le book review number fifty-three~ cat's cradle

title: cat's cradle
author: kurt vonnegut
series/ standalone: standalone
personal star rating: 4.4/5 stars

from the back cover:
Cat's Cradle is Kurt Vonnegut's satirical commentary on modern man and his madness. An apocalypitic 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.


first sentence:
"Call me Jonah."


review:
This book has been on my shelf for at least a year, but I just didn't pick it up. I've read a couple other Vonnegut books so I had an idea what his writing style was like and I quite enjoyed his other books. However, I had no idea what I was in for with this particular book. I must say it wasn't as memorable as I had hoped for but I wasn't disappointed. I found that I couldn't help myself at times and I'd let out a quiet laugh or a chuckle here and there. It took unexpected turns and in the end, it really didn't have anything to do with the beginning but it all seemed to make sense as I progressed through it. The characters are very different from a lot of books you see today and I quite enjoy that about factor. The way he describes things is amazing. Vonnegut's ability to create such thought-provoking, mind blowing, and incredible stories are timeless pieces. I recommend this book.

le book review number twenty-four~ a man without a country

title: a man without a country
author: kurt vonnegut
personal star rating: 3/5 stars

From the back cover:
In a volume that is penetrating, introspective, incisive, and laugh-out-loud funny, one of the great men of letters of this era - or any era - holds forth on life, art, sex, politics, and the state of America's soul. Whether he is describing his coming of age in America, his formative war experiences, or his life as an artist, this is Vonnegut doing what he does best: being himself. Whimsically illustrated by the author, A Man Without a Country is intimate, tender, and brimming with the scope of Kurt Vonnegut's passions.


first sentence:
"As a kid I was the youngest member of my family, and the youngest child in any family is always a jokemaker, because a joke is the only way he can enter into an adult conversation."

In Vonnegut's biographic novel he touches on numerous topics and expresses an opinion. I found it to be interesting and insightful but lacked an aspect of a real in-depth look into things. It was a simple read that didn't take more than an hour and a half to read but I did find it to be interesting. I bought it months ago and finally just decided to get down to it and read it. I thought it had a few humorous parts that had me laughing out loud. Maybe they weren't meant to be funny but I laughed nevertheless. I thought it was alright. Fans of Vonnegut can gain an insight into what he thinks.