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Catch-22

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Catch-22

Written by: Joseph Heller
Narrated by: Jay O. Sanders
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About this listen

Fifty years after its original publication, Catch-22 remains a cornerstone of American literature and one of the funniest - and most celebrated - novels of all time. In recent years, it has been named to "best novels" lists by Time, Newsweek, the Modern Library, and the London Observer. Set in Italy during World War II, this is the story of the incomparable, malingering bombardier Yossarian, a hero who is furious because thousands of people he has never met are trying to kill him. But his real problem is not the enemy - it is his own army, which keeps increasing the number of missions the men must fly to complete their service. Yet if Yossarian makes any attempt to excuse himself from the perilous missions he's assigned, he'll be in violation of Catch-22, a hilariously sinister bureaucratic rule: A man is considered insane if he willingly continues to fly dangerous combat missions, but if he makes a formal request to be removed from duty, he is proven sane and therefore ineligible to be relieved.

Since its publication in 1961, no novel has matched Catch-22's intensity and brilliance in depicting the brutal insanity of war. This 50th-anniversary edition commemorates Joseph Heller's masterpiece with a new introduction by Christopher Buckley; personal essays on the genesis of the novel by the author; a wealth of critical responses and reviews by Norman Mailer, Alfred Kazin, Anthony Burgess, and others; rare papers from Joseph Heller's personal archive; and a selection of advertisements from the original publishing campaign that helped turn Catch-22 into a cultural phenomenon. Here, at last, is the definitive edition of a classic of world literature.

©1955, 1961 Joseph Heller. Copyright renewed (c) 1989 Joseph Heller. All rights reserved (P)2017 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved
Classics Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction Fiction Comedy Funny Witty War
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What listeners say about Catch-22

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    5 out of 5 stars

funny, witty and deep

excellent narrator, excellent story. One of the best books I've ever 'read', probably. Audible review wordcounts are pretty stupid.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Fantastic

Arguably my favourite book. The entire time reading it all I could think about was one of my favourite shows MASH. There is satire and funny times mixed with the most serious situations you could have to encounter. A great story across the entire book. I also liked how you could relate a lot of how this book went, the rank system, the proverbial carrot often dangled in many workplaces. Very much enjoyed and the narration was very well done with the right amount of drama.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Elite.

The narration borders on genius, and I am weighing my words here - genius and love are the two most overused words in the english vocabulary - really impressive.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

best story all around

hilarious. every character is perfectly crafted, the absurdity is always kicked up at least a notch more than you expected.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Boourns...

I couldn't get through this due to the performance. The reader's inflections were too much. A shame.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Great book, tough as audiobook

The reading of this book is top notch. Very enjoyable to listen to.

Nothing wrong with the book itself either, however the many characters with unusual names like Major Major, the dead man in Yossarian’s tent and Major <ahem> de Coverley become really confusing when you can’t really flip ahead to find out- and it takes (for example) about 8 hours of listening to find out that Major Major is a persons name, not the narrator stuttering. The other thing is that this book is non-linear in format, but the audiobook makes it hard to flip to a ‘page’ and recall an earlier event that is later referenced.

My recommendation is that if you have not read this book, read about the characters online first so you have some background before being thrown into it. Otherwise, you will spend the first few hours confused and disinterested in what should be an exciting and engaging story.

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12 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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The rare instance where the movie is better ...

For me it was too drawn out. I thought reading the book would answer some questions about the movie instead I found myself losing interest and wishing for the end. The movie was better than the book which is rare. Cheers

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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long but good

saw the movie, the series on tv and now the book. The book is worth it and by moments bursted laughing out loud here and there.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Great Narrator, Plot not As Good as I remember

I loved this book in high school but it didn't hold up. Narrator certainly helped be enjoyable.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

entertainment at its best

I loved this story. it is very entertaining. this was recommended by a friend and it did not disappoint. cleverly written. now I know what catch 22 means.

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