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Going After Cacciato
Going After Cacciato
Author: Tim O'Brien
"To call Going After Cacciato a novel about war is like calling Moby-Dick a novel about whales." — So wrote the New York Times of Tim O'Brien's now classic novel of Vietnam. Winner of the 1979 National Book Award, Going After Cacciato captures the peculiar mixture of horror and hallucination that marked this strangest ...  more »
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ISBN-13: 9780767904421
ISBN-10: 0767904427
Publication Date: 9/1/1999
Pages: 352
Rating:
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 53

3.9 stars, based on 53 ratings
Publisher: Broadway
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover, Audio Cassette
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

kentuckygirl avatar reviewed Going After Cacciato on + 19 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
VERY good!
Read All 7 Book Reviews of "Going After Cacciato"

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reviewed Going After Cacciato on + 495 more book reviews
One of the best Vietnam war novels I've read.
reviewed Going After Cacciato on + 3 more book reviews
An interesting Vietnam War tale by acclaimed author Tim O'Brien (Author of The Things They Carried.) I'm not that into war stories, but I enjoyed this one because of the unique manner in which it was written and the descriptions about the different characters who weave their way into Soldier Paul Berlin's life. A perfect mix of reality and fantasy.
reviewed Going After Cacciato on + 1432 more book reviews
ometimes I choose a book by its cover, sometimes by the reviews I've read or recommendations from others, even if the book won an award. This one did but I don't rccall which method I used to put it on my TBR. I do know that every time I looked at the cover I asked if I wanted to read a war book. Well, this one isn't a war book. It's a book about those involved in war. While the tale begins in Viet Nam it could be any war.

The narrator Paul Berlin, a young man who doesn't really know what he wants to do with his life so he drops out of college and is drafted. He doesn't really want to be a solder but he becomes one.

I like the author's writing, and approach about death. There are no embellishments. They simply die. Firghtened to death. Shot through the throat. Stepped on a land mine. Nothing more so the reader can get into the heads of the men in the story, especially that of Paul Berlin.

It's based on a ridiculous premise. That a man named Cacciato who deserts can walk to Paris. So can those who pursue him. It's humorous, tragic at times and just plain interesting. perhaps I should say fun. The reader knows that such a trek is impossible but the author pulls him forward. It's not a great story but it's so well done that I kept reading - all the way to the surprising conclusion. Yes, I recommend this one. Tim O'Brien is such a fine writer that I put his name on my author list. Good, good book.
reviewed Going After Cacciato on + 1432 more book reviews
Sometimes I choose a book by its cover, sometimes by the reviews I've read or recommendations from others, even if the book won an award. This one did but I don't rccall which method I used to put it on my TBR. I do know that every time I looked at the cover I asked if I wanted to read a war book. Well, this one isn't a war book. It's a book about those involved in war. While the tale begins in Viet Nam it could be any war.

The narrator is Paul Berlin, a young man who doesn't really know what he wants to do with his life so he drops out of college and is drafted. He doesn't really want to be a solder but he becomes one.

I like the author's writing, and approach about death. There are no embellishments. They simply die. Firghtened to death. Shot through the throat. Stepped on a land mine. Nothing more so the reader can get into the heads of the men in the story, especially that of Paul Berlin.

It's based on a ridiculous premise. That a man named Cacciato who deserts can walk to Paris. So can those who pursue him. It's humorous, tragic at times and just plain interesting. perhaps I should say fun. The reader knows that such a trek is impossible but the author pulls him forward. It's not a great story but it's so well done that I kept reading - all the way to the surprising conclusion. Yes, I recommend this one. Tim O'Brien is such a fine writer that I put his name on my author list. Good, good book.

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