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68th out of 115 books
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41 voters
Paths of Glory
The anti-war masterpiece that became an iconic motion picture-now with a foreword by the creator of the acclaimed HBO(tm) series The Wire
Familiar to many as the Stanley Kubrick film starring Kirk Douglas, Paths of Glory explores the perilous complications involved in what nations demand of their soldiers in wartime. Humphrey Cobb's protagonists are Frenchmen during the...more
Familiar to many as the Stanley Kubrick film starring Kirk Douglas, Paths of Glory explores the perilous complications involved in what nations demand of their soldiers in wartime. Humphrey Cobb's protagonists are Frenchmen during the...more
Hardcover, 265 pages
Published
1935
by Viking
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The paths of glory lead but to the grave...
Paths of Glory is one of the most perfect movies ever made. Watch it on a nice large screen TV, in Blu-ray. If you don't have that, go out and get it. Now! It's worth it for this movie alone .
Paths of Glory, the book on which the movie is based, is a very fine book - more moving in many ways than the movie - but stumbles a bit in some heavy-handed scenes. That can be forgiven though, as the book succeeds in putting the reader in the trench on the weste...more
Paths of Glory is one of the most perfect movies ever made. Watch it on a nice large screen TV, in Blu-ray. If you don't have that, go out and get it. Now! It's worth it for this movie alone .
Paths of Glory, the book on which the movie is based, is a very fine book - more moving in many ways than the movie - but stumbles a bit in some heavy-handed scenes. That can be forgiven though, as the book succeeds in putting the reader in the trench on the weste...more
War is an inherently depressing topic, so it is not surprising that realistic books about war are depressing as well. But the latter are absolutely necessary, lest misplaced patriotic fervor obscure the awful realities that are sure to result from the next call to battle. First published in 1935, Humprey Cobb's World War I novel Paths of Glory admirably serves that purpose. Loosely inspired by the Battle of Verdun, Cobb fictionalizes a face-off between French and German troops, in which the Fren...more
The action in this literary one-hit-wonder, written in 1935, takes place in the French army during World War I. An exhausted regiment is charged with the task of seizing an impregnable German stronghold. The mission fails, with 50% casualties, enraging the egomaniac general who promised victory to his superiors; three soldiers, as division representatives, are subsequently court-martialed and executed for "cowardice".
The book can be divided into two distinct parts, separated by the disastrous at...more
The book can be divided into two distinct parts, separated by the disastrous at...more
A hopeless mission, an obstinate general, three blindsided soldiers. PATHS OF GLORY is a powerful little novel about WWI and the futility of war. After a botched attack on a hopeless section of trench, the general is looking to salvage his dignity (but none of the blame) and orders an execution. The order, given in fury but received down through the ranks with silence, causes the men, from the officers carrying it out to the innocent soldiers waiting in prison, to rethink what it means to be bra...more
Read during a high school English class in conjuncture with "All Quiet on the Western Front." A somewhat haunting tale of a group of French soldiers from WW I that are selected at randomn to be sent before a firing squad for cowardice and refusing to follow orders. In reality, their group had been place in a total no-win situation, and were being punished by generals who were looking to place blame for poor planning and horrible judgement by those in charge. Taken from a true story. A story that...more
Paths of Glory by Humphrey Cobb is a great book. Paths of Glory is mainly about how the soldiers are dealing with the war and how awful the war is. This book was so exciting I could not put it down. In one part of the book, two men [an officer and a soldier] were arguing about if some soldiers left the trench to charge the enemy trench or not. The officer claimed they did not leave the trench and ordered 10 men from each section to be shot for cowardly actions. The soldier claimed that the men...more
I absolutely loved this book--it's a new favorite that I'll definitely re-read. First of all, I have to say that I fell in love with the actual book (the physical object) before I read it. Its shape is more square than typical paperbacks, the paper is thicker and the cover is good. (I realize that's a vague and subjective thing to say. I just liked the cover!)
I'm not giving away anything when I say this is "the story of three men executed to save a general's dignity." That's quoted from the firs...more
I'm not giving away anything when I say this is "the story of three men executed to save a general's dignity." That's quoted from the firs...more
Mar 11, 2008
Steven
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
law-and-lit,
warishell
I was required to read this out-of-print masterpiece for a class in my final semester of law school entitled, “Law and Literature.” The class was a general survey as to the 20th Century with each book representing a particular time frame. This book quote obviously represented the period of World War I.
The French Army is ordered to take a small hill called “the Pimple,” but fails and suffers heavy casualties. Believing that his men are in mutiny, a muckety-muck orders a commander to fire on his...more
The French Army is ordered to take a small hill called “the Pimple,” but fails and suffers heavy casualties. Believing that his men are in mutiny, a muckety-muck orders a commander to fire on his...more
Mandatory reading for every person who can be involved in war, including being a citizen who votes for politicians who may send young men and women to war. This book brilliantly explains what happens with power, and how at times corruption is a complicated thing. It also serves as a beautiful example of something Steinbeck discusses in Grapes of Wrath, that the machine that dehumanizes people and makes it impossible to turn decisions around once they have been made. A true fact of institutions e...more
Forgotten classic (is that an oxymoron?)from 1935. Horrifying Kafkaesque vision of war, inspired by the true story of four French soldiers executed for mutiny in WWI. They were exonerated after their deaths. A vivid, well-written account of the trenches by a veteran.
This book really shows the horror of war. The author Humphrey Cobb served for Canada in World War I. Humphrey was gassed and wounded in the war and after decided to write a book that describes the ubsertity and terrors or war. Paths of glory is about First-class private Langlois, duval and joffre. Three men at war, Paths of Glory demonstrates what military soldiers have to go through. But this book focuses on the story of these three men. And really teaches you the true meaning of sacrifice and...more
Holy shit. This was way better than The Stranger. I cried real tears of sad.
Even better than Kubrick's film; a thorough indictment of war.
Not enjoyable but very moving and educational
i doubt i finished this
TheTrial + Catch 22+ The Things They Carried. This book sneaks up on you. As powerful a war book as I have ever read. If "Charge of the Light Brigade" were a whole book, this would be it.
It might take a little while before you get into the story and narrative style. The overall story is harrowing, but it is lightened Cobb's dry satirical style and his characters, mostly in the form of disillusioned and desensitised soldiers. I recommend reading the introduction by James H. Meredith which sets the historical context and explores some of the themes.
While I liked many aspects of this book, in the end, there is better war fiction dealing with the injustices of the bureaucracy surrounding war. I saw the movie first, and I really feel it was a much better realization of the themes of this book.
Nov 16, 2011
Bette
added it
War is horrible enough without innocent men being executed by their own military. How does a military leader summarily order men to be chosen to use as examples?
Jul 26, 2010
Cassandra
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
book-club-work,
classics
This is fantastic.
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“Who said anything about justice? There's no such thing. But injustice is as much a part of life as the weather.”
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3 people liked it
“...too weary and dazed by unfinished sleep even to swear. There comes a degree of numbness in fatigue and exasperation which can be expressed only by a sullen silence.”
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2 people liked it
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