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ixnsindhu's review against another edition
1.0
I really wanted to like this book but unfortunately did not. The somewhat strange narrative device of having the narrator tell the story, which is supposed to be a letter, in the 3rd person and then interject comments in the first person was confusing until I got used to it. The biggest problem I had was that the characters are not well-drawn. I didn't know them any better at the end of the book than I did at the beginning and I had no reason to care about them based on the little information that was provided. The plot was so transparent that I knew exactly what was going to happen right from the start, and unfortunately for my interest level, that is exactly what happened.
andthenweread's review against another edition
5.0
wow. wow. what a phenomenal novel. i usually hate war stories, but i loved this one. it really packed a punch, and the emotion got to me. i couldn't put it down. would highly recommend.
lizardwater's review against another edition
1.0
I am sure that this book had a good moral message, however, I feel like I am reading the same sentence over and over again. He did this. He did that. He thought this, then he thought that. I can't stand it. In addition to the poor writing, there is almost no distinction between each of the characters. At any given moment the author could be talking about either Levi or Nick and I would be none the wiser. They act and talk like the exact same person. Even the authors own interjections in the text are indistinguishable from the rest of the novel. Based on other reviews I've read the content must be at least something but I just can't get over the narration. Maybe one day in the future I will attempt to read it again.
sjfurger's review against another edition
4.0
This book was both hard and heavy - accurately titled. As I read this, I was aware that it was both for me and not for me. I was an intended audience in that this book described the experiences of a war that I can never understand, and yet it was not written for me for the same reason. I've been uncomfortable with novelizations of war, the wars in Iraq/Afghanistan especially for obvious reasons, but when I saw this book I thought I'd give it a go. It's beautifully written. The plot is well paced, the switching between persons is easy to follow, and the development of the characters is well done, almost painfully so. A beautiful novel and one I can comfortably recommend.
lifeisbooks_21's review
5.0
When you start reading this book, you have a thought on how it it going to end. Then you read the middle of it and the descriptive detail of the war is so real, it has you waiting for that moment to happen, but it doesn't, it happens differently but in a way that doesn't diminish the story but enhances it, making it seem even more real to the world. Makes you understand the world a lot of more.
sjfurger's review
4.0
This book was both hard and heavy - accurately titled. As I read this, I was aware that it was both for me and not for me. I was an intended audience in that this book described the experiences of a war that I can never understand, and yet it was not written for me for the same reason. I've been uncomfortable with novelizations of war, the wars in Iraq/Afghanistan especially for obvious reasons, but when I saw this book I thought I'd give it a go. It's beautifully written. The plot is well paced, the switching between persons is easy to follow, and the development of the characters is well done, almost painfully so. A beautiful novel and one I can comfortably recommend.
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