The Naked & The Dead By Norman Mailer

phlegmatics
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Has anyone ever read this book? if so what are your thoughts?

Does it wrap its self up in the end? What did you think about it?

 

I cannot make up my damned mind about this book...one part will be absolutely amazing and very interesting and then woosh nothing for another 50 pages.

 

I am at about 405 pages into it (i think its around 717).

 

so for those who read it what do you think of it?


Posted June 15th, 2008 by phlegmatics

PGoutis01
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Re: The Naked & The Dead By Norman Mailer

Man I've been watching this thread because I've wondered about this book.  But alas nobody is replying...

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Tue, 06/17/2008 - 15:59

phlegmatics
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Re: The Naked & The Dead By Norman Mailer

I finished it yesterday, and it was good not great

 

700+ pages was excessive but it was good... I really didnt like alot of General Cumming's speeches and philosophy those were difficult to get through as were the extremely uneccessary flashbacks of life before the war. Aside from that the book was good, very scary and real one moment, very funny and derogatory the next...over all very VERY human.

 

I am convinced that these characters aside from General Cummings and Seargant Croft were people norman mailer new in the army and just changed their names.

 

 

Two of the deaths were so powerfully dramatic that i was slack jawed while reading those parts. Another death that should have been relatively important was literally one line.

 

Read it if you like war novels, but if your not into that whole thing you will be bored in some of the downtime moments in the book.


Wed, 06/18/2008 - 22:24

PGoutis01
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Re: The Naked & The Dead By Norman Mailer

Compared to Tim O'Brian?  Is it better than Going After Caciato? (I don't know the spelling and I don't feel like looking it up.)  Or Tom Jones' stuff?

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Wed, 06/18/2008 - 23:51

phlegmatics
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Re: The Naked & The Dead By Norman Mailer

yes yes it is better than both of those. This is the essential WWII novel.


Thu, 06/19/2008 - 00:35

PGoutis01
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Re: The Naked & The Dead By Norman Mailer

Oh sweet!

I'll have to check it out.

Thanks phleg.

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Thu, 06/19/2008 - 23:56