The Cadillac of Six-By's [Mass Market Paperback]

Reverge Anselmo (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1997

A gripping first novel and military thriller set in battle-torn Beirut. Cazetti, a former Intelligence Officer with a less than exemplary record, finds himself in the U.S. Marine Corps, in the chaos of war in Beirut. His hardships are shared not only by the men of his unit, but by an intriguing cast of side characters. With enemy artillery fire raining down on all sides, will these men be saved from their apocalyptic nightmare?.

Editorial Reviews

From Kirkus Reviews

Anselmo debuts with an almost existential take on the quotidian stress endured by US Marines in strife-torn Lebanon when they were deployed there on a disastrous peace-keeping mission in the early '80s. At the heart of the spare narrative (whose characters have neither first names nor defining pasts) is Cazetti, a free-spirited corporal working as a combat photographer (a.k.a. duty-flick) for an intelligence unit. Although based in the trench community ringing Beirut's seaside airport, he and his superiors spend a lot of their time in the hostile interior trying to make sense of the local militias (Amal, Druze, Mourabitoune, Phalangist, et al.) that have been assaulting one another in the wake of an invasion mounted by Israel to purge its Arab neighbor of the PLO. When a shifty warlord in the pay of S-2 is unable to provide authoritative information on the intentions of regional forces, the randy French- speaking Cazetti is dispatched to a mountainside monastery to observe and record troop movements. On this post, he makes a determined pass at a lovely young nun who spurns him and vows to pray for him. The unrepentant two-striper returns to his buddies and winds up in a drunken brawl that costs him 30 days in an offshore brig and a bust to private. Back from his shipboard sojourn, Cazetti reports to a new captain who assigns him to a line company. Having survived a couple of inauspicious firefights, he's summoned back to his intelligence outfit in time for a climactic offensive. Cazetti goes down for the last time at the height of a mortar barrage on leatherneck positions. Though flawed by the author's I-am-a-camera approach to storytelling, this short tale of Cazetti's final post provides a vivid grunt's-eye view of what it's like to be caught in the crossfire of battlefields far from home. -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 191 pages
• Publisher: Harpercollins; 1st edition (May 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061012092
• ISBN-13: 978-0061012099
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,636,698 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A remarkable first novel of war, love and loss, June 26, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Cadillac of Six-By's (Mass Market Paperback)

The Cadillac of Six-By's is a powerful story of war in theMiddle East and of love and longing in the bombed-out Beirut of theearly 1980's.It is a story about the loss of innocence of a group of young American Marines who find themselves in war-ravaged Lebanon with an impossible mission: to keep peace.

First-time novelist, Reverge Anselmo tells this modern war story with the authentic intensity of a veteran, and with the style and ironic sense of humor of a talented new writer. His boldly-drawn characters, his way with dialog - especially the sometimes comic absurdity of military parlance, and his searing descriptions of the terror of battle leave a strong impression about an American war which has been all but forgotten.

5.0 out of 5 stars Serving Beirut While in Danger, July 28, 2007

By 

Dr. Luis Raldiris (Sun City West, AZ United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Cadillac of Six-By's (Mass Market Paperback)

This is a remarkable book depicting the reality of marines in combat areas. It flows easy for the reader to ride along and experience the good and the bad of military operations. The dialog is timely and intriguing with unexpected revelations and twists that makes it a wonderful work throughout. Excellent reading for anyone!