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All Quiet on the Western Front [Mass Market Paperback]

Erich Maria Remarque , A W. Wheen
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (610 customer reviews)

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Book Description

March 12, 1987
Paul Baumer enlisted with his classmates in the German army of World War I. Youthful, enthusiastic, they become soldiers. But despite what they have learned, they break into pieces under the first bombardment in the trenches. And as horrible war plods on year after year, Paul holds fast to a single vow: to fight against the principles of hate that meaninglessly pits young men of the same generation but different uniforms against each other--if only he can come out of the war alive.
"The world has a great writer in Erich Maria Remarque. He is a craftsman of unquestionably first trank, a man who can bend language to his will. Whether he writes of men or of inanimate nature, his touch is sensitive, firm, and sure."
THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

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Editorial Reviews

Review

“The world has a great writer in Erich Maria Remarque. He is a craftsman of unquestionably first rank, a man who can bend language to his will. Whether he writes of men or of inanimate nature, his touch is sensitive, firm, and sure.”—The New York Times Book Review

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: German --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

  • Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Ballantine Books; Reprint edition (March 12, 1987)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0449213943
  • ISBN-13: 978-0449213940
  • Product Dimensions: 4.5 x 0.8 x 7 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (610 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,152 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Remarque makes a brilliant contribution to world literature with this riveting novel. Jeffrey Leach  |  107 reviewers made a similar statement
All Quiet on the Western Front is a great war novel written by Enrich Maria Remarque. jimmy  |  53 reviewers made a similar statement
The book makes you feel what the character is thinking. eguyett@gte.net  |  61 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
247 of 253 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars War Stinks January 7, 2003
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Erich Maria Remarque (1898-1970) served in World War I, where he received wounds five times in battle. The searing images of trench warfare left indelible scars on Remarque, who then attempted to exorcize his demons through the writing of literature. "All Quiet on the Western Front" is Remarque's most memorable book, although he wrote nine others dealing with the miseries of war.

"All Quiet on the Western Front" is the story of Paul Baumer, a young German soldier serving in the trenches in France. Baumer's story is not a pleasant one; he volunteered for the war when his instructor in school, Kantorek, urged the class to join up for the glory of Germany. After a rigorous period of military training (where Paul and his buddies meet the hated drill instructor Himmelstoss, a recurring character throughout the book), Baumer and his friends go to the front as infantrymen. Filled with glorious ideas about war by authority figures back home, Baumer quickly discovers that the blood-drenched trenches of the Western Front are a quagmire of misery and violent death. As soon as the first shells explode in the mud Paul and his friends realize everyone back home is a liar, that war is not the glorious transformation of boys into men but rather the systematic destruction of all that is decent and healthy. As Paul's friends slip away one by one through death, desertion, and injury, Paul begins to wonder about his own life and whether he will survive not only the war but also a world without war.

Remarque's book exposes all of the insanities of war. The incongruities of violent battle versus long periods of boredom repeatedly appear throughout the book. On one day, Paul and his friends sit around discussing mundane topics; the next day they are bashing French skulls during an offensive....

Also of interest is that this book views the war from the German side. From what I read recently, the Germans had a tough time throughout the war with rations, troop rotations away from the front, and supplies. This is apparent in Remarque's treatment of the German war effort, especially toward the end of the book when Germany begins to retreat in the face of overwhelming American military power. Paul's remarks about the evil presence of tanks are an interesting insight into the effect those iron behemoths had on the ill-equipped and exhausted Germans.

The cover of this edition trumpets this as "the greatest war novel of all time." And so it is, but not in the way some people might think. This is the greatest war novel ever because Remarque's book is anti-war. Those that read "All Quiet on the Western Front" will see warfare stripped of its flag waving, parades, and John Wayne glory. War is death, with the glory going to the few who survive. Remarque makes a brilliant contribution to world literature with this riveting novel. Read more ›

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70 of 70 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars DON'T WAIT April 13, 1998
By A Customer
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I was supposed to read this novel around 25 years ago, for a high school English class, and decided to skip it and just read the back cover and take notes in class. Turns out the joke was on me. I finally got around to reading this classic book, and let's just say that it's all the good things you've heard about and will read about below. The story is told simply but powerfully. One memorable scene follows another, and the battle scenes are particularly strong and at times even overpowering. But somehow the strongest scenes describe our protagonist--Paul's--thoughts when he realizes, during quieter moments, such as when on leave, that the war has changed him and made him no longer able to fit into society. And the scene where Paul shares a shellhole with a dying French soldier, and contemplates on the brotherhood of man, and on our universal commonality, and of the utter uselessness of war, is so memorable that...well, if you don't get a lump in your throat while reading this scene, you're better than me! Me recommending this book to you is like someone saying "Citizen Kane" is a good movie or that the Beatles were a swell group. Let's just say that if you deprive yourself of this emotionally moving reading experience, as I did for so many years, you'll really be missing out. 'Nuff said.
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61 of 64 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars All-Powerful about the Western Front April 13, 2003
Format:Mass Market Paperback
ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT is not the story of military strategy, or a tale concerned with the mass movement of armies and people. It is not a novel about the higher view of war, the way it is seen by governments and generals. It is, in fact, the story of one man caught up in a war that he doesn't even seem to fully comprehend. He and his friends are battered and wounded, and simply trying to survive each day as it comes. The book is powerful and memorable. Erich Maria Remarque shows us what war is like, and shows us a tale of people trying to stay alive, but becoming more and more alienated from the regular world they left behind.

The story is gritty, dirty and depressing. It probably isn't exactly explaining what life was like for the German soldiers during WWI, but my guess is that it comes extremely close. The men have trouble finding food, they are ordered around by sadistic officers, they are cold, and hungry - and there's a war going on, the nature of which means that literally at any second they could be killed or horribly maimed. The book focuses on the death associated with the war, but it also spends a lot of time going over the suffering and the pain. Remarque tells us of the soldiers wounded, of those slowly dying in no-man's land with no hope of being rescued or of dying a clean death. The lucky ones are the ones who die quickly; the unlucky are in agony for days or weeks.

There really isn't much of a plot, which would certainly seem to be in keeping with the way an average solider would view the war. The narrative bounces us around from the front lines, to the rear camps, to civilian villages in a sequence as random as it would have appeared to anyone involved in the war. We can't see the reasoning behind any individual movement, and neither can our protagonist....

ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT is a book that everyone should read, just so that the story of the average soldier is always carried on. Even as television brings cursory and unrepresentative images of the battlefield to regular citizens, it is vital that everyone fully understands the horror that war is. I can't say that this was a pleasant read, but it was a book that I found difficult to put down. Read more ›

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39 of 43 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars Bad Editing August 3, 2009
Format:Paperback
This is a horribly printed book. The actual story is good but this particular printing is horrible.

Buy this book from another printing company.

In this copy the letters with umlauts apparently messed up the printing. Click on the book and go to page 3 and at the top in the first three lines is an example of what I am talking about. Also there are tons of grammatical errors. Commas are missing. Misspellings are rampant. It looks like a first edition translation from German gone wrong. I haven't looked at any other copies printed by other printing companies but I think it is safe to say that a classic like this has been edited better by other printing companies.

Right now I am in Chapter 3 and I don't know whether to keep reading or buy a different copy because these errors are ruining it for me.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Best War Book Ever
When I started listening to audiobooks years ago, All Quiet on the Western Front was one of the first that I picked up from the library, and it is still one of my favorites. Read more
Published 3 hours ago by Steven Brandt @ Audiobook-Heaven
5.0 out of 5 stars Finally - I've read it!
I have been meaning to read this work for many years and finally got around to it recently. What a great narrative. Read more
Published 3 days ago by Trevor Anthony Holland
5.0 out of 5 stars Good!
the book i got wasnt the same as the one in the picture but its still a great book in great condition.
Published 9 days ago by sean kimbar
4.0 out of 5 stars War is Hell
If war is hell, then what is hell? This work graphically portrays the horrors of war, not only in their gruesome detail, but also in their horrific psychological effects. Read more
Published 20 days ago by Philip Thompson
5.0 out of 5 stars A German Soldier from a French Perspective!
I am an 18 year old high school student who was recomended this book as a free read. I couldnt put it down and was always getting something new out of it. Read more
Published 21 days ago by DanRudy
5.0 out of 5 stars book
The book arrived quickly and in great shape. excellant read. My son needed it for school and he enjoyed reading it also
Published 23 days ago by sue Hodges
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent anti-war story
All Quiet on the Western Front follows a group of youthful, patriotic German soldiers as the horrors of the Great War destroy their souls. Read more
Published 23 days ago by Jonathan Cortez
5.0 out of 5 stars Classic novel.
This is a literary classic and with good reason. It is a chilling account of one soldier's experience of World War II. I found the novel a difficult one to put down.
Published 24 days ago by steve e.
5.0 out of 5 stars College
I've seen several adaptions on this book, but finally decided to read it when my college class required it. Read more
Published 1 month ago by J W Bfield
5.0 out of 5 stars Classic
This book is considered one of the finest classics for a reason. Shows that a soldier is a soldier despite the leadership. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Nielsen
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Has anyone read Frank Nappi's "Echoes From The Infantry" as a companion...
Hello Jerry. Yes, my daughter is a student on Long Island. She and her class read Frank Nappi's novel as well as All Quiet. And, the author himself came to speak to the kids about the book. It was wonderful, as was the book itself. I, like many people, think it will become the definitive WWII... Read more
Jun 5, 2006 by Margaret Fuller |  See all 2 posts
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