"Catch-22" is like no other novel we have ever read. It has its own style, its own rationale, its own extraordinary character. It moves back and forth from hilarity to horror. It is outrageously funny and strangely affecting. It is totally original.
It is set in the closing months of World War II, in an American bomber squadron on a small island off Italy. Its hero is a bombardier named Yossarian, who is frantic and furious because thousands of people he hasn't even met keep trying to kill him. (He has decided to live forever even if he has to die in the attempt.)
"Catch-22" is a microcosm of the twentieth-century world as it might look to someone dangerously sane. It is a novel that lives and moves and grows with astonishing power and vitality. It is, we believe, one of the strongest creations of the mid-century.
One of the best books. I am a fan of the type of humor the author uses and at many points in the book I was chuckling at the logic used by the characters. I would recommend everyone read this book at least once.
Buzzing the beach
Written by shead on October 1st, 2008
Book Rating: 4/5
The one scene in the book that stands out - and there are many - more then any others, is the buzzing of the beach. I could almost feel the scene unfold .. this book is well written from a perspective that sees the world as a scared, scattered and unforgiving place .. there are definite points of exaggeration, but you can forgive those given the depth of the characters and the plethora of other factual accounts already published that you can use if you really want a practical description ... then again, it might've all happened as he says.
My Favorite Book
Written by Christopher Nichols on June 22nd, 2007
Book Rating: 5/5
I LOVE this book. I have read it several times over the last two decades and I am just now finishing the the audio version. The narrator does this book perfectly. If you want a thought provoking read that will make you laugh real hard and then turn around and make you just as mad, this book is for you. Every subject is covered...religion, capitalism, leadership, sanity, insanity, relationships, patriotism, and on and on and on. I simply cannot say enough great things about it, it is and has been my favorite book of all time.
