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Catch-22
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Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
Author: Joseph Heller
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Average Customer Rating:
Our Price: $11.20
You Save: $ 4.80 ( 30% )
Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
Author: Joseph Heller
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Average Customer Rating:
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Catch-22 Description
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780684833392
ISBN: 0684833395
Label: Simon & Schuster
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 464
Publication Date: 1996-09-04
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Studio: Simon & Schuster
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780684833392
ISBN: 0684833395
Label: Simon & Schuster
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 464
Publication Date: 1996-09-04
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Studio: Simon & Schuster
Editorial Review of Catch-22
There was a time when reading Joseph Heller's classic satire on the murderous insanity of war was nothing less than a rite of passage. Echoes of Yossarian, the wise-ass bombardier who was too smart to die but not smart enough to find a way out of his predicament, could be heard throughout the counterculture. As a result, it's impossible not to consider Catch-22 to be something of a period piece. But 40 years on, the novel's undiminished strength is its looking-glass logic. Again and again, Heller's characters demonstrate that what is commonly held to be good, is bad; what is sensible, is nonsense.
Yossarian says, "You're talking about winning the war, and I am talking about winning the war and keeping alive."
"Exactly," Clevinger snapped smugly. "And which do you think is more important?"
"To whom?" Yossarian shot back. "It doesn't make a damn bit of difference who wins the war to someone who's dead."
"I can't think of another attitude that could be depended upon to give greater comfort to the enemy."
"The enemy," retorted Yossarian with weighted precision, "is anybody who's going to get you killed, no matter which side he's on."
Mirabile dictu, the book holds up post-Reagan, post-Gulf War. It's a good thing, too. As long as there's a military, that engine of lethal authority, Catch-22 will shine as a handbook for smart-alecky pacifists. It's an utterly serious and sad, but damn funny book.
Customer Reviews of Catch-22
Customer Rating: 
Review Summary: There's always a catch...
Review: Catch-22 consisted of alot of irony and witty sarcasm, and held ideas that seem unrealistic yet comical and incredibly unexpected. I found it understandable that character Yossarian wants to get home without having to die in order to do it, and the other numerous characters and situations made it even more comical and twists the ideas and sarcasm, making it truly unique. But as entertaining as it was I also found it somewhat redundant; the situations and predicaments certain characters were stuck in kept it interesting, but in my opinion there wasn't really a plot. It would jump around to different moments in time unexpectedly and the end of the book was so unexpected and disappointing, it makes the book as a whole seem superfluous.
Irony was a large aspect of the book; practically every situation any character got into was totally ironic, and I think Joseph Heller's use of irony brings out more of the anti-war opinion the book seems to have. It seems like Heller meant for the ideas and situations to be superfluous in order to show that war is superfluous, and I think he portrayed it well in the book. The tools he used to get that point across-- irony, sarcasm, comedy-- I believe were crucial to the ideas and themes, but I also think that seeing it from Yossarian's point of view is crucial as well, and brings out more of Heller's opinions throughout the book.
A good aspect (and one of the very, very few) I found about the book was the fact that it wasn't based on pre-conceived notions of war but based on Heller's own opinion. Heller wrote the book the way he saw war, in a way where it seemed so twisted and unrealistic that it couldn't be reality but in my opinion it was reality. Every situation seemed unbelievable, but I think war in itself must be unbelievable and that was Heller's opinion...it was ridiculous, unbelievable, something one couldn't describe using everyday circumstances. It made all the main ideas stronger and circulated them throughout one another and throughout the book, but that was probably the only good thing about the book. I thought the whole thing was incredibly unnecessary with the way it ended and it was too repetitive with simply describing characters for each chapter; it made it kind of dull.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Still Crazy After All These Years
Review: Catch 22 is simply one of the best books ever written. It describes the world as it really is, and does it in a way that will stick with you for a very long time. You will have fun with the many characters and find them surrounding you in a very real sense in your day to day life. Even the dark tragedy of war becomes bearable as described through the comedic voice of the author.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Favorite book
Review: Great book that captures the absured nature of life better than anyone has ever has.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: An Incredible read
Review: Catch- 22 is a hilariously genius novel written by bestseller novelist Joseph Heller. The plot takes place in the heat of World War II on the small island of Pianosa, which is eight miles south of Elba. It follows the journey of an American bomber Yossarian, who is encroaching upon the first of his middle-aged years. The story introduces a myriad of characters that very much influence and have the ability to control the fate of the many bombers including Yossarian. In an attempt to escape this unappealing and rather petrifying fate, which is known to be Yossarian's "journey", the protagonist matures as a character that will eventually escape a catch-22 with the last sentence.
The novel, which was filled with irony, spoke brutally honest words, which in different circumstances would have been considered taboo. "...A world boiling in chaos in which everything was in proper order" (154) is one of many instances where Heller's ability to successfully bring together two words of opposite meaning is displayed. Joseph Heller is a literary genius whose novel will never age with time.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Good Condition --- Waited FOREVER for Receipt
Review: The book condition was good. However, we did not receive the book til after a month and a half had already passed. Good thing we didn't really "need" the book for something in particular. Ordered other books on the same day and received within 14 days . . . not sure what happened here but very unhappy with wait time.
Review Summary: There's always a catch...
Review: Catch-22 consisted of alot of irony and witty sarcasm, and held ideas that seem unrealistic yet comical and incredibly unexpected. I found it understandable that character Yossarian wants to get home without having to die in order to do it, and the other numerous characters and situations made it even more comical and twists the ideas and sarcasm, making it truly unique. But as entertaining as it was I also found it somewhat redundant; the situations and predicaments certain characters were stuck in kept it interesting, but in my opinion there wasn't really a plot. It would jump around to different moments in time unexpectedly and the end of the book was so unexpected and disappointing, it makes the book as a whole seem superfluous.
Irony was a large aspect of the book; practically every situation any character got into was totally ironic, and I think Joseph Heller's use of irony brings out more of the anti-war opinion the book seems to have. It seems like Heller meant for the ideas and situations to be superfluous in order to show that war is superfluous, and I think he portrayed it well in the book. The tools he used to get that point across-- irony, sarcasm, comedy-- I believe were crucial to the ideas and themes, but I also think that seeing it from Yossarian's point of view is crucial as well, and brings out more of Heller's opinions throughout the book.
A good aspect (and one of the very, very few) I found about the book was the fact that it wasn't based on pre-conceived notions of war but based on Heller's own opinion. Heller wrote the book the way he saw war, in a way where it seemed so twisted and unrealistic that it couldn't be reality but in my opinion it was reality. Every situation seemed unbelievable, but I think war in itself must be unbelievable and that was Heller's opinion...it was ridiculous, unbelievable, something one couldn't describe using everyday circumstances. It made all the main ideas stronger and circulated them throughout one another and throughout the book, but that was probably the only good thing about the book. I thought the whole thing was incredibly unnecessary with the way it ended and it was too repetitive with simply describing characters for each chapter; it made it kind of dull.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Still Crazy After All These Years
Review: Catch 22 is simply one of the best books ever written. It describes the world as it really is, and does it in a way that will stick with you for a very long time. You will have fun with the many characters and find them surrounding you in a very real sense in your day to day life. Even the dark tragedy of war becomes bearable as described through the comedic voice of the author.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Favorite book
Review: Great book that captures the absured nature of life better than anyone has ever has.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: An Incredible read
Review: Catch- 22 is a hilariously genius novel written by bestseller novelist Joseph Heller. The plot takes place in the heat of World War II on the small island of Pianosa, which is eight miles south of Elba. It follows the journey of an American bomber Yossarian, who is encroaching upon the first of his middle-aged years. The story introduces a myriad of characters that very much influence and have the ability to control the fate of the many bombers including Yossarian. In an attempt to escape this unappealing and rather petrifying fate, which is known to be Yossarian's "journey", the protagonist matures as a character that will eventually escape a catch-22 with the last sentence.
The novel, which was filled with irony, spoke brutally honest words, which in different circumstances would have been considered taboo. "...A world boiling in chaos in which everything was in proper order" (154) is one of many instances where Heller's ability to successfully bring together two words of opposite meaning is displayed. Joseph Heller is a literary genius whose novel will never age with time.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Good Condition --- Waited FOREVER for Receipt
Review: The book condition was good. However, we did not receive the book til after a month and a half had already passed. Good thing we didn't really "need" the book for something in particular. Ordered other books on the same day and received within 14 days . . . not sure what happened here but very unhappy with wait time.