THE THINGS THEY CARRIEDTim O'Brien ~ BOiPod
Personal Rating: 4/5
Yearly Count: 12
What great insight Tim O'Brien has into the Vietnam War. As I listened to the stories, I felt like he was sharing his own personal experiences and I'm still questioning whether or not this fictional book contained a considerable amount of truth, because his ability to make the unfathomable seem totally plausible was purely brilliant. Even though the stories were of great interest, I could have done without the repetition.
The stories told depicted the mentality of the soldiers in vivid detail along with the physical and spiritual pressures. They gave the full picture of what the war did to a particular group of men. I now have a greater understanding of the thoughts and feelings of veterans and a greater appreciation for what our soldiers have done in the past and what they are doing for us today.
God bless our soldiers.
I re-read this book last year and was again impressed with Tim O'Brien's writing. I originally read it in high school as a way to better understand my father, a Vietnam vet.
ReplyDeleteMy dad is a Vietnam Vet and so I have a special place in my heart for our war veterans. I gave my father this book as a gift when it first came out, but I have yet to read it. I'm expecting it in a bookring later this year and am looking forward to reading it. The more I hear others talk about it, the more I want to read it.
ReplyDeleteCarrie ~ I wonder if I may have liked this even more if I read it instead of listening to it. ?
ReplyDeleteLiterary Feline ~ I'm curious as to what your dad thought of the book.
I've heard about this book and it's on my wish list now.
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I both loved this book. It does have a circular/repetitive nature to the narrative, but I didn't find that to be a distraction. You might be right. You may have enjoyed it even more had you read it rather than listened to it. Nonetheless, I'm glad you liked it as well as you did!
ReplyDeleteI liked this one, too. I thought that the repetition was representative of the frequent monotony of war. You know, same endless tasks with no real reward or light at the end of the tunnel. I thought he gave a pretty good feel for what life on the front line would be like.
ReplyDeleteLynne ~ It's a good one. Hope you enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteLes ~ I didn't feel like the repetitive nature was a distraction per se, I just would have preferred it without. My husband listened to it as well and he didn't like the repetition at all. I felt like it was a strategy to complete the mentality of the soldiers...one of repetitious thoughts. I did "enjoy" it and I think it was your review that finally convinced me to read it. Whether it was or not...thank you. :)
Kookie ~ I agree, wholeheartedly.
Joy - His initial comment to me was, "You know how to pick 'em." He didn't expand much beyond that other then to compliment me on my ability to pick out "good ones". He did say it was a tear jerker.
ReplyDeleteLiterary Feline ~ It sounds like he really appreciated your thoughtfulness in specifically choosing that book. :) I believe his connection with the war must have made it a "tear jerker" for him...maybe a little too close to home. It did not have that affect on me.
ReplyDeleteLes ~ I went back and checked your review of this book and it was then that I decided to read it. So...a proper "Thank You" goes to you. I've also decided to add "Recommended By:" on my blog, so you're there! :)
ReplyDeleteOooh, I like this addition to your book reviews! Thank you for the link and I'll be adding the same sort of thing to my reviews in the future. I like the way you separated it from the actual review. I try to remember who has recommended a book (or written a glowing review) and include the link in my review, but this stands out a bit better.
ReplyDeleteI received one of the Teaching Co's brochures in the mail and there's a course on The Red Badge of Courage - it's said that this book is the first to depict war as it truly was, even though the author hadn't been in one at that time.
ReplyDeleteTwo Carrie K's! Double trouble.
Les ~ You're welcome. :)
ReplyDeleteCarrie ~ That's interesting. Yikes on the "Carrie K.s"!