Anyone ever read the book Closing Time, the sequel to Catch-22? I'm reading it now, and I'm worried. I seem to remember Catch-22 starting sort of slowly, so maybe there's still hope, but Closing Time just doesn't seem to have the same edge. Can anyone assauge my fears and tell me this will get better? Not that it's bad, just not nearly as hilarious as Catch-22.
shareI botugh Closing Time because I loved Catch 22 to death and wanted to feel some of the same glory as I did while reading the first one. Unfortunatley I never got more than 30 pages into Closing Time. I will agree with you that Catch 22 had a slow start, but somehow you knew that their was a classic novel buried within. Closing Time just seemed kind of stale and tedious. I mean, Yossarian is in his 60's I believe when the novel takes place. Not the mischievious, fun loving Assyrian we have all come to know and love. I wish I could give you a definitive answer as to whether Closing Time sucks or not, but as of now it is just sitting on my book shelf gaining dust.
sharei'm sort of the same way as johnnyboy. about 30 pages in and i gave up. the effort to be absurd just feels so forced. there isn't any subtlety to it. it's definitely a huge bummer. although i admittedly didn't get all the way through it. good luck.
shareSame thing for me. Catch22 was one of my two favorite books. I thought closing time would be another great one. But after reading about halfway through, i just couldnt force myself through it anymore, and I put it up. I was very disappointed. I completely agree with one of the other posters, that this book seems to be too forced. Thats exactly how I have explained it to friends, forced. I guess Heller was just trying too hard to recreate Catch-22. Oh well, at least we still have that. As far as the Catch-22 movie goes, I just found out it exists today. I'm gonna go find a copy somewhere and watch it. Hopefully its good too, cast seems good. Anyway, Im done.
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i got about half way through the book, and yes it was kinda forced. But i think there was a very interesting novel in there about disillusionment and the pursuing of the American dream. just doesn't have the war as a backdrop so its not as exciting. also i guess for some its kinda depressing to see an old, kinda depressed yossarian. It was more fun when his paranoia was frenetic, not mopy. still, i think one day i might just pick it up again, maybe the ending will be amazing
shareI managed to read it all the way through, and I agree it doesn't hold a candle to Catch-22, but there are two parts of the book that are worth note. One is a bizarre wedding that takes place at a bus station in which Minderbinder has hired actors to play bums and hookers. The other is the ending, in which Minderbinder informs Yossarian and the chaplain that the president has inadvertantly caused a nuclear holocuast while playing what he thought was a videogame, and offers them the chance to hide in an underground bunker, safe from the fallout. They both agree at first, then decide to go and spend New York City's remaining moments with thier loved ones, commiting a sort of inadvertant suicide. I felt that same feeling I got reading Catch-22 during these parts. Unfortunately, the rest of the book didn't live up to it.
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