Men at Arms (Penguin Modern Classics)
by Evelyn Waughpublished
2001
(first published 2000)
by Penguin Books Ltd
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binding
Paperback, 256 pages
isbn
0141185732
(isbn13: 9780141185736)
description
MEN AT ARMS is the first volume of Evelyn Waugh's masterful WW II trilogy about war, religion and politics. It is followed by OFFICERS AND GENTLEMEN a...more
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 158)
Read in March, 2008
recommends it for:
Anyone who's read all of Liebling's war journalism and so much make do with reading conservatives
Well, it certainly makes one want to turn the pages quickly. Brig. Guy-Richie and Apthorpe, both of whom I know from the The Oxford Book of Humorous Prose (probably one of my 4 most delightful possessions, the others being English as She is Spoke, Pegasus Descending, and The Handy-Book of Literary Delights), merit their fame. But I'm not too sure about Crouchback. I'm disinclined to like, first, most author standins, especially when the guy's a conservative and Roman Catholic, and second,...more
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Read in October, 2007
recommends it for:
those who loved Catch-22
It's Catch-22: the Catholic version. Basically, the major theme is the futility of modern bureaucracy but I think it's a critique of stringent traditions as well or maybe that traditions and modernity are incompatible.
Interesting insights about manning up and how we are emasculated by society and women.
I'm not sure if Apthorpe is supposed to be a hero or an example of what's wrong with tradition.
The language barrier is quite immense. I had problems getting into it at the beginning bu...more
Interesting insights about manning up and how we are emasculated by society and women.
I'm not sure if Apthorpe is supposed to be a hero or an example of what's wrong with tradition.
The language barrier is quite immense. I had problems getting into it at the beginning bu...more
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funny and accurate. Army bureaucracies appear to have been the same since Roman times. I went into the the Army in the 1980s, several years after first reading this, and it was a good primer ;-)
I now have my father's edition, which I remember reading on the floor next to his long bookshelves. Time to re-read and see how the book has changed over the years..
I now have my father's edition, which I remember reading on the floor next to his long bookshelves. Time to re-read and see how the book has changed over the years..
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recommends it for:
fans of dry, silly humor
I went into this not knowing that Waugh was going for humor, thinking I was reading an old, serious lit book about the horrors of war. I was shocked by the humor, and loved it. VERY dry humor, but completely silly.
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Read in June, 2007
A dry, dark look at the early days of World War II. Funny, acerbic and sad - quintessentially Waugh.
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