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lattelibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
I knew that this biography had to end with his death but to be honest, I did not see his death coming. He is eternal to me.
theyellowbrickreader's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
alexrobinsonsupergenius's review against another edition
4.0
Vonnegut is a presence in all his books, so it's tempting to think you "know" him based on his novels. As is usually the case, the private person behind the public persona is much more complex. It's jarring to read less pleasant details about an author I've loved for 25+ years (infidelities, neglecting his family, etc) but we're all grown-ups and Vonnegut wasn't the first idealist unable to live up to the philosophies he promoted, and that shouldn't diminish his work.
nssutton's review against another edition
4.0
Vonnegut is one of those authors who I hold in such high esteem that I was terrified of what I might learn in this book. Seuss and Schultz were ruined for me in their biographies, but Shields does a fine job of telling the facts without vilifying or drawing too much attention to martial indiscretions. I like the flow, and interspersing of book summary and typical biography fare for the reader to see the large disconnect between what Vonnegut wrote and what he lived.
That disconnect was the biggest surprise to me, as I consider God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, to be the very marrow of my bones. Similarly, I fell into a research wormhole upon learning Vonnegut's brother died on a Newark-Bayonne railway that I never knew existed. Also, I never made the connection between Kurt's Jill and the Jill who shot A Very Young Dancer, a book that has haunted my entire librarian career.
Although I have less of a personal connection, I'd really like to read Shield's biography of Harper Lee now that I've finished this one. I lugged it around for weeks, forever letting my new iPad eclipse it. Vonnegut would have been horrified, but so it goes.
That disconnect was the biggest surprise to me, as I consider God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, to be the very marrow of my bones. Similarly, I fell into a research wormhole upon learning Vonnegut's brother died on a Newark-Bayonne railway that I never knew existed. Also, I never made the connection between Kurt's Jill and the Jill who shot A Very Young Dancer, a book that has haunted my entire librarian career.
Although I have less of a personal connection, I'd really like to read Shield's biography of Harper Lee now that I've finished this one. I lugged it around for weeks, forever letting my new iPad eclipse it. Vonnegut would have been horrified, but so it goes.
sevseverance's review against another edition
4.0
I love kurt Vonnegut and so it was great reading more about him. It's also nice to remember that no one is perfect, even if they are a hero to a generation. I also liked getting a lot more Vonnegut-isms to keep handy like god damn it, you've got to be kind! If you like Vonnegut or interested in the challenges of a new writer in getting published, you will like this book. I also find myself wanting to reread all of my Vonnegut books...
kelseystamey's review against another edition
4.0
As chance would have it, I reached the conclusion of this well-written and highly researched book on the 10-year anniversary of KV's death.
I had been reading it periodically and at random over a couple of months.
Shields' last sentence is "He died on April 11, 2007." On April 11, 2017, I happened upon that sentence, and then I closed the book.
I appreciate that tidy alignment.
I had been reading it periodically and at random over a couple of months.
Shields' last sentence is "He died on April 11, 2007." On April 11, 2017, I happened upon that sentence, and then I closed the book.
I appreciate that tidy alignment.
wunder's review against another edition
5.0
I thought about giving this four stars, because it doesn't really try to get inside Kurt's head, but then, all of Vonnegut's books are so autobiographical that it wouldn't have added much. This biography gives you all the context you could want to go along with the inner life in the books. Going over that in detail would have added another hundred or two pages to the bio without much benefit. I'd much rather spend the time re-reading The Sirens of Titan or Slaughterhouse Five, now that I know where they came from.
Warning, this is a sad book in many places. Vonnegut was a sad and damaged person. Perhaps the one weakness in this bio is that it goes through the POW years pretty quickly. Those years never left Vonnegut.
Warning, this is a sad book in many places. Vonnegut was a sad and damaged person. Perhaps the one weakness in this bio is that it goes through the POW years pretty quickly. Those years never left Vonnegut.
panthor's review against another edition
2.0
Kurt Vonnegut is one of my favorite authors, but I didn't find this biography very interesting. It was just too bland and matter-of-fact, and came across as negative in many respects. I've not read other books by this biographer, but I feel like I can get to know Kurt Vonnegut better from his books and letters than from this biography. I've heard that "Kurt Vonnegut: Letters", a collection of Vonnegut's correspondences, is a much better read and I'll check that one out.