The Naked and the Dead

De: Norman Mailer

Narrado por: John Buffalo Mailer

Hailed as one of the finest novels to come out of the Second World War, The Naked and the Dead received unprecedented critical acclaim upon its publication and has since become part of the American canon. This fiftieth anniversary edition features a new introduction created especially for the occasion by Norman Mailer.

Written in gritty, journalistic detail, the story follows an army platoon of foot soldiers who are fighting for the possession of the Japanese-held island of Anopopei. Composed in 1948, The Naked and the Dead is representative of the best in twentieth-century American writing.

©1951 Norman Mailer (P)2016 Brilliance Audio. All rights reserved.

The hell of war

Gave new meaning to war in all of its postures. Very detailed with excellent visualization. Well written.

Worthy

this really is one of the better WW2 books around. this really is one of the better WW2 books around

too much period racial slurs/ attitudes etc

I read this because it was on Obama's best books list, but I couldn't get past the n words, Jew bashing, and all the other period accurate but still disturbing plotlines. I think it was "real " like private Ryan was... I that people were just people, not heroes, but I think I enjoy reading about heroes more.

Best war narrative you can find

I am embarrassed it has taken me this long to read this novel. I’m not sure why the novel’s gritty realism has not captured many modern reader’s attention. It is well worth the effort.

Mailer tour de force!

The writing left me jealous of Mailer’s talent. It is as if the words fell onto the page from above. Effortless to read because of the quality of the writing.
Captured the paradox of war, the physical difficulties, the long periods of waiting and anticipation and fear, and the bursts of violence and emotion that followed.

Best audio book is hard so far.

The performance was totally immersive and entertaining. John must have made his father very proud wish this.

Brilliant novel

I’ve read a lot of WWII history, but somehow never read much WWII fiction. This was Mailer’s first novel, and it’s hard to believe how polished it is, and how penetrating. It’s a hard look at war and the men who fight. No one comes out looking particularly good, though some characters are more sympathetic than others. There are vain, petty officers, and psychotic noncoms. There are more than a few war crimes. There’s a lot of compassion for the suffering of the soldiers.

The narrator is adequate, but not great. The writing is superb.

What a performance!

A stunning and horrifying story of the realities of war and human nature.
Brilliantly narrated!

Could be an Oscar winning war film

It is anticlimactic, but that was the intention. Great character development and deep understanding of the pysche for the battle fatigued soldier. If done correctly, this could be adapted to film that would be a multi Oscar winner.

Characters seemed fake to me...

This novel is mostly character development with a modest WWII Pacific theater war story. The prose are very good.
Unfortunately, I did not find the characters quite believable. Perhaps this was partly because the novel is a bit dated, yet I have read many other books of this era that did not have this problem. The story was somewhat one-dimensional.

Gore Vidal considered this novel a fake, and I almost completely agreed with Vidal, for the exact same reasons.

The narration was quite good, without being particularly outstanding.