Rating: 
Summary: More Fun Then You Would Think
Review: I found myself laughing more then I thought I would with this book. Buy it becuase you want to see humor in a crazy situation.
Rating: 
Summary: A Memorable Mess
Review: This is the story of a fictional bomber squadron on the Italian island of Pianosa. The characters are many and diverse, and their problems even moreso. But wow - this is quite unlike any other novel in the history of American literature. We sympathize with only a few characters, mainly Yossarian and the chaplain, the seemingly only sane characters in the entire novel. Everyone else - all of the generals, majors, colonels, captains, pilots, privates, PFCs, etc. - they are all just a little bit off their rocker, and it can make for such an interesting reading experience. We are being shown the true madness of war - the concept of "patriotism" and all armed conflict is challenged, because, as Yossarian says, it matters not what side they're on, because both sides want you dead. Sometimes the dialogue is absolutely hilarious when two of these "insane" characters get together for a conversation. And other times the narration makes you double over and wretch in disgust, (e.g. Yossarian tending to Snowden's wounds and that eventual outcome - if you've read you know to what I am referring). Now I wasn't alive when this was originally published, but I can only imagine the praise that it would have garnered. Nothing has ever so perfectly captured the madness and irrationality of war. And Catch-22, now a part of our national lexicon, was the pretense (in this novel) used by our "insane" characters to argue their point and keep the men fighting. If you haven't read "Catch-22", this may be making no sense. I leave you with only an example, because it almost defies explanation. Yossarian is a bombardier who doesn't want to fly more missions (the number to get you a ticket home is continually being raised). Learning of a proposed dangerous run to Bologna, he sneakes into the map room and moves the pins on the map. The next day commanding officers see the map, think that they've taken Bologna already, and cancel the mission. You'll constantly be furrowing your brow, but in the end, as I did, you'll understand what Heller's been saying all along. And you won't ever look at war in the same way.
Rating:
Summary: Made me enjoy reading again!
Review: I credit this book with my newfound enjoyment in reading. I found that although the book has some deeper meaning about the affects of war on the human psyche, for the most part it was tremendously funny. The best relation I can give is that normally when you watch a movie or show that you find funny, you usually don't laugh at loud the entire show, however you still find the jokes funny. This book made me laugh out loud numerous times. This is a perfect book and a must read for people who want a step back from meaningful, soul searching books and to find a novel that is simply entertaining to read.
Rating:
Summary: funny, sad and beautiful
Review: i read this book after having it recommended to me several times and it is well worth reading. a lot of it is simply infuriating, full of backflashes, repetitive jokes and crazy word play. but all of that doesn't matter because the story and the great characters overcome these downfalls every step of the way. this isn't so much a book about war, more an insight into the lives of the people involuntarily involved in it. yossarian, the main character, believes that everyone is crazy and everyone in turn believes that he is the crazy one. yossarian would rather die than be killed and struggles everyday to avoid being involved in this war that others seem to revel in. it's beautiful and sad and i highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: apocalyptic, terrorfying comedy
Review: Catch 22 is definetly one of the greatest war novels ever written. It manages to be hilarious, ironic, violent, gruesome, sad and prophetic throughout the enitire 463 pages, sometimes throughout one chapter. The book isnt really about war, its more about a group of insane poeple in a bomber sqaudron and one character who is the sane one...or so it seems. It is also about how much danger there is in our everyday lives and all the truths we try to ignore. Soem may not like the ending, but it reall is perfect. Buy it
Rating:
Summary: A sarcastic cynical heartbreaking ludicrous classic
Review: What can you say about a book that has had so much influence? It's clearly deservedly classic. But it isn't a real pleasure to read, at least not for me. The prose is so dense that you have to read every word. You can never predict where a sentence or a paragraph is going. Heller makes sudden, neck-snapping changes from the cutely ridiculous (like the squadron commander refusing to see people in his office when he's there) to really heartbreaking. The genius of the book is not in the humor, which to me at least started to get old after a while--the genius is in his assault on the bureaucratic mind and the way he captures the feeling of men trapped in the inhuman machinery of war. It isn't the most enjoyable thing in the world to read, but it should be read.
Rating: 
Summary: Overestimated
Review: I found Hellers work abysmal. I read it (and bought it) because I'd never read it, and heard from others that it's worth it. They lied. Heller tries to write in much the same manner as Jim Carrey or his progener Jerry Lewis try to act. No thought is given to the conclusion; all that matters to any of them is the method of destruction to the next punch-line. Bah, never have I wasted more time trying to be "educated"...
Rating:
Summary: Get the book, NOW!
Review: I'm the 357th person to review this book. The average rating so far is 4 1/2. Why are you bothering to read my review, isn't that recomendation enough? You want more? Fine. I give this book 5 stars because it is the most ingenious, funny and entertaining book I have read in a long time. It is not so much a novel, but a collection of stories about a squadron group in WW2 which somehow all tie in together. Each character has their own foibles, and each is described in amusing detail. At time it does repeat itself (how many times is Snowden's death referred to?), but this doesn't detract from the great wartime yarns that are being told. All in all, a very funny read that 9 out of 10 people will love. There, now what are you waiting for? Put it in your shopping cart, NOW!
Rating:
Summary: Make the Catch!
Review: Catch 22's basic purpose is to show the chaos and stupidity of war. It also shows that wars aren't fought only against the enemy, but against ourselves. They are fought on the bases against clashing egos and people with no sense and those with too much sense. A person who would enjoy this book doesn't have to be just a fan of war novels. A book like this can appeal to a vast number of persons because it is so fun to read. It can also appeal to those who like the unusual and thought provoking. Yossarian is a bombardier who seems to be the wrong person in the wrong squadron. When he censors letters, he cuts about everything out and signs the aliases 'Irving Washington' or 'Washington Irving'. When he presented with a medal, he marches down the ramp naked. But it seems every time Yossarian is close to completing his tour of duty, the mission number is raised by five. While many crews in other squads are going home at 50 missions, Yossarian's group is at 80 and counting. So Yossarian decides enough is enough and refuse to fly more missions. This creates quite a stir between him and his superiors. This creates chaos in the squadron with the threat others will soon refuse to fly. Yossarian offered a deal: He can return back to the states and no one would have known about this or, due to insubordination, desertion, cowardice in the face of the enemy and several other charges, he will be court-martialed. We see various colorful characters throughout the book, including General Dreedle, Colonel Korn, Colonel Cathcart, Lieutenant Scheisskopf, Nately, Hungry Joe, Major ------ de Coverley, Nately's whore kid sister and Major Major, among many others. Not many of these characters have importance to the text. However, some of them make the book more fun to read and others add to the backdrop. "The enemy," retorted Yossarian with weighted precision, "is anybody who's going to get you killed, no matter which side he's on." This quote (Which also appears in the amzon.com review above) is important in that it shows the two sides of which war is fought. For example, the number of missions is continually raised by the squadron's commanding officers, thus increasing the squadron's chances of getting killed. The quote also shows the meaningless of war. Why should you care about who wins if you are dead? Or who is really the enemy in war? I wasn't sure as to what style Heller used. The book is not organized confusingly, but its tone changes throughout. We are presented with thrills, drama, horror and humor. Perhaps this is meant to show how well mixed our own lives are It can be called an anti-war novel, but unlike Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front, Catch-22 is a satire. There are some audiences that may not like Catch-22. Like I said, it has varying changes of attitude plus has somewhat explicit content concerning sex and language. Also, the novel has rather large cast of people and not all of them have importance to the story line. Nevertheless, except for romance and possibly mystery, Catch-22 has enough elements to appeal to a wide audience. I have tried to review Catch-22, but I think that no one review can fully comprehend Heller's work. I'm sure that there is some more depth in the novel than I have touched on in this analysis. The novel has to be read and read again and again before it is fully understood. But this is what good novels should do. Catch-22 I liked because I like war novels and because it leaves much to think about. If there is something to dislike about it, it seems to me that the book's end leaves an open gap, possibly for a sequel that never came. Also, at over 400 pages, this is a very long read and takes some getting into. But once you do, the book doesn't stop and delivers in whole. Thus, I recommend Catch-22 (And would give it ten stars if possible) for its anti-war message, its themes about humanity and for the fact it's just so fun.
Rating:
Summary: Great and Funny Book
Review: When I first opened Catch-22 I was throughly confused. Their are a whole lot of plot threads that arise that you don't find out about until a great deal of the way through the book. But after I got through the first 75 pages the novel began to come into picture.
Heller's book is ...funny in places and also pretty sad in others. For people who don't find this book funny they need to lighten up. Though the humor is far from sophisticated it's still pretty hilarious. I loved the whole backwards name thing, Washington Irving and Irving Washington. And how can you not laugh at Major Major Major. General Dreedle scaring ... people by threatening to have them shot is also great.
The book can be pretty sobering too. Yossarian is dreadfully affraid dying and when he has a nervous breakdown in the air you are watching someone unravel.
Overall this is one of my favorite books. So if your a wise [alek]pacifist or someone who enjoys a good book, then pick this up. If you take yourself to seriously, feel your beyond hype and all "classics" suck, then don't bother.
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