Coogee Rob’s Reviews

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  Matterhorn
  Karl Marlantes

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  Matterhorn

  15/10/2010

  As a bit of a Vietnam fanatic, I couldn't wait to get my hands on Matterhorn. 30 years in the making, my expectations were high.
  
  I am 2/3rds of the way through and it is a book of a different style. It sort of lacks the intense excitement and adrenalin that we have come to expect when in a firefight or the fear of waiting for what might happen next.
  The book describes the patheticness of the line of command in Vietnam and the impact of the politics of this on the grunt.
  The demarcation between blacks and whites and the unrest in the ealy days of Black Power tells us some of the comlications of managing soldiers in Vietnam.
  These things when coupled with the psychology of "lifers" versus "draftees" made for tough times for the "in combat", on the ground troops.
  The one area of dissappointment I have so far is the way the main character Mellas just seems to float across the top of the detail and emotion. I never feel like I am really in Vietnam, in the jungle, feeling the fear, anger and pain. Hopefully the last 3rd will bring it alive. I will let you know.