Book :: Catch-22
| By: | Joseph Heller |
| Pages: | 453 |
| Published: | Nov 10th, 1961 |
| Genre(s): | War |
| Humor | |
| Historical Fiction | |
| Rating: | (31) |
823 points
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Explosive, subversive, wild and funny, 50 years on the novel's strength is undiminished. Reading Joseph Heller's classic satire is nothing less than a rite of passage. Set in the closing months of World War II, this is the story of a bombardier named Yossarian who is frantic and furious because thousands of people he has never met are trying to kill him. His real problem is not the enemy - it...
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Reviews
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Polilla-Lynn
This seems to be a book that many people enjoyed but for me it was annoying, crude in places and just not an enjoyable read. I couldn't finish it, and there are few books I don't read to the end.
Jan 21st, 2019
red13x
Catch-22 is a good book, albeit confusing at times. At the half-way point I finally started to enjoy it, so it is worth persevering if you're not sure about it at first!
Dec 29th, 2016
TK
Amazing. Takes some time to get used to language and character details can be difficult to remember, yet still, amazing.
Dec 23rd, 2013
lgaston99
I greatly enjoyed this book. The dark humor and shenanigans that fill this book are great and sometimes unexpected. Recommended read.
Oct 14th, 2013
Tejas Nair
This was my second read of Catch-22 and I had to bump a star here. It's an out-and-out ridiculously illogical mess of paradoxes set during the Second World War and takes potshots at the way American military works. Some of the dialogues here are legendary and if I ever have a third child and he's a boy I'll name him Yossarian. Catch-22 is a book you need to read every few years. (https://www.nairtejas.com/)
Sep 10th, 2013
jwag5
Never have I laughed out loud at a novel as much as with "Catch-22". Instantly it has become one of my favorite pieces of literature. I cannot recommend this book strongly enough.
Jun 29th, 2013
doyoulistentoyourclassicalrecords
love the flashback/ flash forward way it's written in. Perfect blend of hilarious and shocking
Jun 6th, 2013
rconawa
This book can be a little hard to follow but it tells a great story and anyone who has ever been in the military will laugh at the "spot on" descriptions of military logic. Worth reading.
Mar 25th, 2013
jdbosel
I think this may have been one of the most confusing books I've ever read. This was my initial reaction while reading Catch-22. There was so much repetition of theme and activity, and so much dissension from an established timeline that it was hard to place characters, times, and events. I made it about a third of the way through the book being completely lost when I had to fall back on watching the movie to help get an idea of what I was supposed to be reading. After seeing the film, I was able to go off a framework to sort out the chaos and found myself really being able to immerse myself in a very well-written story depicting the true insanity of war through a dark comedic writing style. This book is not for everyone, but if you are able to wrap your head around the writing style, you will find a lot of satisfaction in this darkly humorous read. (If you are too confused, watch the movie which is pretty faithful to the text, but as is usually the case, the book is better.)
Feb 15th, 2013
Catch-22 appears on these lists...
29th on The 20th Centrury's Greatest Hits by American Book Review
7th on 100 Best Novels by Modern Library
15th on Rival 100 Best Novels by Radcliffe
74th on 100 Greatest Novels of All Time by The Guardian
13th on Books You Can't Live Without by The Guardian
77th on 100 Novels Everyone Should Read by Telegraph
11th on The Big Read by BBC
5th on Books of the Century by Waterstone
19th on Top 100 Books by Newsweek
