Catch-22

By Joseph L. Heller, Joseph L. Heller

Add to Cart Please wait, the system is processing.

Average Rating: (See all 4 reviews) Format: Paperback, 464 pages Published In: United States, September 1996 Quantity Available: 1332 Ships within 6-10 days Catch-22 is like no other novel we have ever read. It has its own style, its own rationale, its own extraordinary character. It moves back and forth from hilarity to horror. It is outrageously funny and strangely affecting. National ads/media. From The Publisher: "Catch-22" is like no other novel. It is one of the funniest books ever written, a keystone work in American literature, and even added a new term to the dictionary. At the heart of "Catch-22" resides the incomparable, malingering bombardier, Yossarian, a hero endlessly inventive in his schemes to save his skin from the horrible chances of war. His efforts are perfectly understandable because as he furiously scrambles, thousands of people he hasn't even met are trying to kill him. His problem is Colonel Cathcart, who keeps raising the number of missions the men must fly to complete their service. Yet if Yossarian makes any attempts to excuse himself from the perilous missions that he is committed to flying, he is trapped by the Great Loyalty Oath Crusade, the hilariously sinister bureaucratic rule from which the book takes its title: a man is considered insane if he willingly continues to fly dangerous combat missions, but if he makes the necessary formal request to be relieved of such missions, the very act of making the request proves that he is sane and therefore ineligible to be relieved. "Catch-22" is a microcosm of the twentieth-century world as it might look to some one dangerously sane -- a masterpiece of our time. Publisher: Simon & Schuster ISBN: 0684833395 EAN: 9780684833392 Dimensions: 21.49 x 14.07 x 2.84 centimeters (0.44 kg)

Clever but long winded. I understand the logic, althogh have not studied it in depth, and parts of it were funny. It just didn't really click with me and definately went on too long. I guess I'd recommend it but don't go into it with too high hopes as these will invariably be quashed.

i was forced to read this at school so obviously assumed it would be rubbish and read it with that in mind but it didnt take long for me to find it TOTALLY HILARIOUS and mindbending and thought provoking and reflect on the absudrities of blindly following authoritarian voices and to appreciate the complexities and contradictions within many of the oh-so-human-nutball characters especially the lovable yossarian whom im sure i re-met in various pynchon novels.... the movie is also suprisingly good

Every time I read this novel I remember why it deserves its place at the top of my all-time favourites.
The darkly witty tone of the book is perfect for underscoring the horror and mindless tragedy of war while still allowing you to identify yourself with the everyday realities of the characters in the story. These characters are what really makes the book shine. Yossarian, the main character, is my favourite for his often hilarious attempts to make any sense and meaning out of the complete pointlessness of war and his part in it. I also loved reading about Milo's entrepreneurial exploits, the chaplain's doomed quest to befriend the soldiers and Major Major Major's inevitable failure to be promoted, to name but a few.

I've tried a number of Heller's other works in the hope that he has managed to capture the same genius again, but have always been disappointed. This book is by far his best, and indeed it is hard to beat.

Do yourself a favour and buy this so you can read it again and again. Top-notch.

Catch 22 is a blackly comic almost surreal story about the insanity of war as the schemeing central character weaves his way through the increasingly demented army filled with dim witted and crazed soldiers and officers. Stark and startling and very very readable. Reminiscent of another novel that I just can't place.