Paperback, 275 pages
English language
Published Jan. 12, 1999 by Chelsea House Publishers.
Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best novels of all time, Slaughterhouse-Five, an American classic, is one of the world's great antiwar books. Centering on the infamous firebombing of Dresden, Billy Pilgrim's odyssey through time reflects the mythic journey of our own fractured lives as we search for meaning in what we fear most.
Quite possibly my favorite book ever. Very funny, charming, and often sad at times. Wonderfully written and full of life and humanity.
This is the book that re-ignited my love for reading.
Nicely and interestingly written.
Biting
I think the only reason for this book's popularity was the Vietnam war. The book is poorly structured and wastes a lot of time to say "it's all pointless."
The thing is: use nihilism for good, Kurt.
I was at first skeptical, but after a few chapters it really got started and I must admit to this being a piece of excellent writing. I can't help but applaud Vonnegut for writing this novel the way it is written.
So it goes.
Highly recommended, it's part sci-fi, part slice of life, part warstory, but most of all it's about experiencing a perspective.
To reread.
I would have given this one an extra star if it had ended sooner. I realise it's a celebrated classic, just not my jam I guess.
I had my ebook reader software remove the phrase "So it goes", that helped a tiny bit. The only reason I didn't DNF is because it was relatively short and I thought I might as well get it done.
Not a great start to my reading Vonnegut. I'll try Cat's Cradle next as I've heard a lot of people prefer that one, but I'm not in any rush.
The first time I read this book I was a little underwhelmed after hearing so much about its popularity. Now, rereading it years and years later, I am completely in awe of this masterpiece.
I don't know if there can ever be a better example of a book the author was slowly building towards writing with every previous book. A synthesis of all his beliefs and experiences funnelled through a literary style he had perfected over two decades.
What a fresh take: Slaughterhouse-5 is good.
I dont know why this is such a popular book. The writing is crude especially when describing ibteractions with women. The whole time travel and alien race thing seems random.
It's been nearly fifteen years since Kurt Vonnegut Jr. died. So it goes. While we won't get any more books by him I am happy that he did leave behind three books I haven't read yet. This is not one of them. I read this as a teenager and again as a young man. I figured I should reread it now that I'm an old man. This is one of the best stories I've ever read. It's unbelievable how much it trusts you and your humanity and builds a tale where all the key points seem to happen at once. It all makes sense. There's no reason to disbelieve Tralfamadorian concepts of time. You know how time travel is always a complicated thing in books? Not here. Here it's simple. This book unfolds, unstuck in time, and that should make for a hard read, but not here. Here you are …
It's been nearly fifteen years since Kurt Vonnegut Jr. died. So it goes. While we won't get any more books by him I am happy that he did leave behind three books I haven't read yet. This is not one of them. I read this as a teenager and again as a young man. I figured I should reread it now that I'm an old man. This is one of the best stories I've ever read. It's unbelievable how much it trusts you and your humanity and builds a tale where all the key points seem to happen at once. It all makes sense. There's no reason to disbelieve Tralfamadorian concepts of time. You know how time travel is always a complicated thing in books? Not here. Here it's simple. This book unfolds, unstuck in time, and that should make for a hard read, but not here. Here you are held and caressed by fantastic foreshadowing. You know why people like foreshadowing so much? It's because it makes you feel like you're in on the joke. Like many good books, a lot of people die in this one. So it goes. And not once does it feel like the use of "So it goes" is a gimmick. It's also heart-wrenching and laugh-out-loud funny. Poo-tee-weet?
I liked how Vonnegut manages to tell a poignant war story in a gentle way, without any attempt to glorify anything or anyone. I guess this became a classic because it makes people reflect on their values and their approach to life. And maybe even prompt them to question their own views. To do the above through a novel in a gentle way is the accomplishment of this book.
This is my first Vonnegut novel. When I was reading it, I was surprised how much Douglas Adams' (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) style was influenced by Vonnegut.
Stunning perspective on living with our pasts, on the dismal prospects for agency in the face of enormous forces. The human condition.
Re-read this one. Still great, especially the first chapter. Something that struck me this go-around is that when Vonnegut wrote this he was only in his 40s. Not quite the grizzled old man I always pictured with the mustard gas and roses breath.
This book made me think about war in a way I've never thought about it before. It makes you reflect on the damage war does, and on the way you look at your own life. Vonnegut gets a hold of you in unexpected and from unexpected angles.
Really good, moving in some parts. Really rambling and winding in others. Glad I read it. Not sure it's worth going back to read merely because of how famous it is.
I don't think that Vonnegut writes poorly, nor do I think this work lacks inherent interest. It's more-so that this, alongside Catch-22 and the like, is a genre I just can't get behind. I understand the need for anti-war fiction, indeed even fiction mostly accounted from real life witness. With that being said, it seems that once you've read one 'war is futile and nothing makes sense, but that's what war is all about' book, you've read them all.
Am I so far out of touch with those in the story that I just don't get it? Well, actually no, and I don't think that this would be Vonnegut's aim either. I hope that war has been made so redundant to me that the thought of going through something like this in life continues to be a totally alien concept to me and everyone else. But I'd also hope that …
I don't think that Vonnegut writes poorly, nor do I think this work lacks inherent interest. It's more-so that this, alongside Catch-22 and the like, is a genre I just can't get behind. I understand the need for anti-war fiction, indeed even fiction mostly accounted from real life witness. With that being said, it seems that once you've read one 'war is futile and nothing makes sense, but that's what war is all about' book, you've read them all.
Am I so far out of touch with those in the story that I just don't get it? Well, actually no, and I don't think that this would be Vonnegut's aim either. I hope that war has been made so redundant to me that the thought of going through something like this in life continues to be a totally alien concept to me and everyone else. But I'd also hope that books of this manner would still resonate and serve as a reminder of those that did go through such events and a warning for the rest of us not to repeat such dark times. This didn't happen here with me, nor have any other stories I've read in this genre. Works like The Gulag Archipelago on the other hand - that's a tour de force to contend with.
There were some phrases in the book, some descriptions that I really did like. An overweight man sits down on a bed. Rather than stating that the springs creaked or some-such, Vonnegut writes 'the mattress springs had a lot to say about that'. Great! Witty! Funny! But overall I cannot recommend it.
