Customer Reviews: Read 707 more reviews...
 Absolutely a number 10 December 31, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Of all the books published on the Vietnam War, this is the grandaddy. O'Brien's ability to capture the mood and setting of grunts sent to fight an unjust war is amazing and heartrending. While surviving with your buddy was the most important task in 'Nam, the ways to make that happen differed dramatically. If it meant fragging your Lieutenant, it was often done. If it meant shooting yourself in the foot, lots of soldiers didn't hesitate. O'Brien shows us the insanity of the times, putting the reader in the middle of firefights and boredom. His writing is above the genre' and even develops a style of its own, often copied. O'Brien is the master.
Ron Lealos author of Don't Mean Nuthin'
Fictional with Non-Fictional Principles December 22, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This novel is like your perfect medium blend of coffee.
It is classic fiction due to the fluid way the story moves, but it teaches the reader that there are invisible effects of war, a non-fictional principle that is still applicable today. Within the personality each character, the reader will be able to identify someone he knows and also relate that element to something within himself.
A true classic. I laud O'Brien for the impeccable quality of the story and for unabashedly including the bittersweet reality that (a) many wounds of war are not visible; and (b) war is not as glamourous as a mere action movie might portray.
Got me and taught me December 20, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
The granddaddy. This one grabbed me and I haven't recovered. It was a textbook. The stories are so vivid and heartfelt, the language so real, the actions so heroic. Tried my best to emulate in:
[[ASIN:1439219826 Don't Mean Nuthin']
Unlike anything I have read before December 6, 2008
My son had to read this book for school so one day I picked it up and couldn't put it down. It really defies categorization. At first it seems like a collection of short stories about Vietnam. But the stories are related, though not necessarily dependent on each other. It offers the most amazing blend of fact and fiction which is one of the main themes of the book. What is reality? How do you define truth? It is written very simply so in one sense it's an "easy" read. But the impact will rock you to the core. And it IS a war story, so not really for the faint of heart, including the language used by the soldiers. (Normally, I'm not a fan of a lot expletives but in this case, they ring true to the situation.) I highly recommend this book!
An Entertaining and Enlightening Introduction to Story Telling November 30, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Sections of this book were assigned to me as coursework. What I read was so entertaining that I immediately purchased the book and had read and reread it within a weekend. I admit that I'd not have seen the depth of O'Brien's true literary genius had my professor not shed light on some of the subtle issues addressed herein (i.e. the retelling of The Lemon Tree story as a portrait of literary progression through history, etc.). Still, even without an appreciation of or interest in top quality literature, the interested reader will find great insight into character and plot development within this literary masterpeice.
Be warned though that this story is not a historical account of a soldier's horrific experience in Vietnam. Instead, the author's experience in Vietnam is used to illustrate the true purpose of the piece: how a story teller accurately transmits a message to the audience. To all of those who criticize this book as being poorly written because of its historical inaccuracies, I kindly paraphrase the author's own words: you obviously weren't listening.
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