It was in a letter of 1897, about his cousin James Ross Clemens, that Mark Twain famously noted that "the report of my death was an exaggeration." He...
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The way the story was told reminded me of Timeline, but without Crichton’s fast pace. Flynn has done his homework on the history of the period and delivers believable characters in their reactions and manners. The premise seemed a bit strange, which was what caught my attention in the first place, but the characters themselves were the facet that kept my interest. This is one I will read again.
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(1 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)
At its simplest level, this aptly titled book is all about the things that the soldiers of Alpha Company carried with them into war—the personal burdens, the collective burdens and even humanity’s burdens. We learn about the physical items, both expected (weapon, ammunition, canteen, poncho) and unexpected (a girlfriend’s pantyhose, pictures, a journal). The author tells us about the emotional baggage as well (guilt, fear, anger, pride). Rather than tick off these things like a checklist, O’Brien builds context around them through gripping narrative. Civilian readers will get a taste of what it was like and the soldiers who have been there will remember…
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(5 of 13 readers found this comment helpful)
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jba has commented on (2) products.
Eifelheim by Michael Flynn
jba, February 6, 2009
The way the story was told reminded me of Timeline, but without Crichton’s fast pace. Flynn has done his homework on the history of the period and delivers believable characters in their reactions and manners. The premise seemed a bit strange, which was what caught my attention in the first place, but the characters themselves were the facet that kept my interest. This is one I will read again.(1 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)
The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
jba, February 6, 2009
At its simplest level, this aptly titled book is all about the things that the soldiers of Alpha Company carried with them into war—the personal burdens, the collective burdens and even humanity’s burdens. We learn about the physical items, both expected (weapon, ammunition, canteen, poncho) and unexpected (a girlfriend’s pantyhose, pictures, a journal). The author tells us about the emotional baggage as well (guilt, fear, anger, pride). Rather than tick off these things like a checklist, O’Brien builds context around them through gripping narrative. Civilian readers will get a taste of what it was like and the soldiers who have been there will remember…(5 of 13 readers found this comment helpful)