The End Of It - Book Review

		The End of It by Mitchell Goodman Edition: Hardcover
Reveals the Beauty of Italy and the Ugliness of War, I enjoyed the writing in this novel in spurts. Sometimes the places and situations Lt. Freeman shares has a poetic ring to it while at other times it seems to bog down in repetitious sarcasms about war. The parts with soldier Bowen preaching christian doctrine also seemed to bog down the story. The book reads more as a world war II memoir than a novel. The descriptions of Italy with it's mountainous landscape and villages are very realistic and picturesque. Overall not a bad read, but I was expecting more of a war story and less of a artillery lieutenant's relationship with his men and their big guns. The opening paragraphs describing the troopship full of young green soldiers shipping out from New York harbor and being greeted by the violent hurling of the Mid-Atlantic sea is captivating. What this book does do well, besides giving an ugly snapshot of war and it's corpses, is to show the difference in the native soldier fighting for his country's freedom versus an invading or occupying army fighting for profits. In war all soldiers are killing for a cause, but there are some who kill with the thought of protecting their families from evil. (1961 Horizon Press edition) 3.5 stars pg.54 from both sides of the line artillery fire kept the war going - chewing roads, eating villages, biting men in half pg.131 one thousand guns.(One of these guns can deafen a man, two of them can drive him insane) pg.200 at first you do not know how to kill, but you learn. (18 year old italian girl partisan/rebel)

The story of a U.S. WWII Lieutenant in charge of an artillery unit in Northern Italy. Giving commands to fire the huge artillery guns, devastating the lush Italian countryside while in pursuit of a retreating German army was enough to drive the Lieutenant nearly insane.

Hearing the Lieutenant’s thoughts made for a very philosophical and dreamscape read. With descriptions that go from heavenly to hellish in a second, you’re narrated through Italian countryside, war-torn villages, war-shocked villagers, lusting and fearful young soldiers, arrogant generals, vengeful partisans (rebels) and desperate women.

He looks at his function as that of a worker in a factory or corporation, skillfully setting up one big machine brought along to do a job. He doesn’t really believe in the job but he’s loyal to the machine. It represents the superior manly power of the United States.

I think Mr. Goodman wrote this book as a warning to humanity. The message written between the lines is very clear; war not only destroys an enemy but also takes its devastating toll on the land, it’s people and the conquering army. There is no innocence left or pardons given after a war. All are guilty of crimes against humanity and ecology.

By the end of the book you begin to think that maybe soldier Bowman was onto something when preaching about the evils of the apocalyptic war. He too went insane.

When it’s raining body parts, there’s no umbrella one can use to shield his mind from being disturbed.

Great descriptive writing, however, the Lieutenant too often lets his thoughts veer off into intangible war essays. The reader must follow the Lieutenant as best he/she can or else risk getting lost and uninterested. I almost didn’t finish this book. The voice behind the writing brought me back to it more than twice. Glad I finished it though. Nothing all revealing at the end, but I wouldn’t wanna miss knowing the Lieutenant found peace in an Italian village laundry detail.

I still wonder what importance the village laundry detail holds in the story. Maybe it was put there to show that some sanity did return to the lieutenant.