A sequence of stories about the Vietnam War, this book also has the unity of a novel, with recurring characters and interwoven strands of plot and theme. It aims to summarize America's involvement in Vietnam, and her coming to terms with that experience in the years that followed.
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From the Back Cover
"'The Things They Carried' is a thrilling and beautiful distillation of everything that has been thought, felt, or said about the Vietnam war and its long afterburn. A heartbreaking and healing masterpiece; time will make it a classic."
MICHAEL HERR, author of 'Dispatches'
"O'Brien writes superbly. One of the best war books of this century, an unflinching attempt to illuminate both its obscene physical brutality and the terrible mental overload."
GUARDIAN
"This marvellous book…there are few novels of this brilliant kind. Here every sentence proclaims that war does not so much contain horrors as is horror itself."
RUTH RENDELL, 'Sunday Telegraph'
"The war story in O'Brien's hands is brilliant, extraordinarily sophisticated and moving, restless, lucid and decidedly slippery."
SUNDAY TIMES
"Essential… he captures the war's pulsating rhythms and nerve-racking dangers… a stunning performance. The overall effect of these original tales is devastating."
NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
About the Author
Tim O’Brien was born in Minnesota and graduated from Macalester College in St Paul. He established himself as one of the leading writers of his generation in 1973 when he published ‘If I Die In A Combat Zone’, the compelling account of his own tour of duty in Vietnam and is widely regarded as the finest novelist the Vietnam War has produced.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
26 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The first thing that grabbed me about O'Brien's collection of short stories about the Vietnam war, was the stark realism. This is an exploration of the human condition rather than a war story per se. O'Brien's prose is lathered with irony and a distinct sense of hopelessness pervades his eloquent narrative. Emotions are laid bare, and the psychological turmoil caused by the war itself are presented with veracity and aplomb. This is realism of the highest order. Simply brilliant
billy proctor
sunderland
billy proctor
sunderland
37 of 38 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
The Things They Carried was written several years after O'Brien was a 'grunt' there. It's written consciously retrospectively, and as such, it's not autobiography; rather, it's a distillation of his experiences before, during, and since Vietnam. Paradoxically, O'Brien making (fictionalised) stories of what he and others witnessed makes the experience more 'true' than just retelling them. Truth for him is faithfully reproducing sensation and emotion in a reader, not retelling events chronologically or even logically; Primo Levi's famous quotation about Anne Frank came to mind. O'Brien is interested in the impact war has on *love*, not just *life*, and that's the genius of this work: it's a love story about Vietnam. I've read it a dozen times now and it still makes me want to cry and rejoice all at the same time.
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Like his equally gripping 'In the Lake of the Woods', 'The Things They Carried' is an insightful and touching examination of the man at war. Though taking the form of a collection of short stories, 'The Things They Carried', does not, however, possess the fragmentation traditionally associated with this format. The set of characters that reappear in each story become as familiar as the narrator himself, as O'Brien celebrates the art of storytelling. This collection recreates the reality of war and its consequences whilst remaining a work of fiction. This is a must read for anyone interested in Vietnam or a fine example of literature for that matter.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Still a very good read
I first came across this book 15 years ago when my son had to read it for his A level and I enjoyed it very much at the time. Read more
Published 14 days ago by Kick Dutch
5.0 out of 5 stars
A beautiful and haunting piece of war fiction
In 'The Things They Carried' O'Brien takes us to a period of history and an event that only men of a certain age and nationality will ever experience, the US invasion of Vietnam,... Read more
Published 15 months ago by R. A. Davison
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Some dumb thing happens a long time ago and you can't ever forget...
... is a quote from O'Brien's daughter, Kathleen, in the story "Field Trip." Kathleen had just turned 10, and O'Brien had taken her back to Vietnam, to show her where her dad had... Read more
Published on 30 Dec 2010 by John P. Jones III
5.0 out of 5 stars
wonderful working of this subject
This book is rather haunting, I have to admit that i struggled with "Going after..." as it was too surreal, but this book captures reality and surreality in equal measures and... Read more
Published on 8 Sep 2010 by Sean Slippers
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent
This is simply one of the best stories about war that I have read. Brilliantly written, moving, utterly plausible, 'The Things They Carried' is a story of a group of young... Read more
Published on 24 Aug 2010 by BookWorm
5.0 out of 5 stars
WOW
A very picky, hard-to-impress male friend recommended this to me so I knew it had to be good. It's not exactly what you think it'll be - rather than a novel about the Vietnam War... Read more
Published on 18 Nov 2009 by Mrs Gene Hunt
5.0 out of 5 stars
The things they carried
Brilliant book. Really conveys the tragedy of the generation of young Americans who where unfortunate enough to be sent to fight in Vietnam. Read more
Published on 16 Aug 2009 by Bartosz Balczerski
5.0 out of 5 stars
Five Stars and and Purple Hearts for O'Brien
Harrowing and shockingly beautiful. O'Brien is a heroic writer without peers. I adore this book.
Published on 14 Aug 2009 by Flibertigibbit
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Things They Carried
`The Things They Carried' is a book about the Vietnam war that is both profoundly moving and emotionally devastating. Read more
Published on 4 Feb 2009 by Spider Monkey
5.0 out of 5 stars
Possibly one of the very best...
A truly, truly remarkable collection of short stories. I am not generally a short story reader, but the title so intrigued me I had to give it a go. I was stunned. Read more
Published on 25 Feb 2008 by R. J. Ellory
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