The way he describes moment in a place -p243 after the war has ended, sitting in a cafe in Paris - describes the light, the stillness, I connect with this the most. With his style of dialogue he is so cinematic.
It is at it’s best in Part 3- Machines; the section where they March toward war- the impending doom builds as the countryside changes

The war is over by 215 and it illustrates the horror but it’s more limited involvement for us soldiers? Must look into this

He manages to put his characters in their moment in history - p262, the soldiers talking about the Russian revolution - but this becomes so much more impactful in the USA trilogy where it doesn’t have to be the contrivance of characters discussing it, he can include the news items for example
291 Andrews: “even now, I want so much more from life than life can give”

294 workers as machinery - he expands on this in USA, where it’s partly admiring the New York machine. Here it’s the desultory mechanisms of war

353 - tragically prescient regarding revolution:”when it comes first thing I’ll do is rob a jewellery store” “what good will it do you?” “I’ll bury it in the back yard…and wait. I’ll need them in the end. Do you know what it will mean your revolution? Another system! When there’s a system there are always men to be bought with diamonds”

The ending … the futility of it all, of all his writing … the papers rustling on to the floor from the wind as he’s imprisoned for a second time, reminded me of some ways of Stoner, but one where the potential is never realised - these pages aren’t in a book, and very will be

Очень сильное произведение. Мысленно я поставил этой книге 5 не дочитав даже до середины - на столько это было хорошо, испортить было просто уже невозможно.

John Dos Passos was politicized by his experiences of war. During World War I he served as an ambulance driver in Italy and France and his experiences led him to become a Communist. Later, his experiences during the Spanish Civil War caused him to become disenchanted with the left and his politics became increasingly conservative during the 1950s.

When this novel was published in 1921, it caused a sensation. A direct result of Dos Passos’ World War I experiences, it’s a passionate anti-war polemic, albeit one that deals less with the horror of actual warfare and more with the pettiness, corruption and cruelty of military life. The work relates the experiences of three young American men with different backgrounds and motivations, who embark for Europe to serve their country. Ultimately, the narrative focuses on John Andrews, a sensitive Harvard-educated musician, whose attitudes most closely reflect those of the author.

Had I not listened to the audiobook version of the novel immediately after listening to Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises, I suspect that I would have liked it more. While the writing is powerful and unsentimental, its verbosity does not compare well with Hemingway’s simpler, less cluttered style. The novel would have been much better, I think, – and probably more widely read today – if the prose wasn’t weighed down by quite so many adverbs, adjectives and similes. Even though I usually love ornate prose, the language in this novel at times made me impatient. Further, I was never in any doubt as to what the author wanted me to think and how he wanted me to feel, when I would have preferred to simply feel and think for myself.

That said, I don’t regret the time I spent listening to the novel, which was beautifully narrated by George Guidall, and I plan to read more of Dos Passos’ work. My interest in his writing has been sparked by my “Lost Generation” reading project. It’s been interesting to discover a writer who was well known and critically well received in his time. It’s a shame that he’s not better known now.

I first read this book in high school because no one in my English class wanted to read it. I don't think the book had ever been checked out from the library. I recently re-read the book and enjoyed the book even more. The book focuses on three American infantrymen in World War I. We tend to associate anti-military sentiment with the Vietnam War but this books shows these feelings existed long before the American involvement in Southeast Asia.

The first part of the novel is primarily concerned with Dan Fuselli, an Army private in World War I, serving in the Medical Corps. Craving the prestige of promotion to corporal, Dan feels prepared to do whatever it takes to advance. Unprepared for the corruption he must accept from his comrades in arms, Dan overcomes his scruples and finally moves up, but must forfeit his other dream of marrying his sweetheart back home.

In Part 2, Chrisfield occupies center stage. A Midwestern farm boy, he rebels against military discipline, even pulling a knife on a sergeant. While marching with the troops, he is distressed to find a faceless German corpse. Increasingly emotional and resentful, he grows to hate the sergeant. Threatening his life leads to court martial, after which he makes good on the threat. After killing the sergeant, Chrisfield deserts and is left aimlessly wandering the forest.

His comrade Anderson occupies the third and final section. As an educated East Coast elite, he feels out of place among the other enlisted men. After he is wounded, he finagles an arrangement to let him study in Paris. Daydreaming over musical compositions helps pass the time until he meets Geneviève. Falling hard for the lovely Frenchwoman, Andrews goes AWOL, and is punished with a beating after he is caught. This time he decides to leave the Army for good, but when he reaches Geneviève, she is appalled by his cowardice and breaks up with him. Andrews rents a room and devotes himself to his musical compositions, but the landlady turns him in. As he is apprehended, the sheets of music go wafting out the window—his creative efforts were as futile as the war.

I was disappointed by the book because I wrongly expected that there would be more content about WWI. The war is over before half the novel is covered. This seems to be a book about 3 flawed men who could have been in any situation and would have sabotaged their own futures. Kristi & Abby Tabby

Mostly about the "machine" that is the military, turning men into mindless autonomic creatures who follow any and all orders.

Wish for half stars again. Would be a three and a half star book. For me, this book fleshed out the experiences of three young men, Americans of varied backgrounds, and their expectations vs the reality of being in the military and at war. I have read very little about World War One so through this book I gleaned a bit of insight on those times and warfare in general. I am hungry to read more. Ah, the malleability, naivete of the three young men. Likely a commentary on all wars. Enlisting the freshest, the youngest, the most idealistic for combat is essential. This book pushed me to look into mustard gas as well and it's effects and disposal after the war. Way leads unto way. So many books, so much history and so little time. Sigh.

I can see why this book was controversial in its time -- it certainly does not glorify the war experience! It's similar to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in that it emphasizes the way the "machine," in this case, the machinery of war and government, destroys men's spirits. A worthy read, but not one I particularly enjoyed.

This book about three soldiers in the US Army during World War I, provides a great contemporary view of the changes that are brought about by the industrial revolution. The book is subdivided with names that refer to the industrial process and one of the protagonists experiences the dehumanization of society, as represented by the army, very strongly, rebels and is finally consumed by "the machine". Some may find the language a bit stilted and boring, but the language style reflects the monotony and boredom of army life.

John Dos Passos is considered by many to be one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century. Jean-Paul Sartre considered him the best. Passos is part of the "Lost Generation", the generation of young men (and writers) that grew up with World War I. Like Hemingway (at one time a close friend of Passos), he served in the ambulance corps during WWI. "Three Soldiers" is about WWI and paints the impact of the war in dark, despairing tones. Like an impressionist painter, the context is vividly draw while the characters and plot are always hovering in the shadows. There is no victory- or victor- only the somber destruction of the lives of men much too young to be lost. "Three Soldiers" is important for anyone studying either writers from the early 20th century- or most importantly- books that move the reader into the experience of WWI rather than just reading the "events" of this first Great War.

Was hoping for battle scenes and action. Instead, got a lot of introspection. Perhaps I'm too accustomed to Hemingway. Still, a very good read nonetheless.

Passos wrote primarily for a select audience. As a result, it can take a bit of time to find a way into his work.
It's the same case here, but I've seldom read something that was so anti-war, written at a time when the anti-war movement was in its infancy, just after the end of the Great War.