Rating: 
Summary: Absolutly Loved It
Review: To think this book was suppose to be a flop when it was first publish, recieving poor reviews from nearly every major critic. I don't understand it, for Joseph Heller has written a masterpiece. Without a doubt the most fun and witty book of its stature that I have ever read. A very smart book, with a very good story and theme that will not cease to entertain the reader.Once you start to read this book, you will not find it easy to set down. A modern classic and a wonderful read.
Rating:
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.
Rating:
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".
Rating:
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.
Rating: 
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!
Rating: 
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".
Rating:
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!
Rating:
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.
Rating:
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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