I nearly gave up on this one after a few chapters. I didn't think I was going to care about John Baggs and his SNAFU. It had a Catch-22-without-the-humor feel to it. But it is a fairly fast read, so I was caught up in it before I got too impatient. The main character got more interesting, as did his life, and the ending is classic.
Briefly,Yeoman 2nd class John Baggs, almost-a-college-graduate, and almost-a-preacher before joining the Navy, ends up in a Naval hospital, where his records (his SERVICE records entire) get lost. In true military fashion, he can't be discharged and returned to duty, because he doesn't officially exist. He's given "Cinderella Liberty" while the bureaucracy tries, supposedly, to locate his records. This means he can leave the hospital and do as he pleases every day, but must return and check in by midnight. Under these circumstances, he manages to live a challenging life on the outside, grow as a person, and resolve an old grudge. Very satisfying ending. ( )

This was a terrific book, which in some ways recalls "Catch-22". This book has less of the grand anti-war theme, and is more focused on the absurdity of service life. The book tells the story of John Baggs, a yeoman in the Navy, who enters the Navy hospital in Norfolk. While there, his records are lost, which places him in an official limbo; he can't return to his ship or go anywhere until his records are recovered. Officially, he doesn't exist. After a time, he is granted leave each day from 4:00pm until midnight - he must be back in the hospital by midnight, like Cinderella, hence the title. While on leave, he meets a part-time hooker and develops a relationship with her, eventually marrying her, but still forced to return to the base hospital each night. The story is engaging and funny, and though Baggs is an adult, reflects his "coming of age". He comes to love his new family (including Maggie's 3 children), longing for, and and developing his life outside the service. The story takes a turn with several heartbreaking developments for Baggs, further testing him, and ends with a final stab at organizational lunacy, and, with the final sentence, true poetic justice. This was a funny and at times, very moving story - highly recommended. ( )