I can't recommend this book highly enough. Enjoy it for the comedy. Love it for its poignancy.
jammasterjamie's review against another edition
4.0
Hilarious, scathing,and insane - even better the second time around.
doublea7's review
dark
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
zarah_sharpe_'s review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
hopeful
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
gkolocsar's review against another edition
5.0
Uno de los mejores libros que leí en mi vida. Punto.
(One of the best books i've ever read. Period.)
(One of the best books i've ever read. Period.)
jdbeaver7's review against another edition
3.0
The final third does save a lot of the absurdity of the first two thirds, so I've ended up liking it. But only just.
It's strange that I didn't respond better to this book as the message, themes, and style are all exactly in line with those I usually go for, but it turned out quite a slog. Ah well.
It's strange that I didn't respond better to this book as the message, themes, and style are all exactly in line with those I usually go for, but it turned out quite a slog. Ah well.
zombi's review against another edition
5.0
I. Adore. This. Book.
I bought a copy of Catch 22 during my summer in Europe, finding it in a German bookstore in a small pile of English-language books. Catch 22 permeates pop culture and is referenced everywhere, by everyone, all the time. Once you've read it, you know what I say is true. Therefore I concluded I needed to read it -- and I was definitely not disappointed. This book is frequently cited as one of the great literary works of the Twentieth century for a reason. And yes, for the curious? The term "catch 22" (meaning a no-win situation) was coined from this book. Yeah. Who needs to read it now, huh?
Heller's novel is set during World War II, and follows Yossarian, the hilarious and witty "crazy" pilot. While it may take some a while to read due to confusing dialogue and lack of chronological clarity, the novel is well, WELL worth the time. Catch 22 made me laugh quite often, as circumlocution cracks me up. Heller's exploration of the insanities of both war and the "military-industrial complex" are fascinating.
Published during the Vietnam War, the book became a word-of-mouth success. Stickers declaring "Yossarian Lives" started to appear among other anti-war slogans. A new generation of Americans - many of them facing the prospect of being forced to fight a war they didn't understand - found themselves identifying with Yossarian's situation and the phrase "Catch-22" soon became a part of the popular consciousness.
Yossarian Lives.
I bought a copy of Catch 22 during my summer in Europe, finding it in a German bookstore in a small pile of English-language books. Catch 22 permeates pop culture and is referenced everywhere, by everyone, all the time. Once you've read it, you know what I say is true. Therefore I concluded I needed to read it -- and I was definitely not disappointed. This book is frequently cited as one of the great literary works of the Twentieth century for a reason. And yes, for the curious? The term "catch 22" (meaning a no-win situation) was coined from this book. Yeah. Who needs to read it now, huh?
Heller's novel is set during World War II, and follows Yossarian, the hilarious and witty "crazy" pilot. While it may take some a while to read due to confusing dialogue and lack of chronological clarity, the novel is well, WELL worth the time. Catch 22 made me laugh quite often, as circumlocution cracks me up. Heller's exploration of the insanities of both war and the "military-industrial complex" are fascinating.
Published during the Vietnam War, the book became a word-of-mouth success. Stickers declaring "Yossarian Lives" started to appear among other anti-war slogans. A new generation of Americans - many of them facing the prospect of being forced to fight a war they didn't understand - found themselves identifying with Yossarian's situation and the phrase "Catch-22" soon became a part of the popular consciousness.
Yossarian Lives.
mjsteimle's review against another edition
I read this in college. I was reading it again for book club, but I can't attend the discussion, the book is starting to drag, and there are other things I'd rather be reading, so I decided to shelve this one.
ostrava's review against another edition
1.0
Part of the problem with Catch-22 is that it's not a plot oriented novel at all, its structure is more so built around the cast of characters who keep popping up in everyone else's storyline and who get featured in their own special episode as main characters, almost as a precursor to the TV format that would get popular in the American audience for the following decades. MASH was probably a bit like this, but I've never watched it myself, so I wouldn't know.
There are some chuckles here and there, but I find the whole experience to be an immense bore. It is too long, far too long for my taste, and while some amused me, none of the characters truly appealed to me.
Overall, I can't say Catch 22 is a bad book. By all means, it's at the very least decent, but I count myself among the unfortunate who did not "get it" in spite of seeing sparks of humor here and there, and my overall impression of it leans a bit on the negative if I'm being totally honest.
(Note: I did not finish it, but for a book of this kind it doesn't even seem to matter. Sure, the ending would have been great or whatever but I don't care. I will also count it as a read because I read it for long enough, and long enough too. Life's too short and you know the rest...).
There are some chuckles here and there, but I find the whole experience to be an immense bore. It is too long, far too long for my taste, and while some amused me, none of the characters truly appealed to me.
Overall, I can't say Catch 22 is a bad book. By all means, it's at the very least decent, but I count myself among the unfortunate who did not "get it" in spite of seeing sparks of humor here and there, and my overall impression of it leans a bit on the negative if I'm being totally honest.
(Note: I did not finish it, but for a book of this kind it doesn't even seem to matter. Sure, the ending would have been great or whatever but I don't care. I will also count it as a read because I read it for long enough, and long enough too. Life's too short and you know the rest...).
skbookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5