I recently finished this book and really enjoyed it. Personally, I preferred the book to the movie.
Part of what's so interesting about it is the history of the book itself. The fact that it was written from the point of view of a German soldier is in itself unique, and quite uncommon. Furthermore, it is interesting how controversial a book it was in Germany is that because of its negative portrayal of life as a German Soldier, it was banned and burned, so that the German people would not read it and therefore not have negative opinions about war, and life as a soldier. Instead, the government tried to get the country to be very patriotic and tried to make life as a soldier seem appealing. In addition, in schools, students were taught that they would be better respected if they joined the army and that it was their duty to serve their country. This was the case with Paul Bäumer and his friends. While in school, they were encouraged to join the army by their teacher, and therefore, upon graduating, they immediately enlisted together.
The book is interesting in that it's not about great soldiers who are war heroes. Instead, it tells the story of a group of average soldiers, and focuses more on the conditions which they experience. They don't even use specific events or battles in the book.
Paul and his friends have a lot of trouble adjusting to life at war. In the trenches, their food supply is limited. In addition, they have to get used to the constant bombing and the fact that they could have to fight at any time. They also have to get used to watching other people--including their own friends--get hurt and sometimes die right in front of them. This is clearly very difficult for them, and this difficultly is clear when Paul goes home on leave and can never get comfortable, or used to life back at home.
Overall, this is a great book, that I think would be enjoyed by anyone.
