[R6E]≫ Libro Billy Lynn Long Halftime Walk Ben Fountain 9780060885595 Books

Billy Lynn Long Halftime Walk Ben Fountain 9780060885595 Books

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Billy Lynn Long Halftime Walk Ben Fountain 9780060885595 Books

Excellent writing. Puts the reader inside Billy Lynn's head. Highly recommended.


Tags : Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk [Ben Fountain] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction and a finalist for the National Book Award! From the PEN/Hemingway Award-winning author of the critically acclaimed short story collection,Ben Fountain,Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk,Ecco,0060885599,Coming Of Age,Political,War & Military,Football and war - United States,Football and war;United States;Fiction.,Iraq War, 2003-2011,Iraq War, 2003-2011;Fiction.,Veterans - Texas,Veterans;Texas;Fiction.,War stories,AMERICAN CONTEMPORARY FICTION,American Contemporary Fiction - Individual Authors +,FICTION Coming of Age,FICTION General,FICTION Humorous Black Humor,FICTION Literary,FICTION Political,FICTION War & Military,Fiction,Fiction - General,Fiction-Political,Football and war,GENERAL,General Adult,Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945),Texas,United States,Veterans,ben fountain; ben fountain stories; billy lynn's long halftime walk; ang lee; billy lynn movie; billy lynn novel; ben fountain novel; movie tie-in; movie tie in; movie novel; novel based on a movie; movie based on a novel; movies based on novels

Billy Lynn Long Halftime Walk Ben Fountain 9780060885595 Books Reviews

Don't be misled by the hype! Scanning some of the four and five-star reviews about BLLHW makes me wonder if these people even READ the entire book.

On the plus side, I'd like to say that Ben Fountain has penned some of the funniest (and non-PC) one and two liners that you'll ever see in print. Just a few examples

"Day perches on his back seat surveying the field like an African king high on his throne, looking down on all his little subject bitches. As for the rest of Bravo, they might as well be so many shares of corporate stock that happen to talk and walk and drink a lot of beer."

"It has already been a matter of some debate as to whether Josh is gay, the consensus being no, he's just your basic corporate pussy boy. `He's whatcha call one of those metrosexuals,' Sykes said, whereupon everyone agreed that Sykes was gay just for knowing such a word."

"From time to time Dime would allude to Schroom's horrific childhood, an apparently epic tale of hard knocks that included a stint in some sort of religious institution for waifs, or as Dime called it with never a batted eye from Schroom, the Anal Redemptive Baptist Home for Misplaced Boys of Buttf**k, Oklahoma."

Yes, I laughed MY butt off through many sections of the novel. Unfortunately, the book as a whole equated to much less than the sum of its parts. It almost appeared that the original draft manuscript was written six or seven years ago. Yet it wasn't published until 2012 (too late to make any real-time statement on the conflict in Iraq). From references in the book, BLLHW appears to take place on Thanksgiving Day, in either 2004 or 2005. With Drew Henson as the starting Dallas Cowboy QB, the year could only be 2004. However, comments about the two-week-long "Victory Tour" occurring primarily in "swing voter states" would make no sense in 2004, since the US elections were held on November 2 (PRIOR to the tour).

Taken in its entirety, the book seemed pretty disjointed. In fact, it did not appear that the author could really decide whether to make the book serious or truly satirical. Many portions were totally unbelievable, such as Billy's meeting and "game day romance" with the cheerleader Faison, the last-second inclusion of Bravo Squad in a highly choreographed halftime marching display, the Dallas secondary requesting to go for a "ride along" to "cap some Muslim freaks" when Bravo is redeployed, and the post-game ambush by the wrench-packing roadies.

My biggest difficulty with the novel was even remotely believing that the US military would send a high-profile group of "American heroes" who had their faces plastered all over the world-wide news media BACK TO IRAQ. Can you imagine the targets on their backs from the insurgents and the intense negative publicity that would ensue if any or all of the group was killed (or even worse) captured? No way! The trouble is, this is the entire premise of the story!

In summary, if you are looking for some truly side-splitting passages, this is a great book. If you are seeking a biting commentary on the effects of the Bush-era "war in Iraq," rent a DVD and watch the HURT LOCKER or the final episode of OVER THERE.
Fountain has the writing mojo. He writes well, very well. His use of similes and metaphors is first rate--though he tends to overuse them at times. As a Vietnam veteran, I was intrigued with the fact that Fountain had no combat experience to draw upon in writing what was billed as a "war novel." I soon learned why. Except for vague references to battle scenes, Fountain does not deal with war. He concentrates his attention on the aftermath of combat, both from the soldiers' point of view, as well as the civilians'. And he does a creditable job.
The novel's main plot-line--a squad of soldiers returns to the US for a "victory tour" after a heroic battle in Iraq--is based on historical fact during WWII, the marines who raised the flag on Iwo Jima were brought home to participate in a "victory tour" to raise money by selling war bonds. A secondary plot-line--not as credible, but still believable--depicts a Hollywood producer attempting to broker a movie deal based on the squad's combat exploits.
Fountain's characters largely ring true, with a couple of notable exceptions Billy Lynn is a 19 year old "coming-of-age" type of protagonist, whose observations about the American way of life hit the mark--unfortunately, Fountain imbues Billy's inner thoughts with a sophistication that does not match his actions and dialogue, a kind of omniscient narrator who intrudes into the story; Sergeant Dime is the tough, wise NCO who shepherds his squad through the tour's travails; Sergeant Shroom is a soldier who was KIA, but who, in a series of flashbacks, serves as the novel's philosophical voice and conscience; Norm Oglesby is a thinly veiled caricature of the Dallas Cowboy's present owner, Jerry Jones; Major Mac is an enigmatic figure, whose place in the novel is a mystery; the remaining minor characters have different personalities that flesh out the story.
There are a few plot twists that seem contrived and detract from the novel Billy's fifteen minute romantic fling with Fraison, the Cowboys cheerleader, strains believability; the plot by Kathryn, Billy's sister, to convince Billy to desert from the Army rather than return for his tour of duty in Iraq serves virtually no purpose other than to create tension and cause the reader to wonder if he will follow her advice; in a scene loaded with stereotypical racial dialogue, several black Dallas players query Billy about joining his squad in their return to Iraq for a couple of weeks to kill some "ragheads"--even if Fountain wrote this scene in humor, it still smacks of racism, or at best it appears mean-spirited.
Overall, the first half of the novel was well worth the read; the second half, however, seemed to deteriorate and fall apart.
Excellent writing. Puts the reader inside Billy Lynn's head. Highly recommended.