Rating: 
Summary: Did Mark Twain Die and Come Back As Joseph Heller?
Review: This book is so sad, its not funny. And there are other things in it that aren't even funnier. Like re-reading this damn book every two years or so and crying hard not to laugh at the same passages.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: I read this book and loved it! It is by far one of my personal favorites. It has been critized as slow to start, which is partly true, but once you get used to Heller's style it is one of the greatest stories ever written.
Rating:
Summary: Sanity is overrated
Review: Heller's book is unique. It's funny. It's sad and terrible. His vocabulary is huge. The man can write. His story moves. The characters are insane and know it, at least some of them. Yossarrin is the real rebel without a cause. I really enjoyed this book and wholly recommend it for those willing to give peace a chance.
Rating:
Summary: Catch this
Review: I have to say that of all the fiction books I have read, this is quite probably the best. The quirky logic and pacifist bias appeals to my sense of humour very much. This, combined with the strong feel of madness and nonsense, combines to make a literary work of art. The theme of madness can be well illustrated by Milo's (the fictional mess officer) syndicate, which seems to make a profit while somehow taking terrible losses. I must object to M. Besselink's view, although we are all entitled to our own opinions, but I think that this is a novel that cannot be read if you are not ready for it. Many people will dismiss it as ridiculous and over-complicated - they ought not to read it, as such genius should not be scorned. A must read on the basis that it is a modern literary classic, and will remain so as long as we retain the military and armed conflicts exist.
Rating:
Summary: A classic
Review: This is truely a wonderful book. It is both extremely funny and sometimes shocking. There are so many memorable characters, it is hard to keep track. You really see the insanity of the military and war. The best character is the old italian man. You just can't say enough good things about this book. You have to read it.
Rating: 
Summary: Read Vonnegut instead
Review: I read this book because I saw it was recommended by Kurt Vonnegut and then again by Matt Groening in a Life in Hell comic strip, so I thought it must be pretty good. It starts out great, but Heller's style is so repetitive it becomes pretty boring to slog through it. It would have been much better if it had been edited down by about half. My advice--read anything by Vonnegut instead...even his worst efforts are better than this thing.
Rating:
Summary: A more than worthy book on the Top 100 of the century...
Review: I first read Catch-22 a few years ago, initially put off by the style of this book. For example, there is no true concept of Time, as you jump between the past and present continuously. Similarily there is very little unity between the chapters (when you first read it), as Heller jumps between Major Major Major's life story in between stories of Milo Minderbinder. If you are just a conventional reader who is looking for a fantastic or winding plot, this book is DEFINATELY not for you.However, what make Catch-22 so great is the flexibility of the novel: I can pick it up and read any chapter I want to at any time and STILL be entertained by the events. Each chapter is more or less self-sustaining (save the first and the last chapters), creating an entirely different reading experience. With light (and occassionally dark) humor, the novel remains in high spirits and occassionally brings you abruptly back to earth into the grim reality of war. I seriously believe if you DO NOT own this novel, you obviously have not been reading the proper literature all your life. So go buy it now, I can almost guarantee you will not be let down.
Rating: 
Summary: Maybe after page 100.....
Review: I always wanted to read Catch 22 because it was a famous book (and of course the term was used in a Metallica song). I began reading it three times but after 50 pages or so, I always lost interest. I never could discover a story and the many dialogues and events are strange, to say the least. Someone once told me it is a great book after page 100 but I never got that far. So I can only say: don't even try reading Catch 22', read '1984' by George Orwell and listen to Metallica.
Rating:
Summary: Much more than "funny"
Review: Catch 22 is one of those rare books that a reader can take from it whatever he or she wants. If it's humor you're looking for, then this is a funny, comical book to read with fast-paced, pinpoint dialogue (similar to the slapstick humor in Zuckers/Abrahams/Zuckers movies "Airplane!" or "The Naked Gun"). BUT FUNNY IS SUCH A GROSS UNDERSTATEMENT. Catch 22 is rich with social and political symbolisim, which means if you're looking for something deeper than a "good laugh" there is plenty here to keep you busy thinking for a long time. Overall, I found Catch 22 to be a story of hope. That no matter how ridiculous or impossible the obstacles in front of you appear, you can conquer them with belief in yourself and a plan of attack.
Rating:
Summary: A must read
Review: If you are thinking of reading this book take and chance and start now, you won't be sorry. I rank this as one of my top 5 favorite books and the best satire I have read or seen. The book can start out to be a little hard to read at first with dozens of characters and a timeline that goes back and forth without notice. But once you get thru 100 pages or so the plot starts to come together and it's pure genius stands out. No other book I have read makes better satirical comment on the Human nature than this book and the humor used will make you laugh out loud while reading. The closest comparison I can give this book is the movie "Life of Brian" by Monty Python. If you liked that movie read this book and vice versa.
| 
