From Here to Eternity: Amazon.ca: James Jones: Books

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This is a long, satisfying, commanding novel of the soldiers who were poised on the brink of real manhood when World War II flung them unceremoniously into that abyss. Private Robert E. Lee Prewitt is the nonconformist hero who refuses to box at Schofield Barracks and is slowly destroyed by his own rebelliousness. Around him, others are fighing their own small battles--and losing. It's worth noting that Jones' 1951 audience was shocked by his frank language and the sexual preoccupations of his characters. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Book Description

Diamond Head, Hawaii, 1941. Pvt. Robert E. Lee Prewitt is a champion welterweight and a fine bugler. But when he refuses to join the company's boxing team, he gets "the treatment" that may break him or kill him. First Sgt. Milton Anthony Warden knows how to soldier better than almost anyone, yet he's risking his career to have an affair with the commanding officer's wife. Both Warden and Prewitt are bound by a common bond: the Army is their heart and blood . . .and, possibly, their death.

In this magnificent but brutal classic of a soldier's life, James Jones portrays the courage, violence and passions of men and women who live by unspoken codes and with unutterable despair. . .in the most important American novel to come out of World War II, a masterpiece that captures as no ther the honor and savagery of men.

From the Paperback edition.

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Customer Reviews

42 Reviews

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Average Customer Review

4.7 out of 5 stars (42 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite war novel, Nov 18 2007

By

J. Kucmierz "Neptune" (Edmonton, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: From Here to Eternity (Paperback)

The novel starts off a little slow but turns into a magnificent story that is hard to put down.

The character development in this novel is excellent. You become so attached to the characters you wish the book would never end. Unfortunatelly, it does!

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5.0 out of 5 stars Freedom is an inner Country., July 18 2004

By

Maximiliano F Yofre "Maxi" (Buenos Aires, Argentina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: From Here to Eternity (Paperback)

"From here to Eternity" is a many-layered story. There are explicit and implicit levels to read it; in all of them this book is outstanding.

It describes with crude language the life in the Army in times of peace. In this case is the USA's Army just before Pearl Harbor, but the examples shown are universal and may apply to any Army in any country. At this level the class structure of Officers, Noncoms and Privates is shown with penetrating sight. The power relations, the subtle struggle amongst them, loyalties, abuses, solidarity, weakness. All these traits are depicted vividly thru the different characters that come across this epic novel.

At another level is the story of a young man. A Soldier. He is the epitome of soldiership. He knows what is due to the Service and what is due to himself. He sticks to these principles without regard of the cost. Robert Lee Prewitt is a natural fighter; he has enjoyed boxing until an accident on the ring changed him. He will box no more. Destiny puts him in a Company, where the commanding officer is trying to form a crack team in order to win the championship and enhance his career.
Prewitt is subject to increasing pressure to join the team. He won't bend. He will pay the price. He will remain Free in his hearth until the end.

But this is not all. Romance has its place too. Although unconventionally. Prewitt is in love with a prostitute. Sgt. Warden with his boss' wife. Still love is pure and real and touching.
Jones' opus requires the reader to get involved with the story. To cry and laugh with it. To get in touch with the deepest human emotions.
A major experience to be sure!
Reviewed by Max Yofre.

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4.0 out of 5 stars An authentic look at the pre-WW2 US Army., April 24 2004

By

Roger J. Buffington (Huntington Beach, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: From Here to Eternity (Paperback)

What can one say about one of the most famous novels of all time dealing with the US Army? This novel is a very authentic look at what a life and career in the pre-WW2 US Army was like. The Army was riven with politics and waiting for a great war to begin. Jones tells an interesting tale of soldiers and officers in the US Army at Pearl Harbor and what their lives were like.

Put simply, the novel tells the story of a company of soldiers at Scofield Barracks, Hawaii shortly before the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. The Army is sleepy, not primed for war. The officers advance by politicking and one of the ways to politick in the peacetime Army was to have one's company do well in the divisional sports competition. The protagonist is a talented boxer who does not want to box. This turns into a test of wills between him and his company commander, who wants another boxing star in his company. There is much more to the story; this is a long and complex novel. The basic theme is that the Army in those days was a small, sleepy institution that would have to be (and was) transformed radically in order to take on the Axis. The novel is an interesting look at the Army as it was in those days.

Jones' writing is excellent and his characterizations are strong. The reader will come to care deeply about the various protagonists. This is a great story. My only criticism is that the book does not feature an uplifting or happy ending, and really, this is something of a dark and unhappy story.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Easily one of the Greatest Books of our Age
I first read "From here to Eternity" as a project for my high school senior English class on the reccomendation of a friends. Read more

Published on Feb 13 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars One Of The Best Novels About Army Life Before World War II.
FROM HERE TO ETERNITY is an American classic and one of the very best novels about army life before World War II. Read more

Published on Nov 3 2003 by Patrick Doherty