The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien

The Things They Carried

Tim O'Brien

236 pages • first pub 1990 (editions)

fiction historical short stories emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Description

A sequence of stories about the Vietnam War, this book also has the unity of a novel, with recurring characters and interwoven strands of plot and theme. It aims to summarize America's involvement in Vietnam, and her coming to terms with that expe...

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Community Reviews Summary of 16,181 reviews

Moods

emotional 77%
reflective 75%
dark 68%
sad 63%
challenging 41%
tense 35%
informative 23%
adventurous 18%
funny 9%
inspiring 9%
hopeful 6%
mysterious 3%

Pace

medium 64%
slow 17%
fast 17%

Plot- or character-driven?

Character: 58% | A mix: 32% | Plot: 7% | N/A: 1%

Strong character development?

It's complicated: 47% | Yes: 38% | No: 9% | N/A: 4%

Loveable characters?

It's complicated: 47% | Yes: 32% | No: 16% | N/A: 3%

Diverse cast of characters?

Yes: 42% | No: 35% | It's complicated: 15% | N/A: 6%

Flaws of characters a main focus?

Yes: 60% | It's complicated: 24% | No: 12% | N/A: 2%

Average rating

4.09

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Content Warnings

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