It so happens that I read books. It so happens that some of them are so good that I want to share them. It so happens that in times of endless content, I've been wrestling for years with the same idea: what can I specifically say about a book to my specific people?
Over years of thinking, only one idea came to me: I'm the most unmotivated reader in the world. It's hard to make me read something, and even harder to make me continue reading a started book. I'm so lazy that I've probably read only a few fiction books.
And one day it occurred to me: "What if I'm not alone like this?". What if there are people who are just waiting for at least some signal to just start?
With this idea I came to the conclusion that the only useful thing I can say about any book is "how to enjoy it". Especially if enjoying a book is as difficult for the reader as it is for me.
Today we'll talk about the book "Catch-22" (Catch-22 in original).
For those who love to read and don't need extra motivation:
Well something about war, something about an American who couldn't manage to get home from the front.
And for those who really want to enjoy it, my version:
- you need to read this book in English. The language is quite simple, but the author's individuality is lost in translation. And the author conveys the atmosphere of a WORLD war through language
- after reading the book you can enjoy it if you start using the word "catch-22" in your lexicon. In the English-speaking space it's used very widely, in the Russian-speaking space you can impress a couple of smart women with your uniqueness
- and the biggest enjoyment is to start seeing catch-22s in life. There are many, really
- you can especially enjoy it if you watch the recent TV series made from the book after reading. And see how much philosophy was lost there, and how much it was replaced with action
- the first several chapters you just need to survive. They're dragging, they're about war (albeit with humor), you don't want to be there
- you need to endure until chapter 16. It's called Luciana. The chapter changes your attitude to the whole book. Without spoilers, in my opinion this is one of the best chapters in literature in general. And, most likely, the best chapter written about love (about ordinary daily love)
- after the "Luciana" chapter the whole book will fly by, and it doesn't matter what happened next. It becomes clear that the book isn't about war, but about how difficult it is to live
- how could they not include the "Luciana" chapter in a six-hour series???
- you can especially enjoy it by dating an Italian woman for some time and falling into a catch-22. This way the book will firmly enter your soul forever
Don't want to be sad - don't read this book. But not reading this book - is sad.