Also Shop International: (Not all items available internationally)
The Things They Carried Editorial Review:
One of the first questions people ask about The Things They Carried is this: Is it a novel, or a collection of short stories? The title page refers to the book simply as "a work of fiction," defying the conscientious reader's need to categorize this masterpiece. It is both: a collection of interrelated short pieces which ultimately reads with the dramatic force and tension of a novel. Yet each one of the twenty-two short pieces is written with such care, emotional content, and prosaic precision that it could stand on its own.
The Things They Carried depicts the men of Alpha Company: Jimmy Cross, Henry Dobbins, Rat Kiley, Mitchell Sanders, Norman Bowker, Kiowa, and of course, the character Tim O'Brien who has survived his tour in Vietnam to become a father and writer at the age of forty-three. They battle the enemy (or maybe more the idea of the enemy), and occasionally each other. In their relationships we see their isolation and loneliness, their rage and fear. They miss their families, their girlfriends and buddies; they miss the lives they left back home. Yet they find sympathy and kindness for strangers (the old man who leads them unscathed through the mine field, the girl who grieves while she dances), and love for each other, because in Vietnam they are the only family they have. We hear the voices of the men and build images upon their dialogue. The way they tell stories about others, we hear them telling stories about themselves.
With the creative verve of the greatest fiction and the intimacy of a searing autobiography, The Things They Carried is a testament to the men who risked their lives in America's most controversial war. It is also a mirror held up to the frailty of humanity. Ultimately The Things They Carried and its myriad protagonists call to order the courage, determination, and luck we all need to survive.
Customer Reviews:
Vietnam War historical fiction
As the son of a Vietnam veteran, I have always had a profound interest in the war--starting as a child who religiously watched "China Beach" before progressing into a young adult who sought to learn more via documentaries and nonfiction books such as Halberstam's "The Best and the Brightest."
Not an "historical fiction" buff like many lovers of the genre, I limit my selections to books that have weathered time and emerged as standard-bearers of the period/event of which they encompass. Examples: "The Killer Angels"; "Catch-22"; "All Quiet on the Western Front"; "The Pillars of the Earth"; to name a few.
"The Things They Carried" is constructed in a very different manner--a collection of short narratives--and is intended to educate the reader more about the atmosphere of the War among the soldiers rather than the War itself.
If you understand this going in, then you will be satisfied with your decision to take on the novel.
Violent and graphic
Superbly written, raw and disgustingly graphic. If you have a strong stomach for graphic violence, particularly for torturing animals then go for it. If not, pass. I wish I had.
A masterwork
I am impressed by the writing style of the author.
This book is not just a veteran diary as many others you may read, this is a real literary masterpiece. The ability of the author to analyze the human soul is incredible and moving. Many times you will stop reading and spend time and thoughts considering how true the considerations he made are. The tales are not told following a chronological pattern, but are more similar to a series of snapshots casually laid on a table, only at the end of the book you have a clear overall image, even though still not complete.
Please read it because this book is magnificent.
Most truthful account of Vietnam...
if you believe that truth is a mixture of hard facts and individual perceptions. In one of O'Brien's stories, "The Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong," fictional Tim O'Brien says that he could never trust the tales of his friend Rat Kiley because he blurred the lines of fiction and reality. But in war, the atrocities can feel unreal. In The Things They Carried, O'Brien masterfully weaves the more technical aspects of war with heartbreaking anecdotes about his comrades. A wonderful, quick read, O'Brien created the pinnacle of wartime memoirs.
Unique Remembrance
As a Vietnam veteran, this book provided the most realistic and poignant remembrance of the war -- not the combat, but the unique and intense relationships created while in-country and the internal thoughts, fears, and comic reliefs unique to this experience. So very well written.
Related Categories:
>> >>Books >>Specialty Stores >>Custom Stores >>Book Clubs >>Literature & Fiction >>Popular Fiction
Closer Look
Books
DVD
Toys
Baby
Video
Games
Electronics
Cameras & Photo
Software
Computers
Tools
Garden
Kitchen & Houseware
Magazines
