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Good read about the effects of WWI as told from the front lines of German soldiers in France. The main character, Paul Baumer, is a compassionate, intelligent fellow who narrates the bulk of the story. There's not much in here by way of context of the war, either politically or historically; however, it is a nice perspective of the men who fought in this first and very different type of war on a huge scale. I would recommend that readers obtain some understanding of how the war broke out prior t
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This was a topical read in the wake of the NZ 150th Anzac anniversary and memorial services, although a different time and country. However, to quote directly from the afterword: "war is not about heroism, but about terror, either waiting for death or trying desperately to avoid it, even if it means killing a complete stranger to do so, about losing all human values,....it is not about falling bravely and nobly for one's country but about soiling oneself in terror under heavy shellfire, about lo
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AQotWF didn't hold up to my memory of it. There are too many first-person and quasi-first person accounts with greater insight and of higher literary quality. This worked as the thoughts of a not-very-well-educated nineteen-year old, but the verisimilitude made it far less compelling to me than the accounts of the officer class. And the end was just cheesy. Remarque had it both ways; a first-person account would end either abruptly with the obvious inference or with the narrator having survived,
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Another selection from the I Can't Believe I Haven't Already Read This archives, and a gap well worth rectifying. Remarque's spare language and intentional omission of his soldiers' objectives in their fights serve to underscore the heartless futility of the conflict in a way that saying it out loud just can't manage. A must-read for anyone interested in the time period.
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Wow! Just wow! Probably the best book about war that I've ever read. My only question was, "Why did I wait so long to read it." I'm recommending this book to everyone who like war movies. One of the best books I've read in a while.
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A good look at some of the bad parts of war. Though the specifics have changed over time, the emotions present remain constant in the present day.
Apr 25, 2010
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Mar 13, 2013
Gary Dale
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Aug 03, 2014
Judy
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it was amazing
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Aug 16, 2014
Mansir
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Kathy Jo
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