The Things They Carried

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Summary: A wonderful book of details that makes you want to read on!
Review: The book The Things They Carried, by Tim O'Brien, is a wonderful book of details. The way he described every event and everything the mean carried, down to the little things, was wonderful. While reading this book I almost felt as if I was there. He went into so much detail I could see the images in my mind of what he was talking about. He went into such detail even with a minor thing like the weight of an item they carried. An interesting subject that I found nice was that he would skip around on different situations. He would describe an event and then later on in the book bring it up again and explain it better. This made it more interesting to me to keep on reading and find out more about what he introduced but then never told us about until later. This is also true with the way he talked about his book as being fiction. But how could it be not true when the details seem so real. He confuses the reader by saying and asking if it was or wasnít real. He would always skip around about that subject. It made me bothered but it made me more interested at the same time. This book was great in many ways and I enjoyed reading it. The way he wrote it really drew me in to becoming more interested in it and reading on more. Overall it was a very interesting book with all of the details and odd ways of writing.

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Summary: Words are a lot like food; this was an addictive delicacy.
Review: Being required to read a book is like having food shoved down your throat... For my senior English class I was required to read The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien. As a piece of literature it was excellent; as a piece of reading material it was even better. Words are a lot like food sometimes, and this book was an addictive delicacy. The Things They Carried deals with the Vietnam War in a new and improved light. The soldiers are more than hardened juveniles; they have personalities as distinct as the colors of the spectrum. The novel illustrates how people deal with situations that they couldn't prevent. It's an in-your-face look at how people react according to the "fight or flight" theory. The group of soldiers have been thrown together due a war that many of them cannot justify. Some are there for the love of violence; some are there out of force. And the author who doubles as the narrator is there even though he does not feel the war is worth his life. The Things They Carried has this fluidity to it that makes it absolutely captivating. Any book dealing with war has the difficult task of upholding the true reality of the gore and anguish of battle. Tim O'Brien's book reads like an autobiography even though it's considered a work of fiction, but if the story is truly fictional then O'Brien is a literary genius. O'Brien takes readers into the heart of battle and leaves them there to witness the brutality of war on their own. They suffer alongside the soldiers; they feel the pain of watching the people around them die. They feel the weight of the things they carried. They feel the weight of war.

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Summary: A Bone-chilling Thriller That Depicts The True Vietnam
Review: The Things They Carried, by Tim O'Brien, is a magnificently composed work of fiction. O'Brien writes so vividly, that the reader will be experiencing a gut-check by the time they are finished with this book. He captures many of the soldiers' feelings and emotions, by writing about the items that they had with them during the Vietnam War. These few items represent the soldiers' lives as they fought their way through Vietnam's elephant grass, and rice paddies. Mental objects are also close at the soldiers' hand. Love, grief, pain, terror, memory, and guilt weigh heavily on these young men's minds, as well as their hearts. O'Brien 's characters are one of a kind, and many readers can relate to these people as one of their own. He describes his character's actions as real as one could be, and this is one of the most important reasons that help the reader relate to this novel in a way that they can understand. This novel is a success on every step known to man, because O'Brien takes this reading in many different directions. He describes in terror the killing of one of the soldiers, pulsates in writing of one's love, and captivates the reader to go with him on the wild and untamed journey of Vietnam.

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Summary: I really enjoyed it, great description of war.
Review: The book The Things They Carried, by Tim O'Brien gives an insight to what the Vietnam War was really like. It gives the reader an immediate description of what war was to those who were there. O'Brien uses everyday language, yet twists it into something magnificent. He lets the reader know first hand what war was like and makes the reader feel as though they were there, carrying the helmet, the guns, and all the ammunition. I feel that this book gives a whole new take on war, with many different emotions displayed throughout it. O'Brien allows the reader to wonder whether or not all of it is true, by telling them that it is a book of fiction. Some people can't let that be the final word. I have to admit this book seems to be anything but fiction. When reading it, it seems all too real to be fiction. But I'll let other readers read this book for themselves and they can decide for themselves. No matter if this book is fiction or not, O'Brien definitely deserves credit for making readers think it's a work of non-fiction. He does an excellent job of making everything seem so realistic. This is a great book to pick up off the shelf at any bookstore. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a realistic and accurate description of war.

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Summary: canned peaches and pound cake
Review: In The Things They Carried, Tim O'Brien uses fiction to paint a very vivid and lifelike picture of the true feelings and emotions of a group of men fighting in the Vietnam War. O'Brien uses excellent imagery and description to portray how the men did or did not cope with having to fight in the war. He also describes how the men reacted to situations and people. There are many different characters introduced throughout the book. It is interesting to see the similarities and differences between them. On one hand there is Henry Dobbins, a big guy who carried the M-69 machine gun and likes canned peaches and pound cake. Henry is a very kind, calm, and compassionate guy even in the midst of a horrendous war. Henry copes by wearing his girl friends pantyhose around his neck. On the other hand there is Ted Lavender, a man who always carries extra ammo, tranquilizers, and dope. Ted is always very scared and nervous so in order to cope he turns to drugs. O'Brien does an excellent job of portraying how different men react to situations. While searching the wreckage of a hamlet the group of men come upon a girl dancing in front of her smoldering home. One man, Azar, continually asks about her but Henry simply respects her dancing. When Azar begins to mock the girl's dancing Henry rushes to defend it and forces Azar to give it the respect it deserves. Azar also kills a puppy without a second thought claiming that he is just a boy. This whole book shows quite well the contrasting people and issues of the Vietnam War. It gives the reader a real sense of what it may have been like to have to go fight this war. O'Brien wonderfully shows how little things can come to mean so much during times of trial by his descriptions of what each man carried and held dear.

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Summary: The war comes into your room...
Review: Have you ever been in a war? Well, for the most of this answer is a no. Tim O'Brien puts is in there with the soldiers in the Vietnam. Don't worry, you won't need to worry about the distress because it is a fiction story. This book, The Things They Carried is just great. I am sure I just can't say that and you will read this book. The great description makes the war come right into your room and grow around you. This puts you the eye and ears of a soldier where you see how they lived and dreamed. The story tells the lives other than the fighting, violence and killing. There is violence from the war, but is not that important in the book. If you looking for a history documentary on the Vietnam War this probably not the book for you. It maybe is. If you want to have a good reading before you go to bed, try this book. I recommend this book for an older audience. On over age thirteen.

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Summary: Tim O'Brien toes the line between reality and fiction
Review: Uncertainty makes for interesting reading. In The Things They Carried, Tim O'Brien maintains a blurred line between fiction and nonfiction. It keeps the reader guessing, wondering if different experiences happened or not. The Vietnam War itself seems surrounded in a similar confusion, both the motives for fighting, and then the conflicting thoughts and emotions of the soldiers. O'Brien's writing is effective because it tells the war like it happened, but there exists a constant doubt whether it really did happen this way. The Vietnam War, as Tim O'Brien knew it, did not have a pattern. He cannot lie to the reader and pretend it did. One second a soldier is going to the bathroom and then, BAM, he dies. He describes an underlying tension, that everyone feels but is not talked about. The root of this tension is the possibility of death. It seems as if O'Brien wishes a flurry of action could occur all at once, determining the living and the dead. Instead, the men just sit around, and stories about nothing unfold. The essence of the war is how quickly nothing turns into the most significant event in someone's life. O'Brien focuses on death, as an unavoidable topic, that all people feel curiosity towards. He enshrouds this with uncertainty. Did he kill that guy on the trail that night? He leads the reader in all directions. Death is something ultimate, bluntly simple, the end, but O'Brien captures the mystery surrounding it. It comes down to separating truth from fiction. The takes both to truly attack the topic of death.

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Summary: Tight, well written
Review: The subject matter is very emotional, but it is O'Brien's writng style that makes this book. the short, punchy stories leave no room for emotional quicksand. Cuts to the bone. Reminds me a lot of Hunter Thompson's style.

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Summary: Excellent, something for everyone
Review: This book offers a little something for everyone. When you read it, you can hardly tell if it's fact or fiction. O'Brien's stories are beautifully well written, and you feel yourself become a part of this story.

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Summary: Oh my God......
Review: I am convinced that Tim O'Brien is the finest living American author. I am also convinced that the title story in "The Things They Carried" is the finest story ever written. What convinces me of this? I am a nineteen year old who lives in a small town, works part-time, does a lot of reading, and listens to punk rock music. When I read this book I felt like my life had been frozen and I was inside the stories. Half way through the title story I started crying and I had no idea why. The power of that story, as with all the others, is subtle and sharp, not sledgehammer-style like so much else in this world. I would never insult a Vietnam veteran by saying that I know what it was like to be in the war or to try to live after it but I do feel as though these stories brought me as close as I could ever get to the jungles of Vietnam without having actually been there.