The Things They Carried | Tim O'Brien | Thought Provoking, Thoughtful, Emotional

The Things They Carried | Tim O'Brien | REVIEW OF THE THINGS THEY CARRIED

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The Things They Ca...

	The Things They Carried Tim O'Brien Broadway, 1998 - 272 pages average customer review:based on 701 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

One of the first questions people ask about The Things They Carried is this: Is it a novel, or a collection of short stories? The title page refers to the book simply as "a work of fiction," defying the conscientious reader's need to categorize this masterpiece. It is both: a collection of interrelated short pieces which ultimately reads with the dramatic force and tension of a novel. Yet each one of the twenty-two short pieces is written with such care, emotional content, and prosaic precision that it could stand on its own.

The Things They Carried depicts the men of Alpha Company: Jimmy Cross, Henry Dobbins, Rat Kiley, Mitchell Sanders, Norman Bowker, Kiowa, and of course, the character Tim O'Brien who has survived his tour in Vietnam to become a father and writer at the age of forty-three. They battle the enemy (or maybe more the idea of the enemy), and occasionally each other. In their relationships we see their isolation and loneliness, their rage and fear. They miss their families, their girlfriends and buddies; they miss the lives they left back home. Yet they find sympathy and kindness for strangers (the old man who leads them unscathed through the mine field, the girl who grieves while she dances), and love for each other, because in Vietnam they are the only family they have. We hear the voices of the men and build images upon their dialogue. The way they tell stories about others, we hear them telling stories about themselves.

With the creative verve of the greatest fiction and the intimacy of a searing autobiography, The Things They Carried is a testament to the men who risked their lives in America's most controversial war. It is also a mirror held up to the frailty of humanity. Ultimately The Things They Carried and its myriad protagonists call to order the courage, determination, and luck we all need to survive.

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Thought Provoking, Thoughtful, Emotional

Read this book over 10 years ago for high school. It was one of those that really made you think, put you in the state of mind and emotions of the character. A bit depressing - but within context of being a soldier in a war that you did not want to be in; it was pretty powerful. Best of all, there's no deep political, overly spiritual, or wildly insane interjections that one would see in other war or Vietnam books and movies - and no Oliver Stone-like crap. It is O'Brien's observations of his surroundings, his feelings, his recollections of the people around him, and his thoughts about the state of things without deep political or societal analysis. It makes the book a very enjoyable, there at the moment, transport to another world, type of read.

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REVIEW OF THE THINGS THEY CARRIED

This book was received very promptly and in excellent condition - I am very pleased with how quickly I received this - it was needed quickly to use at the start of English class for my daughter. I am very happy!!!

Linda St. Hilaire

Come and check out this FANTASTIC EVENT for THE THINGS THEY CARRIED

Hey everyone! I just wanted to let you know there is a GREAT event coming up almost a week away in New York City. The American Place Theatre's Festival: Literature to Life is performing a theatrical adaptation of THE THINGS THEY CARRIED by Tim O'Brien on September 20th, 2008. Don't miss out on this wonderful opportunity to see this moving piece of literature come to life. Here's the information and can't wait to see you there!

The American Place Theatre's Fourth Annual Literature to Life Festival
Citizen and Censorship: Raise Your Civic Voice!
When: Saturday, September 20th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
Where: The Scholastic Auditorium Landmark Soho Building
577 Broadway between Spring Street and Prince Street
Tickets: Single Show Pass $20, Single Day Pass $55, Full Festival Pass$100
To reserve tickets contact The American Place Theatre at
212-594-4482 x10 or for more information logon to
www.americanplacetheatre.org

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The ThingsThey Carried

The book was shipped early and it was in excellent condition. I woulld recommend a transaction and would purchase again from this supplier. I am a college student and I needed to review this book for a literature honors class. Thank you for your prompt and professional transaction.

Good but Disappointing

I quite enjoyed this book but found it to be disappointing (perhaos my expectations were too high) It reads more like a series of good but not particularly memorable magazine articles than a really good 'solid' piece of writing.

Strangely, the section I found most affecting and memorable was nothing directly to do with his Vietnam experiences but was his recollection, at the end of the book, of his first love aged 9.

I found myself wishing I was reading an episodic set of tales about his childhood rather than of his good but not particularly engaging tales of the mess of the Vietnam War

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