Tree of Smoke : A Novel (Paperback)

from marysargent

A big, complex, very good novel about Viet Nam. I read it over a long period of time and lost the thread at times, so don't feel I have a good grasp of the narrative, but the characters, the sense of being there, of its being another world were powerful. A fine writer.

from novelcommentary

The New York Times ends their review with the following statement about Dennis Johnson: "He has written a flawed but deeply resonant novel that is bound to become one of the classic works of literature produced by that tragic and uncannily familiar war." I like the juxtaposition of "flawed but de...

from crazy4novels

"Tree of Smoke," "Fog of War," "Heart of Darkness" -- apparently, clarity of vision is one of the inevitable casualties of any protracted conflict. Original objectives, rules of engagement, perceptions of right and wrong, the true nature of the enemy -- these concepts eventually begin to shift an...

from Hagelstein

This is a beautifully written, and sometimes heartbreaking book. The loneliness and inner turmoil of men and women involved in war permeates the story without dragging it down. Detail and emotion carry the story so well that although this is a long book at over 600 pages, it doesn't feel that way.

from lriley

Tree of Smoke is a very deserving National book award winner in fiction this year. One could look at it as a kind of the other side of Graham Greene's 'The quiet American' written many years ago just prior to America stepping into for earnest--the Vietnam quagmire. Vietnam here is the focus but i...