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Tree of Smoke: A Novel
 

Tree of Smoke: A Novel

by Denis Johnson

Amazon Significant Seven, September 2007: Denis Johnson is one of those few great hopes of American writing, fully capable of pulling out a ground-changing masterpiece, as he did in 1992 with the now-legendary collection, Jesus' Son. Tree of Smoke showed every sign of being his "big book": 600+ pages, years in the making, with a grand subject (the Vietnam War). And in the reading it lives up to... (read more)

Top tags: fiction,  vietnam,  war,  cia,  denis johnson (all tags)

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Amazon Reviews (5)
 

Most Helpful Reviews

Liked It

2 of 2 members found this review helpful.
Gordon H
  • Rated 5 stars

“Denis Johnson’s seventh novel is his masterpiece and perhaps one of the most powerful novels published in the last several years.
As in his other works but here on a larger scale, his characters negotiate a dark, violent world in search of meaning, some kind of salvation. And Johnson takes us with them into the world’s pain and these souls’ anguish in a narrative that carries us along, turning the pages, anxious to see where the story leads. Though the novel is long (over 600 pages), it...”

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Didn’t Like It

Cindy H
  • Rated 2 stars

“My review: http://blog.yourpointismoot.com/2008/09/tree-of-smoke-by-denis-johnson.html”

Cindy H’s full review »
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Community:
  • Rated 3.831579 stars
Amazon:
  • Rated 3.25 stars
  

Newest Comments

  • joelahey

    joelahey said:

    “Havent really sorted out this book but great writing and great characters.”

    posted Wednesday, June 25 2008
  • reyne625

    reyne625 said:

    “HHHHHHHEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLPPPPP!!!!!!!!
    Someone, please help me! I need to do a test on this book and i ran out of time to get through it. This definitely makes the reader's brain work hard and i ran out of time and i just need to know how it ends and some themes but i doubt i will get anyone before freaking tomorrow. Anyone who can save me will be my hero!”

    posted Tuesday, May 27 2008
  • Vance W

    vance w said:

    “I read the book Tree of Smoke by Dennis Johnson. Dennis Johnson is a really good author ,as this is the first book I read by him. In 2007 Johnson recived the National Book Award for this book. His most famous work though is Jesus'Son which are a collection of short stories, which he also won an award for. Johnson was born in Germany and has been writing books and poems since 1983.
    This book The Tree of Smoke is about the Vietnam war through the eves of a character who was apart of this war. The characters name is Skip Sands and he is a spy in training in psychological operations against the Vietcong. During the story many disasters come to him because of his uncle, who was a war hero in Vietnam. Other characters in this book are the Huston brothers, Bill and James who drift from the Arizona desert into the heart of the war. The brothers are disillusioned because they really don't even know what the war is about. This book gives you a true experience of everything we've come to know about the Vietnam War.
    There is a theme that I've found that is connected to this book. The theme I have is always know what you are gonna get into before you do it. Skip went into the war wanting to share some of his grandfathers honor. I don't think he knew what the true meaning or even what the war is about. Thus lead to his downfall. Well this is all I have on thuis book but, I recommend that you read this book because it pretty much seems as you were in Vietnam with these characters.”

    posted Wednesday, May 7 2008
  • Vance W

    vance w said:

    “Do you like my book tree of smoke I am reading for english class?”

    posted Monday, April 28 2008
  • dfolwell

    dfolwell said:

    “I just read a review of this book... looks really good. BTW, I can't post back on your comments, but I have read "I, Claudius" and "Claudius, The God" and it's just the best. I tried to read "Lives of the Caesars" after it, but it just wasn't as fun as Graves... so good!
    ”

    posted Friday, September 21 2007 ( | view 1 reply )
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