Great reviews Jeremy! Seconding Matterhorn and I have The Sympathizer in my to-be-listened-to library. Speaking of O’Brien, I recommend his Going After Cacciato, which, like Marlantes, also makes use of the author’s wartime experiences. Another excellent National Book Award winner set in the Vietnam War is Denis Johnson’s Tree of Smoke. The set piece involving the character of Dietrich Fest alone makes the novel worth reading.
We read "In the Lake of the Woods" for AP Lit & Comp in high school; I had completely forgotten about that until now. It was an interesting choice for a bunch of juniors to read... I later read "The Things They Carried" as a young adult and that has stuck with me more.
Oh, that is a funny choice for high school. Interesting! Things They Carried is definitely better and more memorable — Lake of the Woods isn’t really even trying to do the same thing, but is certainly still well done and has some interesting ideas to chew on.
Another sideways Viet Nam fiction is Up Country by Nelson DeMille. It was the first book that i read by this author. It is a sequel to The General’s Daughter. Your review of The Women is consistent with all the other reviews that I have read.
Thanks for the reviews, especially of the Women. Your review is spot on. Hannah is an excellent writer but she can’t resist the need to tie everything into a bow. It’s unfortunate.
This is the first time I have seen Karl Marlantes book recommended, so thank you. I think it is a tour de force and, as someone who has Vietnam veterans in my family, a real truth being told. This is what war looks like...this is how you might be treated by following the orders you were trained to follow. It was a painful read, but so necessary. If you think violence will solve your problems, or anybody's problems, read this. Thanks for the other recommendations.
I’ve read “If I Die in a Combat Zone” by Tim O’Brien. Also really liked Winston Groom’s “Better Times Than These.”
O'Brien is one of my favorites
Definitely want to read more of his work.
Great reviews Jeremy! Seconding Matterhorn and I have The Sympathizer in my to-be-listened-to library. Speaking of O’Brien, I recommend his Going After Cacciato, which, like Marlantes, also makes use of the author’s wartime experiences. Another excellent National Book Award winner set in the Vietnam War is Denis Johnson’s Tree of Smoke. The set piece involving the character of Dietrich Fest alone makes the novel worth reading.
Good to know, thanks John!
We read "In the Lake of the Woods" for AP Lit & Comp in high school; I had completely forgotten about that until now. It was an interesting choice for a bunch of juniors to read... I later read "The Things They Carried" as a young adult and that has stuck with me more.
Oh, that is a funny choice for high school. Interesting! Things They Carried is definitely better and more memorable — Lake of the Woods isn’t really even trying to do the same thing, but is certainly still well done and has some interesting ideas to chew on.
Another sideways Viet Nam fiction is Up Country by Nelson DeMille. It was the first book that i read by this author. It is a sequel to The General’s Daughter. Your review of The Women is consistent with all the other reviews that I have read.
DeMille is high on my list! Loved The General’s Daughter a couple years ago.
Thanks for the reviews, especially of the Women. Your review is spot on. Hannah is an excellent writer but she can’t resist the need to tie everything into a bow. It’s unfortunate.
I have read Matterhorn, which is excellent, and The Women, which was good. The others are on my list. Thanks Jeremy.
Thanks for reading, as always!
Loved The Things They Carried. And The Sympathizers was pretty good.
Get Matterhorn on your TBR, too!
These were exactly my sentiments about The Women. We did not need those love story bits and, for me, it cheapened the narrative.
This is the first time I have seen Karl Marlantes book recommended, so thank you. I think it is a tour de force and, as someone who has Vietnam veterans in my family, a real truth being told. This is what war looks like...this is how you might be treated by following the orders you were trained to follow. It was a painful read, but so necessary. If you think violence will solve your problems, or anybody's problems, read this. Thanks for the other recommendations.