No fear- I am finished with the book The Things They Carried despite what my title may incline you to think! What I meant is the reviews! Before the story even began I was blown away by the reviews that announced the passion and connection people were able to make with this book. I'll admit that I was a little hesitant when I read one of the reviews that went like this: "...In prose that combines the sharp, unsentimental rhythms of Hemingway with gentler more lyrical descriptions, Mr. O'Brien gives the reader a shockingly visceral sense...." Nothing against Hemingway, I just found his writing style boring and distant. However, I felt like I was right there in the action while I read The Things They Carried. I could see the often "unsentimental rhythms" throughout the book, but I believe that writing style served a purpose: to initiate a feel of sarcasm amidst a serious, gruesome war story. One of the reasons Hemingway and O'Brien may have used a similar approach to telling war stories is because they actually lived it.
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