Cat's Cradle

Paperback, 224 pages

English language

Published April 30, 2008 by Penguin Classics.

ISBN:
978-0-14-118934-5
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4 stars (52 reviews)

Cat's Cradle is Kurt Vonnegut's satirical commentary on modern man and his madness. An apocalyptic tale of this planet's ultimate fate, it features a midget as the protagonist, a complete, original theology created by a calypso singer, and a vision of the future that is at once blackly fatalistic and hilariously funny. A book that left an indelible mark on an entire generation of readers, Cat's Cradle is one of the twentieth century's most important works -- and Vonnegut at his very best.

37 editions

Astute

4 stars

My copy of Cat's Cradle was audio from Audible, narrated by Tony Roberts. I'm sure that there's still more layers to this novel that passed me by, but I enjoyed its wicked humour and sharp observations of human behaviour. The storyline is wonderfully outlandish and I would be interested to know if the science of Ice Nine is even feasible? However, it is the calypsos of the Bokononist faith that I think will be the most memorable for me. The astute comments on religion, power, learning and life are so true.

Выдатна

5 stars

Перачытаў. Тыя ж 5 зорак, што і было, было б больш, паставіў бы больш. Роўна 60 год пасля выданьня кнігі, якая пачынаецца з атамнага бамбаваньня Хірасімы і заканчваецца глябальнай экалягічнай катастрофай, створанай чалавекам, here we are, недзе паміж пагрозай ядзернай вайны і напаўнепазьбежнай экалягічнай катастрофай. Кніга каб спыніцца, адысьці трошкі ў бок і паглядзець на чалавецтва звонку і зразумець, колькі ў ім вар'яцтва і абсурду, колькі складаных стварэньняў, якія як тая гульня ў вяровачку - no damn cat, no damn cradle. Але некаторым з нас пры гэтым пашчасціла ўсё гэта назіраць як разумным істотам, таму напрыканцы мы мабыць пасьпеем яшчэ задраць нос шырока ўхмыляючыся перад тварам няіснага бога, які і стварыў на імгненьне ўсю гэтую хісткую канструкцыю ў сябе на пальцах. А мабыць не.

Review of "Cat's cradle" on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

I have no idea why this book is only three stars for me.

It has everything I usually like in a SF novel. It's an absurd satire of the cold war and religion told with a dry sense of humor with a bit of poetry to add flavor and it embraces the total incomprehensible randomness of the universe and especially people.

So, why do I treat it as only perfectly readable and after reading all other reviews I still have no answers.

Maybe the poetry wasn't too good.

Review of "Cat's Cradle" on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

The third novel by Vonnegut that I've read and probably the one I'm least appealed to, artful and clever as it is. Unlike the top reviewer, I didn't feel that book was gradually losing brightness, quite the opposite, I felt it was gathering pace toward the end. The first part of the book, devoted to the narrator gathering information about Dr. Felix Hoenikker, the (fictional) inventor of the atomic bomb, was less than engaging for me, even Vonnegut's sharp-witted and persuasive (if somewhat abrupt) writing did little to help. The plot started to unfold more rapidly after the narrator travels to (fictional) banana republic San Lorenzo, home to a truly interesting (fictional) religion called Bokononism, for reasons I won't disclose to avoid spoilers, and this was where the book finally got hold of me. The science-fictional idea of Ice-9 results in a story, which most authors would've turned into a …

Review of "Cat's Cradle" on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Before Cat's Cradle, I had read Slaughterhouse Five and Breakfast of Champions, both of which had a more humorous tone to them, so when I bought this, I thought it was going to be more of the same. In that sense, I was disappointed with the book, since it turned out to have a mostly serious tone to it.

Cat's Cradle, in my experience, is Vonnegut's most lauded novel, but I did not enjoy it as much as the other two I've read. It seemed like the story never moved--like every major plot point was just the precursor to something that never happened. It felt like just the opening chapters to a much longer novel.

However, with all that said, it is very readable. Any fan of Vonnegut will love this book. Perhaps my assumptions about the book soured the experience for me (and for this reason I will eventually …

Review of "Cat's Cradle" on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

John (Jonah) is an everyman, he tells us about the times he planned to write a book about America and the importance of what they did the day Hiroshima was bombed. He finds himself involved with the children of Felix Hoenikker (a fictional Nobel laureate physicist and known in the book as the father of the atomic bomb). The Hoenikkers lead him to discover a crystal known as Ice-Nine, which they have kept secret and is an alternative structure of water.

Like most of Kurt Vonnegut’s books that I’ve read (with the exception of Breakfast of Champions) Cat’s Cradle is this bizarre journey that isn’t necessarily enjoyable to read but when you finish the book and reflect you start to see the brilliance. I remember with Slaughterhouse-Five when I ended the book I gave it a 2 star rating; it was just plain weird but the book never left my …

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