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Summary: Weird but entertaining
Review: This book is not written in the normal prose most books are and if you can get past that, which you should, then you will find a wonderfully written book that is one of the better anti-war books of the last century. Heller keeps you entertained in following the war time experiences of Yossarian, Milo, Major Major and many more in this book that everyone should definitely read.
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Summary: Brief Critique of "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
Review: Highly recommended. Mr. Heller points out the absurdities of war and the "system" that runs the war, as well as the human reactions to the war and the system by the servicemen involved in the war. His humor is so very human. Realistic without indepth "blood and gore".
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Summary: A classic in it's own right
Review: Catch-22 is perhaps the best book I have ever read. It shows how crazy war really is, and how crazy people can be. The characters in the book are like friends of your own, you know them like you have for years. I feel the deaths which occur in this book just show how war is a terrible and fruitless thing. The book is as funny as it is tragic. I praise Joseph Heller on his work, he investigates the human mind and soul, shows how horrible we can be, and how kind we can be.
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Summary: terrible
Review: This is the most over-hyped book I have ever read. I forced myself through it, hoping it would get better, but it never did. It's boring & difficult to read. I'm baffled by all the praise. Don't do it!
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Summary: Pointless killing has been given a bad name
Review: This book makes me feel like it's trying to trick me into thinking that pointless killing is a bad thing. It talks to me as if I am 100% convinced that pointless killing is actually a good wholesome thing, a proper thing for countries to do in their spare time. As a result, I feel like I have to constantly try to think of reasons why war is good. This makes me feel dirty. I don't like that. Yossarian isn't particularly likeable, although he does feel about as passionately against the idea of dying for one's country as I do. This makes me think that I am not particularly likeable either. I don't like that either. In fact, I didn't much like this book. Some of the sentences were really funny, but it didn't really make me think. A book that talked about why war was a great and funny thing would be more interesting because I might actually have to think about the points they were trying to make rather than just nod my head and say, "yup, that's right, right again, yup yup".
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Summary: Looking for something different?
Review: Try Catch-22: it definitely stands out as one of the more interesting books I've read! This mockery of war and all things associated with it never ceases to amaze me. Always dead-pan hilarious and exciting, Catch-22 is a rollercoaster -- no, a backwards rollercoaster! You never know when the next exciting turn will come, or where it will lead. It's laugh-out-loud funny, no exagerration, something rare, though much sought after. I can tell you that I've personally cracked up out loud many times in the middle of reading, something which scared my friends a little, who were sitting with me while we read <grin> The humor is sometimes blatantly reckless, sometimes hidden and subtle, but always well-thought out -- or perhaps not thought out at all! The wild onslought of characters and events is mind-boggling, yet fun. The events are occasionally a tad risque, but anyone who is mature enough to handle it shouldn't be swayed by it. Overall, a fabulously unique novel!
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Summary: A different kind of war novel
Review: Having recently read and greatly enjoyed Herman Wouk's "The Caine Mutiny" and Hemingway's "For Whom the Bell Tolls", I expected "Catch-22" to be a straightforward war novel. Boy, was I wrong, and pleasantly surprised! There are two sides to the style of "Catch-22". On one hand, the character profiles and the bits of dialogue showing how the characters interrelate are hilarious. Heller's prose is as funny as P.G. Wodehouse's and even his wry style of humor is very similar to Wodehouse's. But Heller is not using humor to lighten the mood of war, nor is "Catch-22" merely humorous. The other side of the novel is its realistically gory portrayal of the atrocities of war (some of which are even the result of "friendly fire"), including detailed accounts of the sights, sounds, and terrors of flying in a World War II bomber aircraft. Rather than present the plot in a linear, chronological fashion, Heller cleverly and innovatively cuts it up like a jigsaw puzzle and lets the reader put the pieces together. Only towards the end of the novel, relating Yossarian's sadness at the news of Nately's death and the events that follow, does the plot start to proceed a little more conventionally until Yossarian makes his final decision to escape his predicament. If the novel has a theme, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that it's about the evils of rationalization; that is, the way people interpret and twist the logic and laws of authority or society to their own advantage. People's desire for power, status, and money results in excuses for military brutality and endangering the lives of others, and "Catch-22" illustrates numerous examples.
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Summary: All Time Classic
Review: This is a masterpiece of a novel, one of the highlights of the last fifty years in literature. One of the saddest, funniest, most inventive books of all time. It's as creative and whimsical as Lewis Carrol, but set amidst the horrors of war. It's hard to find a book so original, so unprecedented, so clear in its convictions and message. A must read for everybody.
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Summary: Listen to the story unfold
Review: Peter Whitman does an outstanding job of reading Catch-22. The individual character voices are easily identifiable and very entertaining. I listen to 1-2 audio books each week and this one stands out as my favorite. Whether you are familiar with the story or not, I highly recommend giving the audio version a listen.
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Summary: A Twentieth Century Landmark.
Review: In becoming the 310th person to review this book here I understand the unlikelihood that I will say anything that has not been said before. I write this however because all that can be said about this book deserves to be said and is worth saying again and again and again. "Catch-22" is a monumental creation, the product of a brilliant inspiration that does not recognize itself and such and thus plays things out on its own terms, without pandering or pretention. I believe that this book came about simply because Joseph Heller had a unique vision and chose to record it. It just so happens that what was unique about Heller's vision was his ability to view the true madness of the world and then distill that madness into images and words, recording his viewpoint with shocking clarity. I will not deny that the presentation is ludicrously over the top. What I will argue is that this book could have been written in no other way. Heller saw the world in general, and war in particular, as irredeemably absurd. To be honest then Heller had to paint an absurd picture, and make sure that it could not be mistaken for anything but absurdity. It follows that the presentation should be equally absurd. This is only one way in which which Heller give the finger to conventional literary wisdom. "Catch-22" was written to defy socio-political conventions and it would be hypocritical to adhere with any closeness to conventions of the arena in which he chose to make his stand. Two common criticisms of "Catch-22" are that it lacks a strong plotline and that it is too long. The first criticism is perfectly legitimate. "Catch-22" not only lacks a "strong" plotline, it comes very close to lacking anything that could be considered a plot line at all. Why, I ask, should Heller have sacrificed his ideas and vision for the luxury of a fabricated plotline? One of the major themes of "Catch-22" is the pointlessness and circularity of war, indeed, of life in general. It is only one more example of the integrity with which "Catch-22" was written that Heller chose to structure the novel in a way that would reinforce the that theme. Who needs a plot, anyway, when the theme is so strongly evident and so soundly delivered. As for the length, I don't think heller could have encapsulated the enormous scope of this book in any smaller framework. Once one gets into "Catch-22" it becomes an intoxicating, encompassing, and overwhelmingly enjoyable reading experience. Dealing with the length of the book is not a problem when it is enjoyed as thoroughly as I enjoyed it. It also allows for repeated readings, as one can crack it open at almost any point and read on indefinately, find fresh enjoyment and enlightenment in each page. "Catch-22" was brilliantly concieved and delivered and will be just as convincing hundreds of years from now as it is now.
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