The Red Badge of Courage (Abridged) Audiobook

" I thought this was a pretty good book. The main character was annoyingly full of himself at first, but then he became wiser and realized how terrible and scary war can be. It was hard to put down because almost the entire book took place in the middle of a battle! My one complaint is that even though the main character's name was Henry Fleming, he was only referred to as "the youth" throughout the entire book. I don't know if this was meant to emphasize how young Henry was to be in the army or what, but it seriously got annoying. "

" An excellent description of combat during the civil war as seen by a single soldier. I just wish the plot had been more engaging; both not enough setup and a sudden ending. "

" I think that there are some very telling moments in this novel, and I think there are some beautiful metaphors, but there was something about it that just did not draw me in. I can't quite put my finger on it, but something was missing. "

" The portrayal of war is very vivid and honest, but the language and style made this story difficult to get through. It's very detached and oddly, the main character is hardly ever referred to by name. He's just a youth. Perhaps, it's a statement about the impersonal nature of war when lost in a sea of soldiers. "

" Dull, colloquial, whiny, and patriotic: this book is all the things I hate. Needless to say, I hated this book too. The gore at the end was pretty cool though. "

" I don't know that I was particularly excited to read this book, but I had felt that it was one of those books that you should read. Having now attained that goal, I can say that it wasn't a waste of time, even if it wasn't the most exciting use of my time either. Stephen Crane uses pretty stirring prose and realism in depicting the vagaries of war. His descriptions linger on images and ensure that you have a full idea of the physical setting and actions, and he speculates rather convincingly on the emotions and thought processes going on during battle, slicing out the romanticism of war, without completely annihilating its moments of nobility either. While that is his strength, it is also his weakness. His tone is so measured and deliberate, that the passion of war is eked right out of the pages. I think this is largely because of his decision to leave his protagonist mainly nameless (while his name may be Henry Flemming, we only learn this from other characters, never from the narrator, who only refers to him as "the youth"). I can understand why Crane chose to do this, because a character without a name could help the reader to place him or herself in that character's shoes ... this is an everyman character. But that is where Crane loses me. In his attempt to be universal in character, his wide span only hits the mark in a couple of different places. It is hard to force yourself into another character's shoes when you disagree with a lot of the things that they are doing or feeling, or if you simply cannot see yourself doing or feeling those same things. This universal approach also, as I mentioned, robs the passion from the war. If I were more invested in this character the defeats would be that much more harsh to accept, the victories, that much more glorious. As it was, I was almost indifferent to the character's outcome, because I was not connected to him. Ironically, as Crane showed the plight and purpose of the common soldier, it gave me the feeling of the uncaring officer as a spectator to the narrative. Overall, however, Crane's work of realism cannot be discounted completely by his all-encompassing approach, and I would recommend anyone who would like an idea of the thoughts and feelings and horrors of a battle in action, to read this book. "

" I loved the story but my english teacher just about deep-sixed it for me by making us count the number of times the author used color words in the book. "

" I wanted to like this book, but I could not get through it. There were some scenes where I love the imagery and figurative language. But, for the most part, I could not follow what was happening. Maybe I'll read it again someday and actually understand what's going on. "

" It's a war story but there are a lot of parallels to everyday living. We always think we'll react differently in stressful situations before we are actually faced with the crisis. The overall message is that man can do incredible things when he forgets himself and goes to work. "

" Very dramatic and an avid exploration of a young man's character, "

" I had to read this in high school for a presentation and I did not appreciate it... I love to read and once I start on a book I will try to finish it but this book just made me want to sleep... Its a good read I guess but just not of my taste :/ "

" This book is a great depiction of the civil war. It had great descriptive battle scenes, as well as insightful moments into the soldiers minds. "

" I had to read this in HS. This has got to be the worst book I ever read. Hope they dont make kids still read this garbage in school "

" I had to read this in high school. It was horrible. "

" Listened to recorded book. Did not enjoy this book in high school and did not enjoy it this time either. "

" This book really showed the main character's development well. It isn't something I would voluntarily read a lot, but it isn't bad at all. "

" I definitely see why this is a classic. Hemingway and Faulkner must have been heavily influenced by Crane. What a shame he died at 28. "

" I remember doing a read through of this book during English classes while still in Middle School. Although I thought the book would be dull and hard to understand this was not the case. I remember that I actually found myself quite enjoying the book by the end. "

" Required reading for Civil War or American History buffs. "

" I actually had a hard time reading this - I think it was the dialect, but still glad I read it finally, since it's been on my "to-read" list forever! "

" This book is one of my favorites on tape because of the great reader doing the accents of the different characters. "

" Listened to this on a road trip to Missouri. I'd forgotten how descriptive it is. Definitely liked reading it years ago better than listening to it. "

" There's nothing I can say about this that hasn't been said. The story is just kind of awkwardly put together and the symbolism is too bold. Not my favorite. "

" I read this back in highschool and I might appreciate it more now, but I remember hating it at the time and hating the main character. However, I think that might have been because it messed with my idealism. So now that I'm more of a realist maybe I should read it again and appreciate it more. "

" This was an awesome book about the Civil War and its affect on one young man and how he grew up as a soldier. "

" I know it's a classic, but it was hard to follow. "

" Required reading for Civil War or American History buffs. "

" I voted for this book at didn't mean too...oopsThis was one of those books I HAD to read in high-school...hated it it... Sorry Mr. Crane...but maybe if I read it again I might like it.... "

" This was only just ok (probably more a 2.5). I understand that it was trying to give a young persons real experience of war but i just didn't empathise with the young lad and didn't buy into the atmosphere it was trying to generate. I would not recommend. "

" "He had been where there was red of blood and black of passion, and he was escaped." The book still evokes a visceral feel for the terror, confusion, and arbitrariness of the battlefield. "