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gibbygibson_'s review
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
achillesheeled's review
4.0
3.5-4 stars (cant decide lol)
first vonnegut book and i definitely liked his style; i know some people complain about the use of "so it goes" but i didnt think the anaphora was too grating for me personally.
i dont have a lot to say about the plot since i do think that its helpful to go into this book blind. i liked the blending of science fiction elements w the anti war sentiment.
first vonnegut book and i definitely liked his style; i know some people complain about the use of "so it goes" but i didnt think the anaphora was too grating for me personally.
i dont have a lot to say about the plot since i do think that its helpful to go into this book blind. i liked the blending of science fiction elements w the anti war sentiment.
annamint's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Don’t think I paid enough attention but I don’t think I’ve read anything like it before
cait_readsxox's review against another edition
3.0
Honestly disappointed I didn’t love this. I had such a high hopes going into this one and even though it was a quick read, it didn’t leave me with any strong feelings of like or dislike. I feel very meh
douknwdewy667's review
dark
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Suicidal thoughts, Gore, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
oak_55's review against another edition
4.0
i could go the rest of my life with this being the last book i read about war and still consider myself an expert
annashiv's review against another edition
5.0
Truly one of the best books I've ever read. I can easily see why it's a classic. It's definitely reached my top ten favorite books of all time. It's both sad and hilarious in a strange way and wasn't at all what I was expecting. I think everyone should read this book at some time in their life. I hope I read it several times in the future.
phantomphalanges's review
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
jennrocca's review
4.0
Read this first as a teen and liked it. Just reread it again and still liked it. The opening chapter is crucial to my appreciation of the book. It's not the story that I liked (the story was fine - weird... but fine) - it's the book's purpose that's such a draw.
mandalor3960's review against another edition
2.0
I do not know how to asses how I feel about what I have read. This feeling of emptiness, without liking or disliking for the book, reminds me of when I had finished reading "Watchmen". I enjoyed the deterministic philosophy of the book, and wanted the aliens to go more in-depth on the subject, and now I am attracted towards reading more books by Vonnegut to fully understand his philosophy. Saying that has now allowed me to understand my position on this novel: it feels unfinished. I think I was waiting for some punchline, further diffusion on the metaphysical aspects of the universe, but Pilgrim's death was detailed two-thirds into the book, and the ending with Dresden's bombing was befitting.
I am impressed with the novel's style and characters but for the previously stated reason of emptiness, I will leave the book at a two star rating. Perhaps in a few days I will come to a different conclusion. For now I remain in a mist.
My notes are sparse. I forgot to write notes all together after the third chapter because of nonlinear plot that became more pronounced as the novel progressed.
Notes
Chapter One: In unsure about this book. The jumping narrative style and short sentences remind me of "On the Road", but at least it reads easier and is more coherent. The talk of death is nice but if this book leads into pacifism, which is what the Wikipedia article hinted at, I'm going to be disappointed.
Chapter Two: Surprisingly I've lost interest now that the novel is on Baby Pilgrim.
I am a bit into the third chapter and the short narrative style is intoxicating; this matter-of-fact style of writing death. Also the time jumps, reminding me of Dr. Manhattan's in "Watchmen", makes humans seem infantile and pointless, which I dislike.
September 17, 2019
Update
I did not mention before that I enjoyed also reading the first chapter of "Slaughterhouse-Five", which is the chapter that dealt with the unnamed narrator. That section earned a three star rating. Sadly, this is not enough, with the alien philosophical sections included, to increase the rating of the book above a two star-rating.
November 12, 2019
Update
I have thought of lowering the book's rating to one star because of it's pointlessness, but I am reminded of the sections on the alien philosophy, cited in the original review, that had me wanting to read more works by Vonnegut. That enthusiasm has considerably diminished to now, where I feel that the book by itself is a one star-rated book. I will leave it at two stars because my initial feelings and prolonged feelings for the book were of a two star-rating.
December 31, 2019
Update
I have changed the color of the rating from yellow to green. I am not sure when I had chosen yellow as the color.
February 2, 2020
Update
Answering the previous update's question, I believe I had colored the rating yellow because I had originally felt emptiness after reading this book and I was not sure where that belonged on the rating scale. Emptiness was then viewed as a technicality.
I am impressed with the novel's style and characters but for the previously stated reason of emptiness, I will leave the book at a two star rating. Perhaps in a few days I will come to a different conclusion. For now I remain in a mist.
My notes are sparse. I forgot to write notes all together after the third chapter because of nonlinear plot that became more pronounced as the novel progressed.
Notes
Chapter One: In unsure about this book. The jumping narrative style and short sentences remind me of "On the Road", but at least it reads easier and is more coherent. The talk of death is nice but if this book leads into pacifism, which is what the Wikipedia article hinted at, I'm going to be disappointed.
Chapter Two: Surprisingly I've lost interest now that the novel is on Baby Pilgrim.
I am a bit into the third chapter and the short narrative style is intoxicating; this matter-of-fact style of writing death. Also the time jumps, reminding me of Dr. Manhattan's in "Watchmen", makes humans seem infantile and pointless, which I dislike.
September 17, 2019
Update
I did not mention before that I enjoyed also reading the first chapter of "Slaughterhouse-Five", which is the chapter that dealt with the unnamed narrator. That section earned a three star rating. Sadly, this is not enough, with the alien philosophical sections included, to increase the rating of the book above a two star-rating.
November 12, 2019
Update
I have thought of lowering the book's rating to one star because of it's pointlessness, but I am reminded of the sections on the alien philosophy, cited in the original review, that had me wanting to read more works by Vonnegut. That enthusiasm has considerably diminished to now, where I feel that the book by itself is a one star-rated book. I will leave it at two stars because my initial feelings and prolonged feelings for the book were of a two star-rating.
December 31, 2019
Update
I have changed the color of the rating from yellow to green. I am not sure when I had chosen yellow as the color.
February 2, 2020
Update
Answering the previous update's question, I believe I had colored the rating yellow because I had originally felt emptiness after reading this book and I was not sure where that belonged on the rating scale. Emptiness was then viewed as a technicality.