Ratings484
Average rating4
Catch-22 is like no other novel. It has its own rationale, its own extraordinary character. It moves back and forth from hilarity to horror. It is outrageously funny and strangely affecting. It is totally original. Set in the closing months of World War II in an American bomber squadron off Italy, Catch-22 is the story of a bombardier named Yossarian, who is frantic and furious because thousands of people he hasn't even met keep trying to kill him. Catch-22 is a microcosm of the twentieth-century world as it might look to someone dangerously sane. It is a novel that lives and moves and grows with astonishing power and vitality -- a masterpiece of our time. - Back cover.
Featured Series
2 primary booksCatch-22 is a 2-book series with 2 primary works first released in 1961 with contributions by Joseph Heller.
Reviews with the most likes.
I can appreciate why this is a classic, but I really despised reading it. Not my style and not my humor, that's for sure. Feels like something that's been taken out of context in the present day. Repetitive, too many characters which all blend together, and often feeling like it was written by an amateur writer, with too many thesaurus-derived adjectives thrown in. However, at certain points, I enjoyed it, and even thought, wow, this is genius. 4 stars, but I hope I never have to read it again.
If you are not born with the English tongue, just know that if you understand the next words, you'll be fine: Scintillating, Coalesced, Sullen, Delectable, Pulpit, Coveted, Belligerent, Gamboling, Nosegay, Countenance, Prodigiously, Trepidation, Circumspect, Abrasions, Abreast, Consternation, Scornfully, Petulantly, Domitably, Corrugated, Ominously, Awning, Invidiously,... Because these words will be the average difficulty for the entire book.
I had to check at least 6 words per page. But the thing is that I added a lot of words to my lexicon now. So persevere, as the chaplain would say to you.
This was an exhilarating novel, a rollercoaster for the eye and mind, but not suited for me. I liked the “war is chaos” theme, but it was too much for me.
Still one of the most unique books I've read.
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