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Catch 22

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Catch 22

By: Joseph Heller
Narrated by: Trevor White
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About this listen

 Nominated for the Audiobook Download of the Year, 2008.

At the heart of Joseph Heller's best-selling novel, first published in 1961, is a satirical indictment of military madness and stupidity, and the desire of the ordinary man to survive it.

This is the tale of the dangerously sane Captain Yossarian, who spends his time in Italy plotting to survive. Yossarian is a bombardier in the 256th Squadron of the US Army Air Forces during World War II, stationed on Pianosa, a fictionalised island in the Mediterranean between mainland Italy and Corsica. The squadron's assignment is to bomb enemy positions in Italy and eastern France. Yossarian's mission is simply to stay alive.

©1961 Joseph Heller (P)2008 Hachette Audio Classics Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Jewish Heritage War & Military Witty Funny Inspiring Military War US Army Air Force

Critic Reviews

"The greatest satirical work in the English language since Erewhon. ( Observer)
"Wildly original, and brutally gruesome, a dazzling performance that will outrage as many readers as it delights. Vulgarly, bitterly, savagely funny, it will not be forgotten by those who can take it." ( The New York Times)
"An apocalyptic masterpiece." ( Chicago Times)
All stars
Most relevant  
Trevor White did a fantastic job narrating the book - his exaggerated voices contributed greatly to the humour of certain scenes.

The book itself, is enjoyable. Personally, I would recommend listening to most of the book as a background task while doing other things which allow you to pay attention, as the book is long and certain parts are less engaging than others.

Entertaining

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Loved it. the humor, pace and loveable quirkiness of all characters brings the to light the struggles of being apart of a bureaucratic system (this case, the army).
Heller made me rise and fall by highlighting the humor and torment of war.

Greatest book of the 20th centuary.

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I loved the way this book was written the constant play between people was ery enjoyable.
The part of the book I struggled with is the characters are so well written I hated who they were and what the stood for. The military officer incompetence was painful.
it took me a bit but I got through it.

awesome writing tough story

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Hilarious novel, and Trevor White’s performance of it had me cackling to myself over the dishes. What a show!

Laugh-out-loud funny

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Catch-22 is a unique and consistently funny book which uses the serious backdrop of war to explore the inefficiencies, injustice and absurdity of bureaucracy. It unfolds as a series of biographies loosely tied together by a central narrative. While the frequent deviations from that central narrative may be bothersome to some readers, I enjoyed its unique structure: it is effectively a series of comedic skits.

Those skits cover an impressive breadth of ground, deviating from serious reflections on the human cost of war, to surreal encounters with authority figures, to comical critiques of capitalism and profiteering through crises. While not all of its characters are distinctly memorable, the whole squadron contributes to a triumph of literature.

At times, some of its jokes can feel repetitive and grow tired; and elements of its humour feel dated — its portrayal of women is consistently pretty unfortunate, for example.

Catch-22 won’t be for everyone, but I found it fun, with surprising depth.

A Bizarre Breakdown of Bureaucracy

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A very funny look at the tragic nature of WW2 and the ever great phase, the Catch 22

Hilarious and confusing

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Wonderful, weird and roving anti-war novel written with humour and heart. The narration was fabulous.

A classic

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A classic given an astonishing rendition by the narrator. Consistently excellent, harrowing, the humour treated so lightly that it shines amid the horror.

Unbelievable performance

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This is a wonderful performance that grabs both the humour and pathos of this novel. A wonderful example of satire that offers laughs through absurdity, but also a provoking commentary on the Military Industrial Complex, as well as the abuse of power. Highly recommend.

Wonderful narration of an important Novel

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an interesting story regarding the nonsense of war, how peculiar people can reach positions of power, and the insanity one may experience in the interest of staying sane and alive. Story could be hard to keep track of though.

amusing read

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