I do so agree with you.ciecheesemeister wrote: ↑16 Nov 2019, 11:45 I enjoyed the interactions between the characters. Reading about the suffering of the civilians caught in the crossfire between the U.S. forces and the Viet Cong was painful, but I can't say that it was a "least favorite" part of the book because I think it is absolutely necessary for people to know the horrors of war. Perhaps if more people read books like this one, fewer would be quite so gung-ho about getting involved in wars.
Favorite and least favorite parts of the book?
- djr6090
- Posts: 680
- Joined: 29 Jun 2019, 10:15
- Favorite Book: The North Wind Descends (The Lord Hani Mysteries Book 4)
- Currently Reading: There's a Hole in My Bucket
- Bookshelf Size: 111
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-djr6090.html
- Latest Review: The Odessa Legacy by Dr. Richard Bend
Re: Favorite and least favorite parts of the book?
- Tabby Njoki
- Posts: 8
- Joined: 16 Sep 2019, 06:57
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 14
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-tabby-njoki.html
- Latest Review: The Legacy of Job's Wife by Cynthia Koelker
The VA.
How despicable are their actions! Why would anyone treat such deserving veterans with disrespect and outright cruelty!
However, upon realization, that turned out to be the best part of the book too.
The author made me empathize completely with the Veterans from the Vietnamese war and managed to make me empathize with their cause.
This is a really good book.
- MsH2k
- Book of the Month Participant
- Posts: 4723
- Joined: 31 Jul 2019, 11:11
- Favorite Book: Crushing
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 366
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-msh2k.html
- Latest Review: Lilleah by eelonqa K harris
My least favorite part was that Boudreau’s anger and desire for revenge was so intense and lasted for so long that he retaliated not only against the sailors that beat him, but the many thousands of other Blue Water Navy vets and their families.
Rosa Parks
-
- Posts: 28
- Joined: 03 May 2018, 02:19
- Bookshelf Size: 0
" Actually, I am not a fan of bad language, but I had to make peace with it to keep the dialog real. I relegated the F Word to Chief McCoy, Lance Corporal Boudreau, and various characters under enormous stress. I will tell you this: this story is as true as true gets. Thank you, Randy MillerDC Brown wrote: ↑14 Nov 2019, 02:20I noticed that when Zach first got on the Hawke there was some salty language. Fortunately, the author must have felt that one example of that was enough!! I loved the way he was able to spell out the accents of the various players. My least favorite part was the aftermath. I remember some of that. Public opinion was against anyone who had worn a uniform, whether they served in 'Nam or not.djr6090 wrote: ↑09 Nov 2019, 08:40 I liked that the author could show the action onboard the Navy vessels without using profanity. As I recall, the language of the day was sprinkled liberally with vulgarities. The interaction and the accents animated the actors. I also liked that he showed the perspective of the enemy occasionally. But I disliked the scene where Zach watched the village being incinerated by Naval bombardment. But my least favorite part was in the parts of the book where we are reminded of the extent of the American chemical warfare against the Vietnamese.
l
- Jeremie Mondejar
- Official Reviewer Representative
- Posts: 2251
- Joined: 09 Jun 2017, 19:28
- Currently Reading: SandPeople
- Bookshelf Size: 1377
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-jeremie-mondejar.html
- Latest Review: The Book of Moncoto by Mosetta Penick Phillips-Cermak, Ph.D.
Official Reviewer Representative
"Jesus Christ is the Saviour of the world."
- Areej Tahir
- Posts: 349
- Joined: 05 Jan 2019, 04:03
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 43
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-areej-tahir.html
- Latest Review: Solaris Seethes (Solaris Saga book 1) by Janet McNulty
-
- Posts: 394
- Joined: 17 Apr 2019, 12:13
- Favorite Book: The Unbound Soul
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 287
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-nuel-ukah.html
- Latest Review: Le Mutt by Eva Elle Rose
My favorite part is where Martin played slapsies with the boss. Quite a funny scene. We have the least favorite part in common.Ferdinand_otieno wrote: ↑01 Nov 2019, 03:40 My favorite part of the book was reading through the long rivalry between jarheads and squids was presented. I had heard about this rivalry, but the author made me experience it through the book. My least favorite part of the story was the horrors of war and the conspiracy aimed at denying veterans their pensions.
What was your favorite and least favorite part of the story?
- Prisallen
- Previous Member of the Month
- Posts: 5678
- Joined: 27 Feb 2019, 18:57
- Favorite Book:
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 233
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-prisallen.html
- Latest Review: Nirvatra by April Thomas
Well said! That was my least favorite aspect as well, along with the ending. It had me in tears.B Creech wrote: ↑12 Nov 2019, 13:36 Having lived during the time of the Viet Nam War sometimes it is hard for me to separate actual facts from the book! I saw Viet Nam vets come home, many of them broken in body and spirit. I can say my least favorite part of the book was the way the characters were treated by the VA - it was a reality for those I knew and cared about that had served this country during such a terrible time. I know my ex-husband and his brother would not go to the VA for healthcare in later years because they were not treated right during their military terms. I also remember seeing homeless Viet Nam vets riding around our little town in Ohio in wheelchairs with American flags on their chairs and most people would walk past them without even nodding their heads or smiling at them! They were homeless because they were denied their benefits even though they were in wheelchairs due to being injured in the war. Yes, the way the VA treated them in the book was definitely my least favorite part!
- Erin Dydek
- Book of the Month Participant
- Posts: 1058
- Joined: 20 May 2019, 19:07
- Favorite Book: Shadowborn
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 328
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-erin-dydek.html
- Latest Review: Northern Umbrage by Dennis Lorenz Ph.D.
- Brenda Creech
- Previous Member of the Month
- Posts: 3382
- Joined: 09 Mar 2019, 13:34
- Favorite Book: The Reel Sisters
- Currently Reading: Rainbow’s End
- Bookshelf Size: 357
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-brenda-creech.html
- Latest Review: Was She Crying for Me? by Jerry Hyde
I agree about the dialog in the first part of the book! I had a difficult time getting into the story because of it! It was a little too much!Everydayadventure15 wrote: ↑22 Nov 2019, 08:50 My favorite parts were the descriptions of culture in the PI and the relationship between Zach and Tally. My least favorite part was the heavily accented dialogue in the first chapters and the way that Zach died. It was sad what the loss of hope drove him to do.
"Like beauty in the eyes, the divinity of the rose may be in the nose that smells it, and the lover that beholds it." Eckhart Aurelius Hughes
-
- Posts: 112
- Joined: 19 Nov 2019, 21:02
- Favorite Book: How to Define Yourself
- Currently Reading: Grace Revealed
- Bookshelf Size: 20
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-infinite-i.html
- Latest Review: Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon
- Beckas79
- Posts: 6
- Joined: 18 Sep 2019, 15:12
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 9
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-beckas79.html
- Latest Review: Solaris Seethes (Solaris Saga book 1) by Janet McNulty
- Chelsey Coles
- Posts: 438
- Joined: 04 Oct 2018, 23:32
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 99
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-chelsey-coles.html
- Latest Review: Donny and Mary Grace's California Adventures by Catherine A. Pepe
I agree with you. There were so many specialized terms that it was almost like another language to me! A bit overwhelming, but I learned quite a bit.Fazzier wrote: ↑16 Nov 2019, 06:01 My favorite aspect was the author's explanation of various naval terms. Terms like NCO's, EOT, and CIC, among others, made learn more about navy and how it works. My least favorite part was unconventional omission of commas where I thought they would me more appropriate. That, however, is a matter of a reader's taste and preference.
― Lionel Shriver, We Need to Talk About Kevin
- Jeremie Mondejar
- Official Reviewer Representative
- Posts: 2251
- Joined: 09 Jun 2017, 19:28
- Currently Reading: SandPeople
- Bookshelf Size: 1377
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-jeremie-mondejar.html
- Latest Review: The Book of Moncoto by Mosetta Penick Phillips-Cermak, Ph.D.
I agree with the dialogue, I am really struggling with those parts. I often flip back and forth the meaning at the end of the book. I usually wonder, 'oh, wait, what does it mean?'Everydayadventure15 wrote: ↑22 Nov 2019, 08:50 My favorite parts were the descriptions of culture in the PI and the relationship between Zach and Tally. My least favorite part was the heavily accented dialogue in the first chapters and the way that Zach died. It was sad what the loss of hope drove him to do.
Official Reviewer Representative
"Jesus Christ is the Saviour of the world."
- wordslinger42
- Posts: 130
- Joined: 11 Jan 2019, 12:18
- Currently Reading: The Lost Road and Other Writings
- Bookshelf Size: 669
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-wordslinger42.html
- Latest Review: The Fox by M. N. J. Butler