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jclermont's review against another edition
5.0
This short novella reminded me how much I miss Vonnegut. Here's hoping several more unpublished works are still out there.
ericbuscemi's review against another edition
3.0
I have very mixed feelings about this. Not about this novella, which I thought was interesting, thought-provoking, and deep -- especially considering it was only 22,000 words long -- but the fact that there is so much unpublished content from Vonnegut still waiting to be released.
When Vonnegut died back in 2007, I thought I only had a relatively small amount of his fiction left to read (having already read seven of his fourteen novels, and some of his short stories). When Armageddon in Retrospect was released in 2008, I erroneously thought it was the last of his unpublished works bundled together in a short story collection, and I scooped it right up and read it.
But in an article about the release of Basic Training, it is made clear that there are "hundreds of other unpublished literary pieces in his estate, of which Basic Training was picked by Rosetta Books through Vonnegut's literary executor." I mean, hundreds? Just, wow.
On one hand, this seems to be awesome news for Vonnegut fans, as his estate should have enough of his work to publish posthumously for coming decades. But on the other hand, there must be a reason that Vonnegut chose not to publish these pieces during his lifetime, and I feel strange and voyeuristic reading words he may never have written for public consumption (although in this particular case, he did try to have this story published -- it was rejected by the Saturday Evening Post in the 40s).
If he really thought this remaining material was great, wouldn't he have published it during his life? Do we really want to remember his legacy from hundreds of scraps he didn't deem worthy of publication after his fame allowed him to publish anything he wrote? I don't have an answer to my own questions, other than the fact I bought and read this novella -- and at least in this case, the output was of high quality and definitely worthy of publication.
When Vonnegut died back in 2007, I thought I only had a relatively small amount of his fiction left to read (having already read seven of his fourteen novels, and some of his short stories). When Armageddon in Retrospect was released in 2008, I erroneously thought it was the last of his unpublished works bundled together in a short story collection, and I scooped it right up and read it.
But in an article about the release of Basic Training, it is made clear that there are "hundreds of other unpublished literary pieces in his estate, of which Basic Training was picked by Rosetta Books through Vonnegut's literary executor." I mean, hundreds? Just, wow.
On one hand, this seems to be awesome news for Vonnegut fans, as his estate should have enough of his work to publish posthumously for coming decades. But on the other hand, there must be a reason that Vonnegut chose not to publish these pieces during his lifetime, and I feel strange and voyeuristic reading words he may never have written for public consumption (although in this particular case, he did try to have this story published -- it was rejected by the Saturday Evening Post in the 40s).
If he really thought this remaining material was great, wouldn't he have published it during his life? Do we really want to remember his legacy from hundreds of scraps he didn't deem worthy of publication after his fame allowed him to publish anything he wrote? I don't have an answer to my own questions, other than the fact I bought and read this novella -- and at least in this case, the output was of high quality and definitely worthy of publication.
scottnap's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
crunden's review
❧ audiobook review
He searched his conscience in vain for a grain of remorse to justify the desolating punishment the general had promised. When you punish somebody, you take away from them what they want, he reasoned. All I had in the whole wide world was my music, so that's what I lost: everything.
A new old Vonnegut. I'm not sure you can go wrong with a novella by Kurt Vonnegut that's narrated by Colin Hanks! This is one of Vonnegut's unpublished stories, likely written in the 1940s, it seems. I haven't come across it before today and was in the mood for a Vonnegut story. It's a good novella, and follows a teenager named Haley Brandon when he comes to stay with a man who insists upon calling himself the General. I saw a few Salinger comparisons and I can see it. If you've read Salinger's shorts, I totally get the same vibe.
I recommend the audiobook for sure! Colin Hanks is a great narrator and really brings Vonnegut's words to life ♥
☆ Blog | Twitter ☆
He searched his conscience in vain for a grain of remorse to justify the desolating punishment the general had promised. When you punish somebody, you take away from them what they want, he reasoned. All I had in the whole wide world was my music, so that's what I lost: everything.
A new old Vonnegut. I'm not sure you can go wrong with a novella by Kurt Vonnegut that's narrated by Colin Hanks! This is one of Vonnegut's unpublished stories, likely written in the 1940s, it seems. I haven't come across it before today and was in the mood for a Vonnegut story. It's a good novella, and follows a teenager named Haley Brandon when he comes to stay with a man who insists upon calling himself the General. I saw a few Salinger comparisons and I can see it. If you've read Salinger's shorts, I totally get the same vibe.
I recommend the audiobook for sure! Colin Hanks is a great narrator and really brings Vonnegut's words to life ♥
☆ Blog | Twitter ☆
paulmslima's review
3.0
Wow. A straight novel by Kurt Vonnegut. How unusual. While not earth shattering, satiric or science fiction in any way, it's a good read -- interesting to read his earlier stuff. Very domestic and, although it's not about WWII, you can see the influence of the war on it. Good fun; worth reading.
joshuabohnsack's review
3.0
This was interesting. It certainly wasn't "bad," though proved to be predictable. I like when Vonnegut occasionally leaves the sci-fi to the side and writes within a realist view. These stories often seem very human.
This piece left me feeling anxious for every character and there were unresolved depth to their personalities, which I could never quite grasp.
Overall, good, short read and a decent find for any canonical reader of Vonnegut.
This piece left me feeling anxious for every character and there were unresolved depth to their personalities, which I could never quite grasp.
Overall, good, short read and a decent find for any canonical reader of Vonnegut.
francomega's review
4.0
How about an unpublished KV novella? Why, yes, thank you. Like finding money in an old pair of jeans. This is early KV, before he found his voice and stylistic groove. But he could always write and this is a real nice, sweet story.
darwin8u's review
3.0
A previously unpublished novella by Vonnegut. Basic Training is not nearly as absurdist or fanciful as his later novels. The plot/setting/characters are all structurally congruous and reasonable. Basic Training is basically a quaint bildungsroman that deals with issues of love, authoritarianism, family and heroism. It reminded me a lot of J.D. Salinger's and Carson McCuller's novellas, and wouldn't feel too overshadowed by those authors or out of place in the pages of Harpers, the New Yorker, or the Saturday Evening Post of the 1940s and 1950s.
jasond's review
3.0
ok, some nonsensical parts, but a rather heavy handed conclusion and not as much character development as one would hope for.
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