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Loading... Slaughterhouse-Five (1969)by Kurt Vonnegut
Kurt Vonnegut has a tendency to write very sparsely, with prose that is very "bare bones" and straight to the point, which I don't like at all. I like an author who can weave a sentence and blow me away with just one of them. However; the collection of short stories in this book are so tremendously awful and wonderfully terrible that his writing style doesn't hinder it one bit. In fact, I think it even bolsters it. The mood throughout this book is very cold and desolate - a perfect distopia, really - and I can't say any of these stories could be made better. They're chilling, vexing, and exceptionally thought-provoking. A+. (  ) frozenplums | May 5, 2013 |  The writing style is quite sparse and matter of fact. Vonnegut describes terrible and fantastical things in an observational, objective way, which has the effect of making the events more extraordinary. There is much bleakness in this work, humour, and an undercurrent of sadness. We feel Billy Pilgrim’s helplessness as he is carried along by the forces of war, death and destruction. He is a powerless man observing what is happening to him. He seems equally powerless in his civilian life, carried along by his marriage, career and family as if it is all happening to someone else. I thought that the theme of war and time-travel were linked. It’s as if Vonnegut was saying – you can no more stop the march of war than the passage of time. War has always been and will always be. It’s a wonderful book; short, bleak, darkly humorous and strange. (  ) Sophiejf | May 1, 2013 | I'm not really sure what to say about this, or what I really think of it. It was...unique. It was a quick and essentially enjoyable read, about a difficult subject. It's just hard to really sum up thoughts about it though. It was worth reading, I'd probably recommend it to others, I'm just not entirely sure why. I am pretty sure some of it went a bit over my head. I suppose sometime in the future I'll have to reread it and see if it sinks in any better. (  ) PolymathicMonkey | Apr 30, 2013 | I'm honestly not sure what to think of this novel after I had finished it. I enjoyed the themes that it explored (though it all seemed touch and go) and thought the structure of the novel really helped amplify the story itself. However, I never really felt for the characters beyond the circumstances that they were in and the melancholy that comes with the ebb and flow of life. You could read my full review of the novel over at my blog: http://www.rulethewaves.net/blog/?p=4611 ( ) caffeinatedlife | Apr 26, 2013 | This is the first Kurt Vonnegut book I have ever finished, and I am still not sure what I think about it. I found the story a bit confusing at times, and I am curious how much of what is written is based on the author's wartime experiences. The first chapter and last chapter sound like they are being written from the author's point of view but I am not sure if that is real or a literary device. I like stories that follow a linear time progression. This book has no chronology, and bounces all over the place. The book is thought provoking and I enjoyed it. I want to learn more about Dresden and Howard Campbell now. ( ) SparklePonies | Apr 21, 2013 |
 It is a novel about war and what men do to each other in the name of holy causes. Which is not to say it is anywhere near "The Naked and the Dead" or "From Here to Eternity." Vonnegut fights his wars with feathers rather than with jackhammers. "Slaughterhouse-Five" is funny, satirical, compelling, outrageous, fanciful, mordant, fecund and at the bottom-line, simply stoned-out-of-its-mind. An agonizing, funny, profoundly rueful attempt by Vonnegut to handle in fable form his own memories of the strategically unnecessary Allied air raid on Dresden... few modern writers have borne witness against inhumanity with more humanity or humor. "Slaughterhouse-Five" is an extraordinary success. It is a book we need to read, and to reread. It has the same virtues as Vonnegut's best previous work. It is funny, compassionate and wise. The humor in Vonnegut's fiction is what enables us to contemplate the horror that he finds in contemporary existence. It does not disguise the awful things perceived; it merely strengthens and comforts us to the point where such perception is bearable. It sounds crazy. It sounds like a fantastic last-ditch effort to make sense of a lunatic universe. But there is so much more to this book. It is very tough and very funny; it is sad and delightful; and it works. But is also very Vonnegut, which mean you'll either love it, or push it back in the science-fiction corner. Is contained inThe sirens of Titan; Mother night; Cat's cradle; God bless you, Mr. Rosewater; Slaughterhouse-five by Kurt Vonnegut Novels & Stories, 1963-1973 by Kurt Vonnegut Slaughterhouse-Five ; The Sirens of Titan ; Player Piano ; Cat's Cradle ; Breakfast of Champions ; Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut 4 KURT VONNEGUT Books - 1) Slaughterhouse-five / 2) Welcome to the Monkey House / 3) Cat's Cradle / 4) Jailbird (Unboxed by Jr. Kurt Vonnegut 5 by Kurt Vonnegut jr. (5 volumes) (Cat's Cradle, The Sirens of Titan, God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, Welcome To The Monkey House, Slaughterhouse Five) by Kurt Vonnegut Cat's Cradle, God Bless You. Mr. Rosewater, Slaughterhouse-five by Kurt Vonnegut Has as a supplementHas as a commentary on the textHas as a student's study guide
References to this work on external resources.
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