This was much funnier than I anticipated, but just as dark and cynical. I didn't like the way it jumped all over the place, even if I get the stylistiThis was much funnier than I anticipated, but just as dark and cynical. I didn't like the way it jumped all over the place, even if I get the stylistic point (war is frenetic and disorienting, okay). The writing style is unique and very clever (I laughed out loud frequently), but ultimately I had trouble relating to or feeling deeply for any of the characters, so it won't go down on my lists of favorite novels. I also think it could have been improved by shaving off about 100 pages. It's just too much of the same thing. ...more
I was put off by the short, choppy writing style at first, but I adjusted. The narrative tone was flat, which was of course in keeping with the natureI was put off by the short, choppy writing style at first, but I adjusted. The narrative tone was flat, which was of course in keeping with the nature and mood of the protagonist. It was an interesting experience reading this story from the perspective of such an emotionless character - a psychopath, perhaps. In the end, I'm not quite sure what I thought of it. It definitely held my interest, and there were some lines that stood out as stark poetry, but like much of 20th century classic literature, it left me feeling a tinge of existential depression, which is an experience I prefer to seek to escape rather than to emphasize through my reading. ...more
For those of us who grew up on Golden Books (which is most of us), this is a cute, sentimental, nostalgic throwback. It takes classic pictures from thFor those of us who grew up on Golden Books (which is most of us), this is a cute, sentimental, nostalgic throwback. It takes classic pictures from the Golden Books, most but not all of which I recognized, and superimposes an positive line of text about a little something good that picture implies about life, such as “play hard” or “stop and smell the strawberries.” It’s extremely simplistic, and not humorous. It might make a nice coffee table book, but I myself wouldn’t spend money on it. ...more
"If I have joined the ranks of the reformers," writes Bastiat, "it is solely for the purpose of persuading them to leave people alone." This 19th cent"If I have joined the ranks of the reformers," writes Bastiat, "it is solely for the purpose of persuading them to leave people alone." This 19th century Frenchman has written a pamphlet that represents libertarianism in a nutshell. The purpose of the law, he argues, is to be a collective means of protecting the individual rights to life, liberty, and property and no more than that. As such, the law can never be used to infringe these rights (as, for instance, by plundering one group for the benefit of another, which occurs through taxation, protectionism, cronyism, etc.). The pamphlet is heavy with theory, and shows little concern for the practical - as I said, libertarianism in a nutshell. The emphasis is on the philosophical ideal, an ideal that even Bastiat knows is unobtainable. The law will be perverted beyond this limited purpose, whether because of "stupid greed" or "false philanthropy." This is what always hangs me up about libertarianism: given that the ideal cannot and will not be obtained, given that the law will always be perverted, what's the most practical thing to do? How can libertarianism last more than a week before someone seizes the reins and perverts the law, and if the system cannot last more than a week, what does it matter how good it is in theory? That said, there is much that is intellectually appealing in this treatise, and I highlighted many lines. The essay was much easier to read than I anticipated, though it was somewhat repetitive in parts. ...more
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