Rating: 
Summary: Good, if you can understand it!
Review: I bought this book because I saw all of the other reviews. I saw all the 5 stars and decided to give it a shot. I barely got past the 2nd chapter when I stopped reading it. It is full of military codes and slang words. There is an entire section in the back of this book devoted to explaining these terms. It would be easy to read by a vet or anyone in the military, but to me it was just confusing. If you don't want to struggle with a book, don't buy this.
Rating:
Summary: Maybe I missed something, but ...
Review: I bought this book because of it's outstanding rating in Amazon.com, but I don't understand why it was so well rated. The subject matter (the war in Vietnam) is interesting, and Mr. Del Vecchio writes well about the actual execution of the war and the lives of "boonierats". However, when he starts to get philosophical about the source of human conflict and racism, his writing style and his presentation breakdown in a hurry. He should have stuck with a narrative of the lives of "boonierats", I think I would have been much more satisfied with the result. This is not a great novel.
Rating: 
Summary: A MUST READ!
Review: I COULD NOT PUT THIS BOOK DOWN! THE 13TH VALLEY IS ABOUT A PLATOON IN THE 101ST AIRBORNE DURNING VIETNAM. IT VIVIDLY GOES INTO THE MINDS OF THE SOLDIERS AND DEALS WITH THE HELL THAT THEY FIND THEMSELVES IN. THE BATTLE SCENES ARE THE BEST I HAVE EVER READ. I THINK EVERYONE SHOULD READ THIS BOOK THEN GO OUT AND KISS A VET!
Rating:
Summary: wow !
Review: I don't know if this book is correct in every detail. Memories, at least mine, tend to round off after 30 years. Such a long time ago. And my experience in that far away time in that far away place, was from the standpoint of a merchant marine officer on ships for months at a time. But it conforms to what I know and was told. The action and the story line is believable. I would not want to have been there. The book makes you feel pain for everyone, even the "enemy". Forgiveness is a long way to go.History, biography, memoir, fiction. It scores on all counts.
Rating:
Summary: The Thirteenth Valley is THE novel about combat in Vietnam
Review: I first read this book when i was 21 and up untill that point had only a vague interest in the war in Vietnam. Living in Canada there is not a lot of refrence or emotion towards the war bit all that changed for me when i read this book. The politics of the time and the racial tensions set in the most vivid combat descriptions i have read makes this one of my favourite novels of all time, in fact through the years i have read it a total of three times.
Rating:
Summary: TOTALLY ENGROSSING
Review: I have read countless military fiction and non-fiction books and none have given a more comprehensive and poignant view of warfare. This book is ESSENTIAL for those who wish to understand the Vietnam experience. The book's characters are brought to life in an incredible way, and I really mean it when I say that you feel like you're going through the jungle with them. It deeply reveals guerilla warfare (and all the horror it entails) and the special brotherhood between the "boonierats." It is also very touching and romantic as it deals with the love lives of the men. Most importantly, it attempts to answer the philosophical question of how/why personal/racial/global conflict happens. It does this in a deeply brilliant way and comes up with some TRULY FASCINATING ideas.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best novels ever written about Vietnam.
Review: I have read this book four times and am still in awe as to the effort put forth by John Del Vecchio. Am I the only one, but do others feel that Oliver Stone used many of John's characters in "Platoon"? Egan is perfectly matched to Willem Dafoe as is Cherry Chelini to the Charlie Sheen character. It is a shame that a screenplay never came out of this book - I think it would be the quintessential visual document of Vietnam.
Rating:
Summary: The reader reviews are correct.
Review: I occasionally, while at Amazon, search a title I read years ago to learn what others might now say of it. I purchased and read The 13th Valley when it was first published. Should you also choose to purchase and read it, I doubt those of you familiar with the song will desire to hear "We'll Sing In The Sunshine" ever again.-----
Rating:
Summary: Read this book and feed your head!
Review: I read 'The 13th Valley" for the first time when I was in high school back in the early eighties, a time when people were trying really hard to forget Viet Nam and my generation could have cared less. This book, with it's deeper meanings and realistic characters, moved me like no other book I had read. It made me want to look deeper into the causes of the Viet Nam war and the causes of war in general. 'The 13th Valley' is right up there with the best war stories in modern literature. Don't miss this book!
Rating:
Summary: The 13th Valley
Review: I read this book upon the recommendation of my sister. At the time I didn't know a lot about the Vietnam War but wanted to learn more. It was perhaps one of the best books I can say I've ever read. I've never read a book that made you feel like you were right there with the author, but this book did me that way. I felt like I was in the jungle, I could almost feel the dirt hitting me in the face as the supply choppers landed. It made me see what war is really like, not just the Vietnam War, but I'm sure a lot of this applies to all wars. I also learned how a frightful soldier could be overwhelmed with just surviving and be willing to kill anything in sight that was related to the enemy as I felt myself become this way as I read this book. It was definitely a GREAT book to read and I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to know what our soldiers lived day-in-day-out while in the valley.
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