Customer Reviews

The Last Parade

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Primarly a love story. A rite of passage for a young American GI in Viet Nam. A story that comes from many viewpoints...From young GI's thrust into a war with little understanding of why; to the villagers of 'Ben Cat' trying to survive and maintain their history; to those actively involved in the resistance. From the Vietnamese characters(of all idealogies)comes an insight into their humanity posed against the backdrop of the futility of War. Strong human characters that remain trapped in your thoughts after the book is closed. I enjoyed this read.

The author of The Last Parade reenters a war that has been continually rewritten over the years as a sounding board for fashionable morality. His achievement lies in his ability to slip under the radar screen of revisionists and romanticists alike to emerge with an economical tale grounded in human truth. The Last Parade is a vivid dramatization that asks the reader for a belief made possible only by one's shell-shocked exposure to the 20th century. Indeed, this is a book for the present age, as no other age has been quite prepared for it.

The Last Parade brought back memories of my experiences as an infantryman during the Korean Conflict. The military jargon, the "buddy" system and doing things the American Way. VFW Post 1995 donated a copy to the Library. So far the comments range from: "I had no idea what it was like"; to "I probably would have done the same thing". The author did a great job in setting the tone in the opening chapter. The rest holds your interest until the end. And, what an ending.

The Last Parade falls into the distinguished ranks of stories that highlight the confusion, contradiction and personal loss of war. I've always been a sucker for this genre, from The Red Badge of Courage to All Quiet on the Western Front to For Whom the Bell Tolls. Hiland Doolittle brings the theme to the definitive conflict of the post-World War II era, Vietnam. I didn't fight in Southeast Asia, but Doolittle's writing brought the conflict alive for me. I got a sense of what it was like to be there. I got involved with his GIs and a beautiful young Vietnamese woman. And I felt the heartbreak of Hodges, his protagonist, as he escaped mounting chaos with his life but lost his love. This is an engrossing tale. I recommend it highly.

The Last Parade: a woman's perspective...

The Last Parade is an unforgettable novel which captured my heart and mind and left me with haunting images of a war I never really understood and experiences I never could have imagined. So involved does one get with the characters, (who are defined in large measure by dialogue which propels the story forward at rapid-fire pace), that their pain became my pain, their sorrow my sorrow, their joy, my joy. The book is filled with pathos, sensitivity, insight, some humor, and much of the raw, primitive language of men whose lives are caught in a chasm between unendurable boredom and the prospects of imminent death. The tale mainly takes place over a one-year period (1968) in the little village of Ben Cat in war-torn Vietnam. The characters, whether American soldiers, Vietnamese peasants, Viet Cong or members of the regular Vietnamese army, whether young or old, whether male or female, are vividly and beautifully portrayed - some with consummate subtlety, others with bold directness. Cultural and political issues are a prevalent theme, woven carefully and cleverly into the fabric of the story. The tragedy of the Vietnam War is manifest throughout. Just as compelling, however, is the message of love which knows no barriers, friendship which has no boundaries, and courage which defies logic. Veterans of any war undoubtedly will identify with this story on many levels, however it can be exquisitely appreciated by anyone who loves, anyone who feels, anyone who cares, and particularly anyone who has suffered loss. For me, The Last Parade is a love story, a war story, history lesson and a rich commentary on the human condition. In CT Hodges, the story's protagonist, Author Doolittle has created a captivating, believable and intriguing personality. One finishes the book desperately wanting to know more about him. The Last Parade cries out for a sequel!

THE LAST PARADE by Hiland Doolittle brings a fresh new insight to the Vietnam war while intertwining a tale of political intrigue, love, friendship and comradery. THE LAST PARADE humanizes all the parties involved with the war while making no side a villian nor a hero. It describes via diaolog the history of the cultures that clashed in Vietnam throughout the centuries thus creating the war. This book is just great! And should not be missed! It is destined to be classic of this generation.

Hiland Doolittle was physically there, in Viet Nam, and presumably has lived for years with its aftermath. One can only imagine the process that has evolved within him to lead to the creation of The Last Hurrah! As a veteran myself, I know how the experience of Viet Nam has remained a constant part of my life for over thirty years. Mr. Doolittle has taken the step to transform his festering memories into the finest memoire of the war. How many of the rest of us wish that we could do the same? The Last Hurrah is the sine qua non of wartime stories of impossible love and heroic action. It is an emotional insight into cultural dicotomies that arose from the mixture of such vastly different societies and provides the reader with an involvement that comes to an end far too soon. The book can not be put down. The images are realistic and the poetry of the relationships is overpowering.

I received advanced mailing for this book and was looking forward to what was billed as the ultimate war story amid the chaos of war, impossible to put down. I found the book to be boring. The characters were shallow, the battle descriptions lacking in realism. The story didn't grip me emotionally, and the ending was predictable. I am being generous in giving the book two stars.....

As a produced playwright, I wish to thank Hiland Doolittle for writing this wonderful book. It is a book of healing for those who experienced Vietnam. It is a book of understanding for those who did not experience Vietnam. It reads like a screenplay...and indeed...a screenplay this story someday MUST be. To find love...to experience love...and then to lose love forever is a harsh reality of life. Not since I viewed "Love Is A Many Spendored Thing" many years ago has my heart been gripped by such an unexpected ending.

Rick says in 'Casablanca'....."We'll always have Paris." Dui and Lureen never had Paris. They should have had Paris. So many....American and Vietnamese never had their Paris. I would like someday to read a sequel to this book...of Dui experiencing Paris without Lureen.

Thank you, Mr. Doolittle, for your service to our country and with this book....for your service to humanity.

The Last Parade is not a book that should have been written by anyone that served in Vietnam (unless they were an REMF), or by anyone that has subsequently traveled back. I am, as a history majory, as a daughter of a Vietnam Veteran, as a wife of another Vietnam Veteran and a woman who has travelled to Vietnam on three occassions since the emargo lifted, embarassed by this author's lack of understanding of the conflict, the country, the politics, the people. I hope no one reads this book and feels that they have an understanding of Vietnam. This is truly a work of fiction.