All Quiet on the Western Front

Rating:
Summary: An original voice and an unforgettable message
Review: I recently read this book and was curious to see what other readers had to say about it. It seems the large majority thoroughly enjoyed this book, as I did. I must say I was rather put off by a recent customer review (from Texas, I believe) who said the book was the worst and most boring book ever written. Obviously, this person hasn't read too much. I especially couldn't understand the "boring" complaint. I mean, ummm, this is a book about war. About a man who only knows war. And if you think this is a total work of fiction, yes, in a way it is. But also know that the author went to the front lines at the age of 18 and knew of what he wrote. Of unspeakable numbness, terror, indignation, and ultimately indifference to the horrors he saw and felt. It affected the rest of his life, even though he killed off his character at the end. It's a dramatic testimony to what a generation of men were robbed of and what we take for granted today. The reader from Texas should be grateful most of our lives should be so complaisant that we can read an account such as this and still have the audacity to call it the "worst" read and oh so "boring."

In the end, however, I would imagine a man who had the courage to write of the horror and of his own spiritual displacement and death wouldn't care for our own paltry words anyhow. And as it should be.

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Summary: Mr. Hill's English Class Book Review
Review: All Quiet on the Western Front, by German writer Eriq Maria Remarque, explores the horrors of World War I through the eyes of a German solider named Paul. Remarque transforms this tale of a young recruit who is thrown head first into a raging war into a lesson about life. Remarque attempts to teach the reader to understand the horror of war, the value of friendship and the absurdity of traditional values.

Remarque includes discussions among Paul's group, and Paul's own thoughts while he observes Russian prisoners of war to show that no ordinary people benefit from a war. No matter what side a man is on, he is killing other men just like himself, people with whom he might even be friends at another time. But Remarque doesn't just tell us war is horrible: he vividly supports his point by assaulting all of the reader's senses. Remarque uses the sight of newly dead soldiers, unearthly screaming of the wounded horses, the smell of three layers of bodies to hammer home the atrocity of war. The crying of the horses is especially terrible. Horses are innocent bystanders, their bodies shining beautifully before being cut down by shellfire. To Paul, their dying cries represent all of nature accusing Man, the great destroyer.

Another message that Remarque attempts to convey to the reader is the value of enduring friendship. The theme of comradeship occurs often and gives the novel both lighthearted and sad moments. Away from battle, the soldiers formed deep bonds, showing not only the importance, but also the strength of the camaraderie between the men. Friendship emerges as an even more important theme at the front. Throughout the book, the reader sees men helping wounded comrades at great personal risk, often with tragic results. The reader can understand how hearing the voices of friends when one is lost or even just hearing their breathing during the night can keep a soldier going. The reader grieves with Paul and almost puts down the book when his dearest friend dies. Friendship was often the last thing keeping a soldier from giving up, and, when it was lost, life seemed to lose its meaning.

Remarque also preaches a rejection of traditional values. In his introductory note, Remarque said that his novel was "not an accusation". Rather, it is a rejection of traditional militaristic values of Western civilization. This denunciation is impressed on the reader through the young soldiers. Represented by Paul and his friends, these soldiers see military attitudes as stupid and accuse their elders of betraying them. Often the spit and polish mind-sets of their superiors put the front-liners in danger. The betrayal by elders can be seen in many instances, including during the Kaiser's visit to the front. This scene hints at some of Remarque's personal grievances with his country's government.

Like All Quiet On The Western Front, most of Remarque's other books were written with the intent of censuring war. This book does an especially good job of this, relying on the wonderful prose of the author to brand its ideas into the reader's mind. It also impresses upon the reader the author's belief in the merit of friendship and the triviality of traditional values. In the end, this book serves its purpose well: it makes the reader wonder why we still tolerate and advocate the atrocity that is war.

Rating:
Summary: Incredible
Review: I was assigned to read this book in 9th grade, and was absolutely amazed by it, one of the few books i have bothered to read multiple times, one of my two favorite books (that and the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, how ironic...). Though, being a translation, the syntax and vocabulary of the book aren't sophisticated, the ideas presented are, Remarque does an incredible job of depicting life at the front in WWI, and the characterization is excellent. The back cover is misleading, portraying the novel as the stereotypical war novel, whether or not that stereotype is deserving; the book does not focus on Paul "holding tight to a single vow.........if only he can get out of the war alive." it illustrates life in the trenches, and shows the way humans adjust to such harsh conditions, the true feeling one gets from reading the novel is not recreatable in a synopsis. When i first read the book, it took me until halfway through the novel to appreciate it, but when i reread it, the beginning is just as incredible as the end.

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Summary: The pity of war
Review: The book is about young adults living and dying with each other through World War 1. Most of the book has its good points. A few of the bad points are long drawn-out sequences where nothing really important happens. I recommend this book to anyone who has ever had the thirst to read a war novel. The dialogue is very, very believable, though they spoke formally. There were a few foreshadowing events. They always spoke of dying. They also had many flashbacks of their old school days,and basic training.

The setting is very proper -- the trenches, the ruined French towns. The mood is sad. The rising action would be the times right before an attack. There are two climaxes. The first is where the main character's best friend is hit by shrapnel, and he later dies. The next climax is where another character dies on the very last day of the war. The resolution is horrible. There are so many characters in the book, you're bound to find one who has a similar personality to you. This is one of the greatest that has ever been written!

The book takes you into the lives of these young men in the war to end all wars. Remarque also got his information first-hand. He was a soldier who fought in that war. The imagery he used was amazing. You actually felt like you were standing in the middle of no-man's land, with bullets flying over your head. This is a great novel to read if your great-great grandparents were in the war so you can realize what they went through or even if anyone in your family is in Iraq you can see on a much bigger level what they might be going through. Of course, we pray that fighting over there will never get that bad.

So read "All Quiet On the Western Front!"

Rating:
Summary: Decent
Review: This book is a decent war book. I got tuned in to the characters and how they were feeling...I felt like I was Baumer experiencing the horrors of war myself. The book did not get my sparks to light up, but it was definitely readable. It makes a good book for grade school, or high school students to read. A lot of people in the army who have at one time faught a war, or those currently fighting -- will relate to this book and how the author views combat. It's a nice and terse World War I story. I enjoyed it and thought that it was well-written in comparison to other war books that I have read, like "Gods and Generals" - which I didn't like much.

Rating:
Summary: Graphic and memorable, but also ambivalent
Review: There is ambivalence in Remarque's 'anti-war' stance. As much as there is condemnation of the incompetence and war mongering of the officer class, there is praise for the comradeship, courage and sacrifice of the common soldier. This ambivalence was reflected in the reaction of later generations of Germans. Some have seen him as unpatriotic, others as being justly critical of a corrupt regime that betrayed and misled the nation's brave youth. It may have done as much to prepare Germany for World War II as it did to deter it. Whatever your view, this work is a fascinating primary historical source. We learn, for example, that the German troops laughed when they first saw tanks, though they soon learned to take them seriously. Also of interest is the reference to trenching tools being more effective than bayonets in hand-to-hand combat. The book is full of insights like that.

The enemy in the narrative is usually the French. For a view from the other side, "Under Fire" by Henri Barbusse is highly recommended. Barbusse is a better writer than Remarque and it is a pity that his great work seems to have become sadly neglected in recent times.

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Summary: all quiet review
Review: This is a very good book and I would recomend it to anyone espically in this time where our country is at war. It delivers a powerful messages about the harsh realities of war, a subject people should deffiantly be educated on.

Rating:
Summary: The Capture of Silence
Review: Even though All Quiet on the Western Front can be boring at times, around every corner their is a BANG of excitement. Because of all the war scenes and the extreme tention on the battle field I rated this book a 5 out of 5. If you enjoy reading about outstanding war scenes that put you on the edge of your seat then I suggest you read this book. After reading this book, I strongly hope you will rate this book as I did. As a matter of fact I gaurantee that you will like this book.

Rating:
Summary: ALL QUIET
Review: Paul Baumer, the main character of All Quiet on the Western Front tells the story of how he and some friends come face to face with the horrors of war. While they are there they get bombed with war tanks, air planes machine guns and gas. Some people are even lucky to survive the blasts from them

Rating:
Summary: unforgettable book
Review: I read this as a child and have never forgotten it. Extraordinary powerful book about the consequences of war.