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The 13th Valley

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The 13th Valley

By: John M. Del Vecchio
Narrated by: Sean Runnette
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About this listen

Finalist for the National Book Award: a work that has served as a literary cornerstone for the Vietnam generation.

The 13th Valley follows the terrifying Vietnam combat experiences of James Chelini, a telephone-systems installer who finds himself an infantryman in territory controlled by the North Vietnamese army. Spiraling deeper and deeper into a world of conflict and darkness, this harrowing account of Chelini's plunge and immersion into jungle warfare traces his evolution from a semipacifist to an all-out combat-crazed soldier. The seminal novel on the Vietnam experience, The 13th Valley is a classic that illuminates the war in Southeast Asia like no other book. It is the first title in Del Vecchio's Vietnam War Trilogy, which also includes For the Sake of All Living Things, about the Cambodian holocaust, and Carry Me Home, which addresses the aftermath of war.

©2012 John M . Del Veccio (P)2016 Audible, Inc.
Historical Fiction Literary Fiction War & Military Fiction War Vietnam War Military Air Force

What listeners say about The 13th Valley

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Very good, a classic

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

quite long so not for a single sitting

Any additional comments?

the only parts of this story i didn't like were the multiple philosophical conversations between the troops which while i'm sure happened on occasion didn't really add to the story and just seemed out of place, the second was the speed at which Cherry turned to 'the dark side' just seemed too fast for me but apart from that it was great.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent philosophical observations of the nature of war and conflict.

The descriptions of combat are intense, this book really transports you into the terrifying and hellish depths of combat patrols in the jungle. You feel like you really get to know the men of the platoon, so much so that you really feel the loss when one is killed. This is easily one of the best books about the Vietnam war and I have read/listened to many.

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    1 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

No combat just (fictional)? boring dialog

got half way through this, the book mainly seems to be fictional dialog, could not follow any kind of story if any later in the book.

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