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pinkblackfishy's review against another edition
5.0
I've never read anything else by Stephen Crane, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that this is one of the best written novels I have ever read. Ever. While I haven't been in a war, Crane describes the sights, sounds, and general chaos of battle so aptly. You feel the stomach churning fear and panic of Henry Fleming as he tries to cope with the madness around him.
I will say that I am not one who likes or reads many war stories. So while that aspect of The Red Badge of Courage was not really fascinating to me, this book definitely deserves five stars and definitely should continue to be read widely because of the author's amazing writing ability and his realistic descriptions of battle.
I will say that I am not one who likes or reads many war stories. So while that aspect of The Red Badge of Courage was not really fascinating to me, this book definitely deserves five stars and definitely should continue to be read widely because of the author's amazing writing ability and his realistic descriptions of battle.
s_mj_f's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
moosegurl2's review against another edition
3.0
"Individuals must have supposed that they were cutting the letters of their names deep into everlasting tablets of brass,l or enshrining their reputations forever in the hearts of their countrymen, while, as to fact, the affair would appear in printed reports under a meet and immaterial title."
moosegurl's review against another edition
3.0
"Individuals must have supposed that they were cutting the letters of their names deep into everlasting tablets of brass,l or enshrining their reputations forever in the hearts of their countrymen, while, as to fact, the affair would appear in printed reports under a meet and immaterial title."
shepcatzero's review against another edition
4.0
The Red Badge of Courage is another title on the long list of books I somehow avoided being assigned to read in junior high, high school or college. Decades later I am rectifying this oversight due to my interest in Paul Auster's biography of Stephen Crane.
Crane's language is vivid, magnificent, and at times cinematic. One feels almost as though one is watching a Terrence Malick film, a bookend or companion piece to his adaptation of The Thin Red Line, with the internalized struggle of the protagonist and Crane's descriptions of the natural world and the unnatural effects of battle upon it.
Where Crane loses me is when his characters speak. His tendency to phoneticize dialogue and dialect, abusing apostrophes to indicate how the speaker drops vowels is at cross purposes with his narrative gifts, slowing the reader down to decipher what a character is saying. The rest of the book is so clear and marvelous, Crane could plausibly have written it entirely without dialogue — but that's a squandered time machine voyage for a future reader to embark upon.
Also: Every time you encounter the phrase "hither and thither," drink a shot.
Crane's language is vivid, magnificent, and at times cinematic. One feels almost as though one is watching a Terrence Malick film, a bookend or companion piece to his adaptation of The Thin Red Line, with the internalized struggle of the protagonist and Crane's descriptions of the natural world and the unnatural effects of battle upon it.
Where Crane loses me is when his characters speak. His tendency to phoneticize dialogue and dialect, abusing apostrophes to indicate how the speaker drops vowels is at cross purposes with his narrative gifts, slowing the reader down to decipher what a character is saying. The rest of the book is so clear and marvelous, Crane could plausibly have written it entirely without dialogue — but that's a squandered time machine voyage for a future reader to embark upon.
Also: Every time you encounter the phrase "hither and thither," drink a shot.
vinvanvinn's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
acesnspades's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5