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Summary: Catch-22
Review: Catch-22- saddening, thought provoking, hope inspiring, and really rather good. no, not everyone dies, even though it starts to appear that way. i dont usually care for war related things that often, but this was worth reading. It takes a humorous and cynical approach the pointlessness of trying to escape war and the headaches it can cause. Catch-22 is the ultimate devil in this book and it consistantly pops up. The story follows one man and his struggles to survive in an insane and hopeless world. Add in a bunch of pilots begging to get home, a doctor who is technically dead, and a mess seargent who uses logic that surpasses everyone else's minds, and you have one motley crew. A book of laughs, tears, puzzlement, and thinking, Catch-22 is a book worth reading.
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Summary: there's always a catch
Review: Catch-22 is a biting satire about the absurdities of war. Set in World War 2, the novel is about a squadron of bomber crews stationed in Pianosa. The book follows the exploits of the group, and of one man in particular: a bomber named Yossarian. Yossarian goes against the grain, and tries valiantly throughout the novel to escape the inevitable Catch-22. All Yossarian wants to do is survive the war, but that seems impossible in the face of Catch-22. This novel is about his struggle against the system, his personal quest for survival in the face of a military that sees him only as part of the war effort.
Several things--a colonel who's aspiring to be a general and keeps upping the required number of missions, a mess hall attendant who forms his own syndicate and sells supplies to the enemy to gain a profit, a major who disappears inside his trailer--combine to form the military unit to which Yossarian belongs, where "what's good for the syndicate is good for the country" and where men are endangered and their lives sacrificed for the ambitions of higher-ranking men aspiring to fortune and notoriety.
This book would be depressing--horribly depressing--were it not so downright funny. The situations, the way the characters react and interact with each other, are absurd and hilarious. In fact, the attitudes of most of these men (commanders in particular) are downright ridiculous, and the book is not realistic in terms of the characters personalities (how many generals REALLY believe they can order someone to be shot whenever they want?). Still, the absurd nature of the book is what gives it such power. By giving his characters such outrageous ambitions and by creating such ridiculous situations for them, Heller makes his message painfully clear.
This book is a modernist approach to war. The narrative is fragmented and roughly pieced together, and the satire is very prominent and in-your-face. In the end, Yossarian is faced with a choice: submit to the 'Catch,' or die trying to escape it. The irony of it all--submit to the Catch and be a hero (though morally dead) or try to escape it and be physically dead--is what makes Yossarian such a powerful character. This book is one of the greatest works of the 20th century for a reason--the impression it leaves is very lasting.
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Summary: Humor counteracts the tragedy
Review: First, I wish I could give this novel more than five stars ... that or give almost every other five-star book less. This novel is beautifully written, witty, tragic, and humorous; I found myself reading madly to find out what happens next, and then turning backwards to reread a hilarious dialog once again ... and when I reached the last page, I wished there was more.Joseph Heller is as much on the brink of neurosis as his characters. Just as dialog bounces incessantly, chapters and paragraphs aren't even chronological, (until maybe the last third of the book) ... Heller just meanders through, until he bring himself upon a word which reminds him of another event, and precedes to talk about that. But don't worry, he does a sufficient job of making you understand the order of events. The syntax? Wonderful ... Heller's word choice is endless. But don't be mislead by other reviews ... this is a hilarious book, but there are chapters that make you want to cry. The insanity of the characters is light ... until they die. Death is a major theme of this novel -- death, depression, sickness, and poverty all inevitably pull at Yossarian's heart. But the tragedy is necessary because pure humor can be shallow and directionless. However, Heller enhances his humor with the Catch-22. Yossarian often finds himself stuck, and other characters are also tormented by this. Books have made me laugh, but this one had such a considerable number of giggles that I want to read the whole thing again. Anybody human should love this book. If you glance at Amazon.com reviews, you'll notice that most of the negative reviewers admit that they only got through the first hundred or so pages. These first few pages are lighthearted, but after that, the humor gets darker, and the tragedy kicks in. This is without a doubt one of my favorite novels of all time. Highly recommended.
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Summary: One of those books I know I could never write
Review: Catch-22 is not perfectly written, but pretty damn close.
It starts out hilarious and ends horrifying. The book is incredibly fictional, to the point of ridiculousness, but as they say, "much truth is said in jest." It's not perfect: Heller's scene with Yossarian in the rain near the end was a bit overdone, and if he wanted to make it dramatic and impacting, he should have written it better, but all in all with the hilarity, the brilliant irony, and the anti-war effect it leaves you after you read it, it deserves an easy 5 stars.
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Summary: War is Swell
Review: Catch-22 is an insightful and hilarious book. I first read it in high high school and loved it and thought I'd take a second look. It still holds up and is still incredibly funny. It speaks of the insanity of war but really comments on the absurdness of life. Heller has created a number of unforgetable characters that continue live on well after putting the book down. The humor in the book and the overall tone of not only questioning authority but ridiculing it make it a joy to read and reread.
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Summary: "Best book I have ever read!" Anyone who says this.....
Review: here are a few recommendations. If you want to laugh out loud and tell your friends about the funniest book you've ever read, pick up something by Bill Bryson or Tony Horowitz. If you want to read "the best book you've ever read" pick up a Dickens, Stienbeck, Orwell, Twain, or Harper Lee and surely you won't be disappointed. This book is definitely different and I will not go so far as to say avoid it, or even that I didn't enjoy it simply because Heller tells his story in such a unique way, but to put such a book on a pedestal above works by the authors I have mentioned, which is by no means a complete list, is ridiculous.
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Summary: The Grandfather of Black Humor is Still Spry!
Review: This is quite possibly the best book that I have ever read. Heller's first novel isn't a classic because it's old or the dying fart of some well-respected author--its a classic because its hilarious and at the same time dark, because its meaningful and at the same time completely irrational. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy fans rejoice, because this is the book that sired it. This is what black humor ought to be--and frankly, everyone who's read this book knows it! It's zany, its fun, but its also worth your time. Catch-22 turns life--and war--inside out and laughs at it. Its philosophy: "to live forever or die trying"! Read it; you couldn't possibly be disappointed!
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Summary: I miss reading it, and i'm sad to move on to new books!
Review: I started Catch-22 3 times in my life. 2 of the times ended halfway through because life just wouldn't have it. But finally i had the summer off and i decided, ok FIRST BOOK this summer will be Catch-22, i'm going to finish it if it kills me. And i finally did. It was absolutely amazing. I saw my own world changing after reading the novel for two weeks. The way i thought the way i talked, my views on what a coward and what a brave person is. It was really great. Joseph Heller is absolutely a genius. He created a world, much like our own with it's own hypocracies and jaded/curupt leading figures. And then there was Yossarian, I fell in love with him falling in love with every girl he laid eyes on. His amiable persona and his great questions and ideas and etc. Definately one of my favorite books now.
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Summary: Read it over and over and over again
Review: The funniest book I've ever read in my life..But some not so funny truths are buried under the humor
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Summary: An All-Time Favorite
Review: What more can be said about "Catch-22?" It's one of those classics that is such a staple, you grow up with it as a part of the cultural fabric. As a student of literature and culture, I think it's an absolutely brilliant satire; as a sarcastic person with an odd sense of humor, I find it immensely pleasurable to read and re-read. The first time around, it can seem pointlessly bizarre, and it's easy to lose sight of the fact that satire is an extremely difficult genre to pull off well. And "Catch-22" pretty much wrote the book (no pun intended) on satire. What's frightening is how prescient it is, how uncomfortably close to truth satire is. Re-reading "Catch 22" during the war with Iraq is a supremely creepy experience. But I guess that speaks to how important it is as a work of literature. If you haven't read it, you should. If you have, you should read it again.
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