Cat's Cradle: A Novel (original 1963; edition 1998)

Typical Vonnegut mix of humor and pathos and truth masquerading as satire. John/Jonah is a writer looking to chronicle the life of the atom bomb creator, Felix Hoenikker. His journey takes him to a desert isle (San Lorenzo) makes him fall in love (the beautiful Mona) and ultimately lets loose ice-nine (freezing agent) with catastrophic effect. Vonnegut expounds on the absurdity of religion, the folly of the arms race, and ultimately, man's stupidity. ( )

There may be some spoiler stuff in here...

Well, it was the same Vonnegut with his amazing descriptions (that sometimes make me laugh).

"My soul seemed as foul as smoke from burning cat fur."

"It was with deep, idiotic relief that I leaned on that fleshy, humid, barn-yard fool."

"My hair stood on end, as though Angela were rolling on the floor, foaming at the mouth, and babbling fluent Babylonian." (Incidentally I met a guy in eharmony who thought he could do that...interesting conversation!)

The end was a little anti-climactic for me, and did not quite live up to Slaughterhouse-Five. Of course, reading it on SH5's heels by hours may have not been fair to Cat's Cradle! Vonnegut has definitely moved into my "favorite author" group without question.

I have decided that after the line, "She was a fool, and so am I, and so is anyone who thinks he sees what God is Doing, [writes Bokonon]" that I must be a Bokononist. It's a shame it's all a lie... I also liked the idea that "Peculiar travel suggestions are dancing lessons from God." What a fun and adventurous way to see life! Imagine taking every whim or opportunity and just going with it, seeing where it took you? The amazing people you could meet and things you might see, if only you allowed yourself the freedom?

The character of Newt reminded me a little of A Prayer for Owen Meany. But, it was the character of Philip Castle that was my favorite...no Tracy, not just because he was gay...I loved his sarcasm and wit.

As end of the world type books go, it was very imaginative and clever. You know something is going to happen, but it definitely did not end the way I expected!

Oh, and I love the "artist" who sub-let his flat and wrote him a poem in poo, that was fantastic! ( )

Website that lays out the Book of Bokonon...

http://www.cs.uni.edu/~wallingf/personal/bokonon.html ( )

Third book for the readathon.

I don't know what went wrong with reading Vonnegut before, but I liked Cat's Cradle a lot more than The Sirens of Titan. The short chapters helped -- I'm guessing some people find it too fragmented, but I found that that helped draw me on. The tone of it helps, too: dry and ironic.

There's something about the background characters, like Bokonon and Hoenikker, that's pretty compelling, too. The idea of ice-nine, and the fake religion that makes so much sense... I remember liking the ideas behind The Sirens of Titan, so maybe it isn't so surprising that I enjoyed Cat's Cradle.

As with several other books I've read recently (notably, Poul Anderson's books), I was encouraged to read this by the references to it in Jo Walton's Among Others. Busy, busy, busy... ( )

I first read Cat's Cradle for first year English Lit at uni and it was ground-breaking for me. It introduced me to the wonder that is Vonnegut's writing, which I have devoured it ever since. This rereading reminds me why I have listed my religion as Bokononist on Facebook (and that I'm not a very good Bokononist!)

Not quite five stars this time around, since I *just* didn't find it quite as engrossing as I did at the age of 18. Perhaps it's not just age and has more to do with the recent sudden and unexpected death of my dad--I'm surely not in what you'd call a nOrmAl state of mind (whatever that may be). This still enormous and raw hole in my heart may be preventing me from being able to experience full joy and wonder in reading. Who knows. If that's the cause, I hope the situation changes soon, as wonderment born of reading is one of the great enrichers of my life.

Busy, busy, busy. ( )