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Summary: Here's a catch.......Stear Clear!
Review: Catch-22, by Joseph Heller, stsarts out by introducing the characters. It takes place in World-War II with American soldiers in Italy. Yossarian is the name of the main character who often mentions wanting to be sent homw. Many of the characters are portrayed as crazy. This is illustrated when Yossarian stsates, "Then why don't you ground me? I'm crazy. Ask Clevinger"(54). By being grounded Yossarian is referring to being sent homw. The man he saks is Doc Daneeka, who wallows in his own self pity. Doc Daneeka answered Yossarian saying, "Catch-22. Anyone who wants to get out of combat duty isn't really crazy"(55). The characters aren't caught up in the usuall "American Spirit." Many of the men are questioning why they're even there. Much of the humor in this book is based on irony and the idiosyncraises of the characters. Many events that took place portrayed them as children, and the battle field their play ground. Most of the characters, especially Yossarian, spend most of their time trying to get out of flying the number of missions required to be sent home. Everyone tries to get someone else to do their job for them, which I found irritating. Most of the storyline of Catch-22 are the flashbacks provided by the narrator, more than the characters themselves. It's almost as if each flashback is it's own little story, mkaing it hard to follow any kind of rising action. As much as this book is recommended, I would ask readers to stay clear of it. The story lacked a climax, and the characters lacked a certain depth making it hard feel any kind of emotional connection. If you are still interested, I would recommend reading the first few chapters, then seeing if it is something you enjoy.
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Summary: Catch-22 Review
Review: The story of Catch-22 is a story unlike most war stories. With new characterization in every chapter, a different type of story is created that is unlike any other. If I were to rate this story though, I would give it a "1" for being the worst book I have ever read. The story of Catch-22 lacks major elements needed in a story to make that story exciting and understandable.
The story is about a bombardier named Yossarian who is serving in World War II at a station in Pianosa,Italy.The character of Yossarian is uncaring and selfish, and all he cares about is being able to go home to America when he completes all his missions.Another thing is that all the conversations in the story tried to make all the characters seem funny, but actually I think it made the book more boring.All the other characters in the story also are very much like Yossarian in the same respect.
I thought this was an unengaging book with all its unimportant conversations and description of characters with no plot.Also, the unintelligent and nasty characters added to the pain.I could barely even read the book because it bored me to death.This book should not be a classic #1 bestseller, but the worst and most pointless book of all time.
Rating: 
Summary: Simply Incredible
Review: From my title, one can assume. I thought this book was incredible. It was hilarious from the start.. "Yossarian was in the hospital with a pain in his liver that fell just short of being jaundice. The doctors were puzzled by the fact that it wasn't quite jaundice..." It didn't stop and as each character was introduced, and a whole new story was introduced, it got funnier and funnier depicting how ironically stupid the comanding officers are as well as the ridiculous rules that govern the soldiers. Through catch 22 clauses, men are unable to fulfill the orders given, defeating the whole purpose of giving orders. Through these clauses, men are unable to satisfy their goals which just turns the situations round and round in the most comedic way. I was intrigued by the amount each character was developed. Almost all had a chapter dedicated to them and almost all i grew to adore. It was a film in my head, i could fit every character to a role. This book maintains its wonderful humor all the way to the end and i hope that this recommendation helps. it was an incredible book, dont wait, start reading.
Rating: 
Summary: Colorful cast in a stagnant tale
Review: I found the book, like a majority of the characters in Catch-22, crazy. Basically, after 80 pages, the story was still stagnating. There were plenty of quirky, rebellious characters but all the absurdity just didn't come together for me. Yeah, there was Yossarian who was paranoid about getting killed, Hungry Joe who yelled in his sleep, Aadvark the navigator who couldn't navigate... So? I kept asking myself, what the hell were all of them doing? Where was the story going? Nowhere. The characters were simply busy being eccentric amidst the madness of war. Which perhaps was what Heller was trying to portray. Afterall, it was only 10 years after WWII when the book was first published and I guess it connected with a lot of readers then. The message behind the book is still relevant, no doubt - but apart from the anti-war and anti-establishment theme, I felt Heller didn't have much else to offer. Mildly humorous at times, but sadly, the storyline just didn't progress with enough purpose for my taste.
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Summary: Yossarian Lives
Review: I haven't read much fiction since high school and then I was forced to read. But being an avid reader of non-fiction myself, I wanted to turn things around and give fiction another try. I chose as my debut work Heller's Catch-22. I couldn't be more pleased with my choice. The book is just brilliant and very funny. I found myself laughing out loud so many times. Heller has an amazing talent in describing people. By describing someone's appearance and habits it makes you think you have actually met the person, as with the Colonel who was described as someone who uses words such as apogee and panacea. Reading the first one hundred pages or so I felt a little overwhelmed with so many characters. At that point I thought the book was going to be just that, an endless list of characters, but the best was still to come. All the insanity of war is revealed in an outrageously funny and tragic way. I have a feeling folks in Washington DC should be reading Catch-22 right now. It became sort of a tradition among reviewers of Catch-22 to pick their favorite character. For me it's a hard toss between Milo, Orr, and Yossarian, of course; but I pick Orr. Leonardo Alves - Houghton, Michigan - February 2003
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Summary: Great re-write of Voyage Au Bout De La Nuit
Review: That's about it. Louis-Ferdinand Celine wrote Voyage Au Bout De La Nuit in 1952. Mr Heller Americanised the setting and the dialogue but the entire book, the ideas, the storyline is virtually identical to V.A.B.D.L.N.
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Summary: The Greatest Novel of All Time
Review: This is my title: and I believe it. The greatest novel of all time. The reviews below will doubtlessly get further into the more complicated issues--the themes, the meaning of certain characters, the fractured chronology--but the fact remains that this will be, for a great number of people, the most profound work they ever read. Catch-22 is a riot from start to finish. There are plenty of hilarious books, but few that will make you laugh as often or as embarrassingly loud as this one. The book, however, is not just about comedy--that's just another level on top of the heartfelt sadness that consumes the book's greatest heroes (Yossarian and Dunbar). The true meaning lies somewhere between the moral decisions of every character of the book--Yossarian's decision to live through the war or die trying; Dunbar's decision to spare all innocents at all costs; Col. Cathcart's decision to win the war at all costs; Doc Daneeka's decision to complain about the war while doing nothing to counter the immoral acts taking place all around him. It's a book for rebels; fine. It's an anti-government book, anti-war book; fine. It's hysterical, depressing, life-affirming, epic, fascinating, and, at a basic, human level, true. Fine. The fact remains: Catch-22 has more to offer than any book I have ever read. Try the first chapter and you'll know it's for you; it's the fastest 463 pages you'll ever read; the world's greatest combination of comedy and tragedy in one work. I can only gush so long. Just read the ... thing.
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Summary: Great Book with Very Dark Humor...
Review: Catch-22 is very funny and entertaining. I highly recommend it for anyone who enjoys off-the-wall humor with a heavy dose of cynicism. The book revolves around a war but that is hardly the point of the story. The war serves as more of the background that the author uses playfully to get his messages across. The book is filled with very entertaining stories of our hero off to battle, trying to fight his way out. He tries everything only to find that war, and life, are full of catch-22s. Overall, this is a great story that relishes the dark side of humour. I would recommend it to anyone who has a liking to war stories and/or strange stories such as those by Kurt Vonnegut. Side Note: if you are looking for more serious war novels then you should consider the Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer or the Gathering Storm by Winston Churchill. Both are great books that deal more with the real character of war.
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Summary: A little bit of everything.
Review: It really is a smattering of all the concepts that makes a great literary work. Bursting at the seams with different themes, I found Catch-22 to be uproariously funny yet awfully saddening at the same time. You can be laughing your head off and pitying the poor soldiers simutaneously.
The range of emotions this book displays and yanks right out of the reader is quite impressive. I'm not a fan of war-related books because it's just not my forte - but Catch-22 is definately an exception.
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Summary: One of the best books ever!
Review: This book is probably one of the best books I've ever read. Heller does such a great job portraying the characters complex emotions. It's simply engrossing and I couldn't get enough of it. A must-have and possibly one of the best books ever written.
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