Maggie – Had this on her shelf for a long time and picked it because she knew nothing about the subject. Upon finishing, she immediately reread it, something she's never done before, and caught a lot more the second time through. She thought it a powerful, well-written book with a lot of emotional impact. It brought the brutality of war to the forefront and did so with a minimum of settings. She didn't understand why they disposed of Murph's body the way they did. Was it guilt, remorse? She had some difficulty with it going back and forth in
time in time as much as it did. She thought Murph and the narrator were very innocent prewar. Was struck by the narrator thinking about how his grandfather fought in WWII for a reason, but that this war didn't feel that way at all. She thought he conveyed his emotions of being the walking dead very well.
Miles – Having two months to read detracted from his experience. He thought it was an actual recounting and not a novel, so he gives the author huge credit for having him believe this. He liked the way the chapters would go back and forth in time. Parts of the book seemed overwritten and he found some of the metaphors and similes at times preposterous. He didn't have a good feel for who Murph or Bartle were as characters, and Sterling was too textbook. Miles mentioned that right or wrong, war is the same as it always has been, humans killing humans and losing their sense of morality as they do so. The survivors are left to deal with the aftermath, and can never fully adjust to postwar life. He was glad that it never dealt with any of the war's politics and prefers books about war to be more about the human aspect rather than war itself. Overall it didn't really speak to him. He assumed that people enter the military because they think it will be cool to play with guns and then find out differently too late. This brought on quite a discussion about people entering the military with few options.
K’Lynn – Enjoyed this in a horrible, sad way. Unlike Miles, she enjoyed the writing and metaphors. As the story unfolded she suspected that the narrator was somehow responsible for Murph's death. When Murph's fate was revealed she found it anti-climactic. It was of course, horrible, but she wondered...that's it? With all the build up, she expected more. She thought it was a great pick and described it as a phenomenal, easy read that made her cry. K'Lynn shared how some of her students' families are scarred by the war and thinks that everyone ought to read this.
Sandy – Thought the author was able to bring her into his mindset. She liked the line about paying attention to what was rare and how they didn't really pay attention to the death around them because that wasn't rare. She questioned how someone with only a high school education from the backwoods of the South could have such a command of English and be so in touch with his feelings. She saw him as a protector to Murph but thought he was stupid to promise to Murph's mother that he would watch over him. Sterling was so cold and bitter that she thought he must have already lost his mind. She found his character too stereotypical, and someone replied (Miles?) that there's no other place that can create a stereotype like the military. This book hit her very hard and she thought it was really, really good and that it will stay with her for a long time.
K’Lynn – Enjoyed this in a horrible, sad way. Unlike Miles, she enjoyed the writing and metaphors. As the story unfolded she suspected that the narrator was somehow responsible for Murph's death. When Murph's fate was revealed she found it anti-climactic. It was of course, horrible, but she wondered...that's it? With all the build up, she expected more. She thought it was a great pick and described it as a phenomenal, easy read that made her cry. K'Lynn shared how some of her students' families are scarred by the war and thinks that everyone ought to read this.
Sandy – Thought the author was able to bring her into his mindset. She liked the line about paying attention to what was rare and how they didn't really pay attention to the death around them because that wasn't rare. She questioned how someone with only a high school education from the backwoods of the South could have such a command of English and be so in touch with his feelings. She saw him as a protector to Murph but thought he was stupid to promise to Murph's mother that he would watch over him. Sterling was so cold and bitter that she thought he must have already lost his mind. She found his character too stereotypical, and someone replied (Miles?) that there's no other place that can create a stereotype like the military. This book hit her very hard and she thought it was really, really good and that it will stay with her for a long time.
Becky – Liked how it personified war with the opening sentence. She thought he did a great job describing Bartle's isolation and getting into his head both in battle and back at home with his inability to deal with life. She liked his writing, but found the jumping back and forth in time too jarring. She saw no connection between Bartle and Murph at all and found very little that
indicated a bond between the two of them, which puzzled her. Are we supposed to infer that they were friends simply by the fact that they shared battle? Despite much being written about Murph we
never really get to know him. It was a thought provoking read and seemed very real, but she missed any emotional connections.
Carolyn – Found this a very emotional book because her boys are the same age as the characters, and war always affects both the soldiers and their families. How many soldiers would walk away if they could, once they found out what war was really like? After reading what soldiers endure in battle she decided that her uncle, who is a Vietnam Vet, has earned his right to chewing tobacco and she'll be sending him some the next time he asks. Bartle's description of being thanked by strangers for his service and then thinking to himself that they shouldn't thank him because what he did was horrible left an impression on Carolyn. To have all this happen to them at such a young age, registering at age 17... and the guilt they have to bear for just being alive. It all made for a very powerful story especially because he was there.
Pat – I thought it was beautiful and awful at the same time. It was jarring to read such horrible things described so poetically. The language forced you to see and feel everything whether you wanted to or not. I read it too fast and was confused about Bartle's offense in Murph's death. It was lost upon me why exactly he was imprisoned. I knew it had something to do with writing the letter to Murph's mom, but imprisonment seemed too harsh for writing a letter, as wrong as that was. I kept waiting for this to clear up, but it never really did. Maggie's comment about how innocent they were prewar reminded me of these photos taken of soldiers before, during, and after combat.
Michelle - I plan to just write some bullets, since you probably have covered all that I will say.
Next book: The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson
Michelle - I plan to just write some bullets, since you probably have covered all that I will say.
- I wasn’t sure of the writing at first, but it was very good, and I could picture the scenery very well.
- I don’t usually read war stories, but felt the author was very true to his words and wasn’t surprised by his graphic illustrations on war. I always felt it was worse than what I have seen on TV or have read.
- Young men are thrown into this area, and most do not know how to handle such devastation, as we can all imagine how hard it would be to be the parent or relative in this case.
- I do support the military, in some cases, but we all know how hard it is to support the war.
- I felt really bad for the author to be put in a situation to take care of Murphy, not everyone can become friends in that situation. And Murphy wasn’t really into becoming friends, and having someone to lean on.
- I know there are people that have to support our country and not everyone can handle the situation. But it is important that we have these individuals as a country.
- As a parent, it must be your worst nightmare, to have someone come and tell you’re their child is no longer here. No matter what the cause.
- My uncle was in the Vietnam war and was injured, I know for a fact he suffered many years of post traumatic war, and luckily he is still here very happy now. He stepped into a land mine, and saved people from dying and received the purple heart. He has long term medical problems, but like the author he survived.
Hope to see all of you at the next book club
Michelle
Next book: The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson
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