Larry Heinemann - Paco's Story

Pros: hallucinatory lyricism, painful account of the reception of a wounded veteran

Cons: ghost narrator-device gets old fast, book nearly bogs down in the middle

The Bottom Line: An R-rated (p)review of a book that has to be rated at least NC.

Review: Larry Heinemann served two tours in Vietnam as an infantryman in the 25th Division. His first novel C lose Quarters (1977) is generally regarded as one of the best tales from the muddy ground of Vietnam. His ...

Pros: The language was humorous, and the overall storyline was creative and very interesting.

Cons: The excessive cursing distracted you from the main plot.

Review: Paco's story is a very interesting book that shows the truth of the Vietnam War. I both loved and hated the excessive cursing in the book. It added both credibility and humor to the book, but was so excessive at some points, it distracted you from the ...