Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Dial Press Trade Paperback
Pages
275
Description
Billy Pilgrim returns home from the Second World War only to be kidnapped by aliens from the planet Tralfamadore, who teach him that time is an eternal present.
Description
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.
Collection
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1969-03-31
Physical description
275 p.; 8 inches
ISBN
9780385333849
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User reviews
LibraryThing member edgeworth
Listen: Billy Pilgrim has become unstuck in time.
He's in World War II in the snow, frightened and alone and behind enemy lines. He's a child in the chlorine stink of the pool at the YMCA. He's an ageing optometrist, staring out the window of his office at a suburban shopping mall carpark. He flails
Vonnegut based this book on his own experiences as a prisoner of war in Germany. He was one of only a very small handful of people who survived the firebombing of Dresden, one of the greatest war crimes in history. While Billy may be exploring space and time, the book revolves around his days in the war - which, as with any veteran, are simultaneously the best and worst times of his life, the saddest and the most exciting, the most interesting and the most horrific. The rest of his life is one long, mundane slide into tedium.
This is an anti-war book. As Vonnegut points out, it's similar to an anti-glacier book. But it doesn't matter if it's utterly useless. It has to be written.
There is no glory or glamour in war, despite the fantasies of Billy's comrades. It is messy and brutal and violent and stupid. The Germans are not evil - they bid goodnight to their prisoners, hunt them down with a tracking dog named Princess, and are bemused by how vicious and cruel some of the Americans are to each other.
Vonnegut has a simple style of writing, but every word has a melancholy depth to it. It's a sadder book than the Sirens of Titan, but still filled with that fundamental moral statement on the human condition: not sad, not happy, not hopeful or pessimistic or disapproving, but just accepting. We are what we are, and we can't change it. So it goes.
He's in World War II in the snow, frightened and alone and behind enemy lines. He's a child in the chlorine stink of the pool at the YMCA. He's an ageing optometrist, staring out the window of his office at a suburban shopping mall carpark. He flails
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back and forth from birth to death, waking up in different stages of his life, and he has no idea why.Vonnegut based this book on his own experiences as a prisoner of war in Germany. He was one of only a very small handful of people who survived the firebombing of Dresden, one of the greatest war crimes in history. While Billy may be exploring space and time, the book revolves around his days in the war - which, as with any veteran, are simultaneously the best and worst times of his life, the saddest and the most exciting, the most interesting and the most horrific. The rest of his life is one long, mundane slide into tedium.
This is an anti-war book. As Vonnegut points out, it's similar to an anti-glacier book. But it doesn't matter if it's utterly useless. It has to be written.
There is no glory or glamour in war, despite the fantasies of Billy's comrades. It is messy and brutal and violent and stupid. The Germans are not evil - they bid goodnight to their prisoners, hunt them down with a tracking dog named Princess, and are bemused by how vicious and cruel some of the Americans are to each other.
Vonnegut has a simple style of writing, but every word has a melancholy depth to it. It's a sadder book than the Sirens of Titan, but still filled with that fundamental moral statement on the human condition: not sad, not happy, not hopeful or pessimistic or disapproving, but just accepting. We are what we are, and we can't change it. So it goes.
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LibraryThing member poplin
When I was in high school, I read several of Kurt Vonnegut’s books, yet somehow managed to avoid this, his most famous novel. Unfortunately, although I began reading with great eagerness, disappointment was soon to follow.
Slaughterhouse-Five tells the story of Billy Pilgrim, a man who has become
As entertaining as Slaughterhouse-Five is, and as much as Vonnegut is a master of dark comedy, I was left with a sense of deep frustration, a desire for something more. Vonnegut’s points about the absurdity of war and the illusion of free well inspired little emotional or intellectual response in me.
Of course, I am unable to judge Slaughterhouse-Five as it would have appeared to a 1969 reader; through modern eyes, where the absurdity and inevitability of war have become constant themes, the anti-war aspects of this book—though eloquent—fell flat. Numerous variations on the solider-who-was-executed-for-stealing-a-teapot have appeared in books and movies worth less than Slaughterhouse-Five, but the pervasiveness of this image has deprived it of its beautiful insanity.
Admittedly, my disinterest in this theme is partially my own bias; I am more interested in the personal than the political. But even Slaughterhouse-Five’s reflections on the illusion of free will struck me as insignificant. Whether we are able to make free choices or simply have the illusion of making them, the effects are no less real. The potentially interesting question that the discussion of free will raises—namely, how can a person who lacks free will find meaning and a sense of identity?—was pushed to the background.
And so, while infinitely clever and entertaining, Slaughterhouse-Five disappointed me. I believe that a great book must be equal parts entertaining and enlightening, and—perhaps as a result of my own preferences and biases—I failed to find much enlightenment here. So it goes.
Slaughterhouse-Five tells the story of Billy Pilgrim, a man who has become
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“unstuck in time.” In non-linear fashion, we are presented with the events of Billy’s life as he experiences them, most notably his service in World War II and the firebombing of Dresden.As entertaining as Slaughterhouse-Five is, and as much as Vonnegut is a master of dark comedy, I was left with a sense of deep frustration, a desire for something more. Vonnegut’s points about the absurdity of war and the illusion of free well inspired little emotional or intellectual response in me.
Of course, I am unable to judge Slaughterhouse-Five as it would have appeared to a 1969 reader; through modern eyes, where the absurdity and inevitability of war have become constant themes, the anti-war aspects of this book—though eloquent—fell flat. Numerous variations on the solider-who-was-executed-for-stealing-a-teapot have appeared in books and movies worth less than Slaughterhouse-Five, but the pervasiveness of this image has deprived it of its beautiful insanity.
Admittedly, my disinterest in this theme is partially my own bias; I am more interested in the personal than the political. But even Slaughterhouse-Five’s reflections on the illusion of free will struck me as insignificant. Whether we are able to make free choices or simply have the illusion of making them, the effects are no less real. The potentially interesting question that the discussion of free will raises—namely, how can a person who lacks free will find meaning and a sense of identity?—was pushed to the background.
And so, while infinitely clever and entertaining, Slaughterhouse-Five disappointed me. I believe that a great book must be equal parts entertaining and enlightening, and—perhaps as a result of my own preferences and biases—I failed to find much enlightenment here. So it goes.
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LibraryThing member SamuelW
When your English teacher hands you a classic novel about the Second World War, the last thing you expect is a science fiction adventure involving time travel and a philosophical basis in determinism. This, however, is precisely what Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five is – a quirky, enjoyable
To me, Slaughterhouse-Five is an example of everything science fiction should be. It presents an original and absorbing premise. It challenges the way we think about life. It pushes the philosophical boundaries of what we consider possible. It asks questions with answers too complex to comprehend. Through its exploration of the strange and unknown, it holds the mirror up to humanity, and makes us notice the things we take for granted. And perhaps most importantly, it does it all with skill, wit and creativity. Its attitude seems to resemble Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series, but with a little more meaning and a little less absurdity.
Although Slaughterhouse-Five may read with a veneer of light humour and contentment, however, the core message that Vonnegut presents is a bleak and passive one which I found quite unsatisfying. To his credit, he manages to portray it in a convincingly positive light, but when I stepped back and analysed it dispassionately, I began to dislike it for its fatalism. It might not alter the quality of the novel, but it may well compromise the enjoyment that some readers are able to extract from it.
Slaughterhouse-Five is the kind of novel that you can read in a few days, and then think about for a few months. Apart from younger readers, who may be put off by the sexual references, I would recommend this book to just about anyone. At only 157 pages, why not give it a go? The experience will be well worth your short while.
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and decidedly unexpected perspective on a very solemn subject. Even readers with little enough interest in history should find this book quite easy to enjoy – it is characterised not so much by its historical basis, but by its amusing and incisive comments about human behaviour. Its style is concise, witty and fluid, making it very easy to read. (It's good to see that not all classics have to be uphill slogs!)To me, Slaughterhouse-Five is an example of everything science fiction should be. It presents an original and absorbing premise. It challenges the way we think about life. It pushes the philosophical boundaries of what we consider possible. It asks questions with answers too complex to comprehend. Through its exploration of the strange and unknown, it holds the mirror up to humanity, and makes us notice the things we take for granted. And perhaps most importantly, it does it all with skill, wit and creativity. Its attitude seems to resemble Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series, but with a little more meaning and a little less absurdity.
Although Slaughterhouse-Five may read with a veneer of light humour and contentment, however, the core message that Vonnegut presents is a bleak and passive one which I found quite unsatisfying. To his credit, he manages to portray it in a convincingly positive light, but when I stepped back and analysed it dispassionately, I began to dislike it for its fatalism. It might not alter the quality of the novel, but it may well compromise the enjoyment that some readers are able to extract from it.
Slaughterhouse-Five is the kind of novel that you can read in a few days, and then think about for a few months. Apart from younger readers, who may be put off by the sexual references, I would recommend this book to just about anyone. At only 157 pages, why not give it a go? The experience will be well worth your short while.
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LibraryThing member ferebend
It was short enough to read during a few bathroom breaks and in bed before sleeping. It was interesting enough to make me want to get through to the end rather quickly. Unfortunately, I didn't particularly love it.
Nice concept - although, nothing I haven't seen before - but there were a lot of plot
Can I recommend this one? I'm not sure. It's extremely short, so why not?
Nice concept - although, nothing I haven't seen before - but there were a lot of plot
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elements that just seemed spliced in and unnecessary. Like Montana Wildhack, Kilgore Trout, the whole Tralfamadore affair and the meta-story with the narrator and his old war buddy. If you remove all of that stuff, there's still a very interesting, viable, short story to be told about the horrors of war as seen by a time-travelling average joe.Can I recommend this one? I'm not sure. It's extremely short, so why not?
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LibraryThing member Max-Tyrone
Jacob's Ladder with jokes.
For the most part, I enjoyed reading this novel. I enjoyed its humor, its readability, the stances that it takes. It said to me, "Horrific acts, like war, are futile. They matter when you're there; but as a person in the future, you have to ultimately realize its
Some will dismiss it for its impracticality, because fiction exists on multiple levels. Others will have a hard time following the plot or Pilgrim through the time travelling. I say that Vonnegut does a wonderful job transitioning between moments; one just has to be willing to pay attention (since the transitions are pretty obvious) and understand that the novel is a trip, a ride.
Although I do find this novel fascinating, something prevented me from loving it. I really don't know what it is. It has a lot of qualities I find attractive in a person, but I felt that there's something lacking. Either way, this read was worthwhile.
Four-and-a-half poo-tee's out of five tweets.
For the most part, I enjoyed reading this novel. I enjoyed its humor, its readability, the stances that it takes. It said to me, "Horrific acts, like war, are futile. They matter when you're there; but as a person in the future, you have to ultimately realize its
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pointlessness and laugh at it."Some will dismiss it for its impracticality, because fiction exists on multiple levels. Others will have a hard time following the plot or Pilgrim through the time travelling. I say that Vonnegut does a wonderful job transitioning between moments; one just has to be willing to pay attention (since the transitions are pretty obvious) and understand that the novel is a trip, a ride.
Although I do find this novel fascinating, something prevented me from loving it. I really don't know what it is. It has a lot of qualities I find attractive in a person, but I felt that there's something lacking. Either way, this read was worthwhile.
Four-and-a-half poo-tee's out of five tweets.
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LibraryThing member fothpaul
This was a cracking book. Both bizarre, funny and moving, all at once.
I felt the first and last chapter were extremely useful in placing this book as a mixture of mad cap fiction and the authors own experience of war. The most moving moments of the story came when the auhtor broke from the
To me it seems to be both a book about the nature of warfare and it's combatants, and also a cathartic exercise for the author, a way to release his stories of WW2 via a vessel. The vessel being BIlly Pilgrim, the hero of this tale.
This book made me think a lot, which is something I appreciate when books make me do this. I think that the humour and the zany events of the book worked extremely well alongside the more sobering elements, and that altogether it was an excellent read. I really wasn't expecting it to move me and captivate me as much as it did.
I felt the first and last chapter were extremely useful in placing this book as a mixture of mad cap fiction and the authors own experience of war. The most moving moments of the story came when the auhtor broke from the
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narrative to inform the reader that 'I was there'. This really brought things home and helped me to realise the purpose of this book.To me it seems to be both a book about the nature of warfare and it's combatants, and also a cathartic exercise for the author, a way to release his stories of WW2 via a vessel. The vessel being BIlly Pilgrim, the hero of this tale.
This book made me think a lot, which is something I appreciate when books make me do this. I think that the humour and the zany events of the book worked extremely well alongside the more sobering elements, and that altogether it was an excellent read. I really wasn't expecting it to move me and captivate me as much as it did.
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LibraryThing member SamSattler
I first read Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five as a very young man. At the time, I was an avid fan of science fiction, especially those books featuring time travel, and that is what drew me to Slaughterhouse-Five. As a science fiction novel, I thought it was pretty good, especially considering
Vonnegut’s deceptively simple masterpiece is about life itself; it is about the futility and utter waste of warfare; it is about time, and the way that we perceive it; it is about fate and whether any of us really has any control over what happens to us next. Poor Billy Pilgrim certainly had little to say about the course of his own life. Swept up into World War II, where he is captured by the Germans almost as soon as he arrives, Billy will be held prisoner in Dresden’s Slaughterhouse-Five, from where he will survive the Allied firebombing that destroys the entire city. He will be abducted by a crew of aliens from the planet Tralfamador and displayed in a zoo there along with the former porn star chosen as his mate. He will become a successful optometrist, popular and respected in his community. The only problem is that it all happens at the same time.
Billy Pilgrim has become “unstuck in time” and he never knows, from one instant to the next, when he will flash forward or backward to a different part of his lifetime. It is all real, and it is always happening – all of it at the same time.
Slaughterhouse-Five is generally considered to be a classic anti-war novel. Even with that reputation, its message is subtle enough that it is possible to get so caught up in the rest of the story and its mechanics that the novel’s serious theme is only recognized some time after turning its final page. This book is funny, even to the point of being absurd, but it is a serious piece of writing by an author with something serious to say about the foolishness of killing “enemies” by the thousands/millions at the behest of politicians who have failed at their own jobs.
The effectiveness of Slaughterhouse-Five is compounded by the ease with which it can be read; Vonnegut has disguised a complex novel, one filled with thoughtful points, as some kind of comedic science fiction piece. And, he makes it all look so easy.
Rated at: 5.0
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the amount of random time travel its main character, Billy Pilgrim, experiences in this relatively short novel. The problem with my early assessment of Slaughterhouse-Five, however, is that this is not simply a science fiction novel – and it should not be judged by the standards of that genre. Even worse, I managed to ignore the novel’s message.Vonnegut’s deceptively simple masterpiece is about life itself; it is about the futility and utter waste of warfare; it is about time, and the way that we perceive it; it is about fate and whether any of us really has any control over what happens to us next. Poor Billy Pilgrim certainly had little to say about the course of his own life. Swept up into World War II, where he is captured by the Germans almost as soon as he arrives, Billy will be held prisoner in Dresden’s Slaughterhouse-Five, from where he will survive the Allied firebombing that destroys the entire city. He will be abducted by a crew of aliens from the planet Tralfamador and displayed in a zoo there along with the former porn star chosen as his mate. He will become a successful optometrist, popular and respected in his community. The only problem is that it all happens at the same time.
Billy Pilgrim has become “unstuck in time” and he never knows, from one instant to the next, when he will flash forward or backward to a different part of his lifetime. It is all real, and it is always happening – all of it at the same time.
Slaughterhouse-Five is generally considered to be a classic anti-war novel. Even with that reputation, its message is subtle enough that it is possible to get so caught up in the rest of the story and its mechanics that the novel’s serious theme is only recognized some time after turning its final page. This book is funny, even to the point of being absurd, but it is a serious piece of writing by an author with something serious to say about the foolishness of killing “enemies” by the thousands/millions at the behest of politicians who have failed at their own jobs.
The effectiveness of Slaughterhouse-Five is compounded by the ease with which it can be read; Vonnegut has disguised a complex novel, one filled with thoughtful points, as some kind of comedic science fiction piece. And, he makes it all look so easy.
Rated at: 5.0
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LibraryThing member Eric_J._Guignard
I really loved this book. I have friends who are rabid fans of Vonnegut, but the ideas and style he was said to write in just “turned me off,” and I never had much interest in trying him out. But I finally did, and am pleased at that. This is a satirical novel, written in a series of looping
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flashbacks, of the life of Billy Pilgrim, a man traumatized by WWII and life in general, who is abducted by space aliens, and learns that we live our lives over-and-over, and he transports to scenes of his past at seeming random. Vonnegut’s “voice” is rich, sarcastic, funny at times, and, more often, tragic. He explores many themes still relevant today, such as humanism, free will and choice, war, family, wealth, and fate. Nominated for several industry awards when written in 1970, and still powerful and fascinating today. Show Less
LibraryThing member ramesses
Slaughter House Five by Kurt Vonnegut was the type of book that gets you thinking. So far I have enjoyed books like this because they leave a lot to think about even after reading. It has entered my list of favorite books, it was a great read. The title threw me off a little bit; I thought the book
This book starts out slow and then goes one million miles an hour. The protagonist of the book is named Billy Pilgrim. We are shown a quick overview of his life up until an interview he has on a radio station in 1968 about his abduction by aliens in 1967. This really threw me off when reading because I did not believe this to be part of this book. From what I had heard about this book I thought it was going for a less sporadic storyline however this kept the book fresh and interesting. I love the way the information was given in small little tidbits and you get to piece it all together like a puzzle. This could be confusing for some and in fact I reread more than a few parts to fully understand what was going on, however for me this did not take away from the story. The character development is interesting because you see Billy in different time periods of his life. I love how Kurt Vonnegut did this; he slowly showed us Billy’s traits in a very unique and interesting way.
Slaughter House Five is for people who like reading books that make you think. Kurt Vonnegut’s anti-war message is subtly woven into the novel and it appears throughout the story. I do not recommend this to those who like a more linear story line because this book focuses on skipping around to different time periods in his life making it hard to understand at times. Vonnegut did a wonderful of combining his ideas and then projecting them through the eyes of Billy Pilgrim which is something a great author and can do without making it seem obvious. Although I have never read any of his other books, if the others are as well constructed as this novel then they would be great reads. I can honestly say this is one of my favorite books, and this surprised me because usually I do not become enthralled with this style of book.
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was going to have more action. However the first chapter was more like a preface for the rest of the book. At first it was kind of hard to get into this book. It was like reading a book about someone trying to write a book so it was the most enthralling, however once it focused more on the actual story the action picked up. This book starts out slow and then goes one million miles an hour. The protagonist of the book is named Billy Pilgrim. We are shown a quick overview of his life up until an interview he has on a radio station in 1968 about his abduction by aliens in 1967. This really threw me off when reading because I did not believe this to be part of this book. From what I had heard about this book I thought it was going for a less sporadic storyline however this kept the book fresh and interesting. I love the way the information was given in small little tidbits and you get to piece it all together like a puzzle. This could be confusing for some and in fact I reread more than a few parts to fully understand what was going on, however for me this did not take away from the story. The character development is interesting because you see Billy in different time periods of his life. I love how Kurt Vonnegut did this; he slowly showed us Billy’s traits in a very unique and interesting way.
Slaughter House Five is for people who like reading books that make you think. Kurt Vonnegut’s anti-war message is subtly woven into the novel and it appears throughout the story. I do not recommend this to those who like a more linear story line because this book focuses on skipping around to different time periods in his life making it hard to understand at times. Vonnegut did a wonderful of combining his ideas and then projecting them through the eyes of Billy Pilgrim which is something a great author and can do without making it seem obvious. Although I have never read any of his other books, if the others are as well constructed as this novel then they would be great reads. I can honestly say this is one of my favorite books, and this surprised me because usually I do not become enthralled with this style of book.
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LibraryThing member jacketscoversread
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. tells the story of a man named Billy Pilgrim who time-travels frequently. During the Second World War he was captured and sent to Dresden to work in a malt syrup factory before the city was bombed.
“There was a big number over the door of the building. The
After the war, he studied optometry, married the daughter of a rich optometrist, whom with he had a daughter, Barbara, and a son, Robert, with, became rich himself, and, later, has a nervous breakdown. A plane crash that kills everyone except him and the co-pilot. Rushing to the hospital in frantic worry, his wife, Valencia, dies in a car accident. Some where along the way, he gets to meet his favorite author, an unsuccessful sci-fi writer named Kilgore Trout. He is abducted by aliens called Tralfamadorians, who put him in a zoo on their home planet, Tralfamadore, with a young porn actress, Montana Wildhack, whom they also abducted. The summary alone brings on a sense of randomness and the novel never loses this overall frustration.
The narration jumps around as frequently as Billy does and I found myself learning everything I needed to know early on and then simply revisiting it all as the book came to a close. Worse than watching television during commercial break, especially the Head On commercial , the fractured narrative gives you a headache. It’s extremely boring, hollow, and unsatisfying.
The broken structure and time traveling element must have been quite original back in 1969, when Vonnegut wrote Slaughterhouse-Five, but after reading The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, I can’t help but think that Slaughterhouse-Five left nothing to be desired or excited about. I’m not a huge science-fiction fan but I enjoyed Niffenegger’s portryal of time traveling more than that of Vonnegut. The novel is less about time travel than it really is about reliving the past, present and future of your life, all at once, because it’s Billy’s consciousness that does the traveling. What isn’t clear, at all, is which is the real Billy? Is the real Billy the one in the zoo on Tralfamadore? Or did Billy really die at Dresden? Or did Billy die as he said he “will die, have died, and always will die on February thirteenth, 1967”? (pg. 180)
The time traveling aspect predates the abduction by the Tralfamadorians but the aliens see into the past, present and future simultaneously, and teach Billy to“simply shrug and say what the Tralfamadorians say about dead people, which is ‘So it goes.’”
According to Wikipedia, Vonnegut’s seemingly endless repetition of the phrase ‘so it goes.’ stands at a staggering 106 times. It felt more like it numbered in the thousands to me. About twenty pages into the book, I was so fed up with the words ’so it goes’ and the dismissal of important facts with this phrase, I felt like the only rightful place for this book was the fireplace.
By the way, I can’t help but wonder why Vonnegut’s editor didn’t do something about the monotonous quality of Vonnegut’s prose. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying all authors should cram as many words into a sentence as possible. Yet, Vonnegut’s prose is sparse and simplistic making it tedious and droning, to the point where frequently I wished for a few longer sentences here and there, or for an actual in-depth description of something that was happening. Anything at all would have been fine by me.
I hardly ever got one.
The only part I truly enjoyed was the part about Billy’s time in the zoo on Tralfamadore. And if you ask me, Vonnegut’s novel would have been a lot better if he had focused on that part of Billy’s life or even the one hundred American prisoners of war being welcomed by the British POWs in the German prison camp . I did, in fact, love the excerpts from the work on American soldiers and prisoners-of-war by the American-turned-Nazi, Howard W. Campbell Jr.
All in all, parts of the small, short book could easily have been skipped and you never would have known the difference. In short, Slaughterhouse-Five is impractical, incoherent, tries too hard, and, at the end of the day, utterly useless to my generation. Vonnegut bangs you on the head with his message. The experience doesn’t inspire me to read more of Vonnegut’s work, which means Breakfast of Champions and Cat’s Cradle will be going back to Barnes & Noble this afternoon.
I guess he’s a love or hate kind of story-telle
“There was a big number over the door of the building. The
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number was five. Before the Americans could go inside, their only English-speaking guard told them to memorize their simple address, in case they got lost in the big city. There address was this: “Schlachthof-fünf.” Schlachtof meant slaughterhouse. Fünf was good old five.” (pg 194-195)After the war, he studied optometry, married the daughter of a rich optometrist, whom with he had a daughter, Barbara, and a son, Robert, with, became rich himself, and, later, has a nervous breakdown. A plane crash that kills everyone except him and the co-pilot. Rushing to the hospital in frantic worry, his wife, Valencia, dies in a car accident. Some where along the way, he gets to meet his favorite author, an unsuccessful sci-fi writer named Kilgore Trout. He is abducted by aliens called Tralfamadorians, who put him in a zoo on their home planet, Tralfamadore, with a young porn actress, Montana Wildhack, whom they also abducted. The summary alone brings on a sense of randomness and the novel never loses this overall frustration.
The narration jumps around as frequently as Billy does and I found myself learning everything I needed to know early on and then simply revisiting it all as the book came to a close. Worse than watching television during commercial break, especially the Head On commercial , the fractured narrative gives you a headache. It’s extremely boring, hollow, and unsatisfying.
The broken structure and time traveling element must have been quite original back in 1969, when Vonnegut wrote Slaughterhouse-Five, but after reading The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, I can’t help but think that Slaughterhouse-Five left nothing to be desired or excited about. I’m not a huge science-fiction fan but I enjoyed Niffenegger’s portryal of time traveling more than that of Vonnegut. The novel is less about time travel than it really is about reliving the past, present and future of your life, all at once, because it’s Billy’s consciousness that does the traveling. What isn’t clear, at all, is which is the real Billy? Is the real Billy the one in the zoo on Tralfamadore? Or did Billy really die at Dresden? Or did Billy die as he said he “will die, have died, and always will die on February thirteenth, 1967”? (pg. 180)
The time traveling aspect predates the abduction by the Tralfamadorians but the aliens see into the past, present and future simultaneously, and teach Billy to“simply shrug and say what the Tralfamadorians say about dead people, which is ‘So it goes.’”
According to Wikipedia, Vonnegut’s seemingly endless repetition of the phrase ‘so it goes.’ stands at a staggering 106 times. It felt more like it numbered in the thousands to me. About twenty pages into the book, I was so fed up with the words ’so it goes’ and the dismissal of important facts with this phrase, I felt like the only rightful place for this book was the fireplace.
By the way, I can’t help but wonder why Vonnegut’s editor didn’t do something about the monotonous quality of Vonnegut’s prose. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying all authors should cram as many words into a sentence as possible. Yet, Vonnegut’s prose is sparse and simplistic making it tedious and droning, to the point where frequently I wished for a few longer sentences here and there, or for an actual in-depth description of something that was happening. Anything at all would have been fine by me.
I hardly ever got one.
The only part I truly enjoyed was the part about Billy’s time in the zoo on Tralfamadore. And if you ask me, Vonnegut’s novel would have been a lot better if he had focused on that part of Billy’s life or even the one hundred American prisoners of war being welcomed by the British POWs in the German prison camp . I did, in fact, love the excerpts from the work on American soldiers and prisoners-of-war by the American-turned-Nazi, Howard W. Campbell Jr.
All in all, parts of the small, short book could easily have been skipped and you never would have known the difference. In short, Slaughterhouse-Five is impractical, incoherent, tries too hard, and, at the end of the day, utterly useless to my generation. Vonnegut bangs you on the head with his message. The experience doesn’t inspire me to read more of Vonnegut’s work, which means Breakfast of Champions and Cat’s Cradle will be going back to Barnes & Noble this afternoon.
I guess he’s a love or hate kind of story-telle
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LibraryThing member jeniwren
This is a bizarre story of time travel featuring Billy Pilgrim a German American who serves in the Second world war and is abducted by aliens. This is in part autobiographical as Vonnegut a POW witnessed the fire bombing of Dresden and many of the descriptions are directly from his experiences. I
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enjoyed the book and parts are very funny if not weird when it shifts to his abduction to Planet Tralfamadore but highlights the effects that war experiences have on memory and a persons state of mind. It works on several levels with great writing and interesting subject matter. This was my introduction to Vonnegut and I will be interested to read more of his work. (Recommendations anyone ??) Show Less
LibraryThing member arsmith
i get it. i totally get it. it's funny how having just a slightly altered perspective can change your life. people call this a anti-war book, and maybe that's what it was when it was published, but to me it's about life. living your life and being somewhere toward the end and being able to see all
to all those who have the courage to continuously "open the window and make love to the world."
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that you have done and how you have treated people and being able to be comfortable with that and to forgive. everything is connected. we all impact each other. we need to be nicer to each other.to all those who have the courage to continuously "open the window and make love to the world."
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LibraryThing member RidgewayGirl
Sometime in my early teens, I tried to read Catch-22 and gave up partway through. Somehow, I've had the idea that Slaughterhouse Five was even odder and more difficult to understand, leading me to ignore it until now. Slaughterhouse Five is an odd book, to be sure, but also entirely readable and
The protagonist, Billy Pilgrim, endures much in his life, from being a prisoner of war to being abducted by aliens, he experiences his life in a non-linear fashion, switching back and forth between the different events in his life, but always he's taken back to those dying days of the war. It's an unusual structure and one that works in a way a more straight forward accounting would not.
There's a lot to think about regarding this book, from the nature of war, to the nature of time to how Billy's personality and life experiences were shaped by the war. Also, Kurt Vonnegut makes a funny comment about Norman Mailer.
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one that brings the horrors of war in general, and of the bombing of Dresden specifically, to life in an oblique, almost humorous way. The protagonist, Billy Pilgrim, endures much in his life, from being a prisoner of war to being abducted by aliens, he experiences his life in a non-linear fashion, switching back and forth between the different events in his life, but always he's taken back to those dying days of the war. It's an unusual structure and one that works in a way a more straight forward accounting would not.
There's a lot to think about regarding this book, from the nature of war, to the nature of time to how Billy's personality and life experiences were shaped by the war. Also, Kurt Vonnegut makes a funny comment about Norman Mailer.
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LibraryThing member gillis.sarah
This is such a great book. It's very much a Vonnegut book, though, so if you don't like his writing or his subject matter, you probably won't like this book. It's an awesome anti-war book, with a protagonist named Billy Pilgrim who becomes 'unstuck in time', switching back and forth from his time
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in the U.S. Army during World War II, when he was present at the firebombing of Dresden, to his present life, to a time he spent on exhibit in a zoo on the planet Tralfalmadore with the adult movie star Montana Wildhack. Show Less
LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50
In Slaughterhouse Five, Kurt Vonnegut blends science fiction and a war story to produce a novel that is not only anti-war but exceedingly strange. First published in 1969 Vonnegut’s novel was partly about his own experiences as a prisoner of war in World War II, but this was the era of Vietnam,
This is a challenging read as the author and his characters bend reality and challenge the reader to look at war and violence in a different way. This is a satire full of wit and black humor and I freely admit that half the time I had no idea of what the author was trying to say other than war is bad and we have to find another way to negotiate our troubles. The book has very little structure so seemed to me to be a mass of strange thoughts that were either complete nonsense or fascinating symbolism.
I think Slaughterhouse Five is a book that perfectly captures the 1960s vibe, it is a flawed book but the unconventional writing called to the public and they made it a hit. Initially ignored by the critics and banned in many places where it was considered morally questionable, Slaughterhouse Five is today, considered Vonnegut’s most influential and popular book.
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Paris Peace Talks and anti-war marches in the streets of America, and so Slaughterhouse Five became a mecca for disenchanted youth.This is a challenging read as the author and his characters bend reality and challenge the reader to look at war and violence in a different way. This is a satire full of wit and black humor and I freely admit that half the time I had no idea of what the author was trying to say other than war is bad and we have to find another way to negotiate our troubles. The book has very little structure so seemed to me to be a mass of strange thoughts that were either complete nonsense or fascinating symbolism.
I think Slaughterhouse Five is a book that perfectly captures the 1960s vibe, it is a flawed book but the unconventional writing called to the public and they made it a hit. Initially ignored by the critics and banned in many places where it was considered morally questionable, Slaughterhouse Five is today, considered Vonnegut’s most influential and popular book.
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LibraryThing member agnesmack
In honor of Banned Books week, I read Slaughterhouse-Five for the third time. I was in high school the first time I read it, and I really didn't care for it. I found it confusing and much of the anti-war message was lost on me.
I read it a second time about 6 years ago, and while I did enjoy it more
You all know that I adore Philip Roth and that I do believe him to be the best living American author. However, one complaint I've always had is that he doesn't do soundbites well. Meaning, there aren't sentences he's written that can be taken out of the context in which they're written and still be impactful. On the other hand, Vonnegut has a way of writing completely gut-punch sentences that just make you nod your head and wish you could drink some whiskey with the guy.
“I have this disease late at night sometimes, involving alcohol and the telephone.”
In summation, I love this book and look forward to taking even more from it the next time I read it.
I read it a second time about 6 years ago, and while I did enjoy it more
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then, it's clear after my third reading that I enjoy it more and more every time. I've read probably around a dozen of Vonnegut's books by now and there is just something so unique about his writing. I don't know how to describe it, but I do know that if I picked up one of his books and started reading it, I would immediately know it was his. His voice is just that dynamic.You all know that I adore Philip Roth and that I do believe him to be the best living American author. However, one complaint I've always had is that he doesn't do soundbites well. Meaning, there aren't sentences he's written that can be taken out of the context in which they're written and still be impactful. On the other hand, Vonnegut has a way of writing completely gut-punch sentences that just make you nod your head and wish you could drink some whiskey with the guy.
“I have this disease late at night sometimes, involving alcohol and the telephone.”
In summation, I love this book and look forward to taking even more from it the next time I read it.
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LibraryThing member lamotamant
I tried picking this book up for the first time when I was 14 and didn't end up finishing it. I wanted to be a Vonnegut fan, I wanted to enjoy the book and find an intense illumination within it like so many others seemingly did. Said expectation and desires took the wind out of my sails though and
For instance, I recently read The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. Another book I wasn't at a place to finish as a teen because it flung open views within myself that I wasn't at a place to have or examine. As a very good lit teacher I was lucky enough to have once said, "the best stories are the ones that come into your story at just the right time." I put both The Bell Jar and Slaughterhouse-Five on the same level when it comes to a genuinely wrought plunge into depression, PTSD, and the fallible human.
The main complaints I've seen about Slaughterhouse-Five seem to concern the ultimate style of the book which is often said to be less influential and impressive these days than it was when the book was published and the over-usage of 'so it goes.' I'm not a Vonnegut expert and will not pretend to comment on the whole of his work. But I will say that I took the style of this book as more a glimpse into the emotional and neurological effects of PTSD rather than a stylistic enterprise. It is certainly chaotic but, viewing it this way, I did feel it added an essential element to the book. As for the repetition, I believe it was also essential... at least from the context of Vonnegut's personal expressions. For example, I found myself remembering (time jumping to?) various experiences I've had with grief/loss/death as well as trauma. And, on the outside of those experiences, I don't think anything felt more poignant than these three words.
I'm hoping I can explain the above adequately... from my experiences, I don't believe grief is a vacuum that can be bottled up into a specific amount of time. I believe both it and PTSD span further than that in a lifetime. That you might grieve the loss of someone because of a random memory or because you're at a different level of maturity in your life and did not previously possess the same depths as you do in this moment. I think there isn't really a better example of this than that of children that lose a parent at a young age or soldiers that lose their friends in the middle of a war. There isn't a well for grief to draw from in the moment so you can easily see how it takes shape in different avenues of their lives. Such as a kid acting out, dealing with intense depression through a relatively happy event in their later lives, etc. This long-standing relationship with grief, loss, ptsd, etc. also shapes the person's attitudes towards more personal loss or (at least) loss in an intellectual context.
Hence, 'so it goes.' Because for those that have crossed that line in life, that really is the way it goes. To some it may signify an ambivalence but, from my perspective across the line, I believe it is simply an accurate acknowledgement of reality and personal context. So I actually felt as if each individual repetition packed quite a wallop within itself.
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I think I'm very glad that they did. If they hadn't I don't think I would have been able to appreciate it in the way I do now, upon finishing it a few minutes ago. For instance, I recently read The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. Another book I wasn't at a place to finish as a teen because it flung open views within myself that I wasn't at a place to have or examine. As a very good lit teacher I was lucky enough to have once said, "the best stories are the ones that come into your story at just the right time." I put both The Bell Jar and Slaughterhouse-Five on the same level when it comes to a genuinely wrought plunge into depression, PTSD, and the fallible human.
The main complaints I've seen about Slaughterhouse-Five seem to concern the ultimate style of the book which is often said to be less influential and impressive these days than it was when the book was published and the over-usage of 'so it goes.' I'm not a Vonnegut expert and will not pretend to comment on the whole of his work. But I will say that I took the style of this book as more a glimpse into the emotional and neurological effects of PTSD rather than a stylistic enterprise. It is certainly chaotic but, viewing it this way, I did feel it added an essential element to the book. As for the repetition, I believe it was also essential... at least from the context of Vonnegut's personal expressions. For example, I found myself remembering (time jumping to?) various experiences I've had with grief/loss/death as well as trauma. And, on the outside of those experiences, I don't think anything felt more poignant than these three words.
I'm hoping I can explain the above adequately... from my experiences, I don't believe grief is a vacuum that can be bottled up into a specific amount of time. I believe both it and PTSD span further than that in a lifetime. That you might grieve the loss of someone because of a random memory or because you're at a different level of maturity in your life and did not previously possess the same depths as you do in this moment. I think there isn't really a better example of this than that of children that lose a parent at a young age or soldiers that lose their friends in the middle of a war. There isn't a well for grief to draw from in the moment so you can easily see how it takes shape in different avenues of their lives. Such as a kid acting out, dealing with intense depression through a relatively happy event in their later lives, etc. This long-standing relationship with grief, loss, ptsd, etc. also shapes the person's attitudes towards more personal loss or (at least) loss in an intellectual context.
Hence, 'so it goes.' Because for those that have crossed that line in life, that really is the way it goes. To some it may signify an ambivalence but, from my perspective across the line, I believe it is simply an accurate acknowledgement of reality and personal context. So I actually felt as if each individual repetition packed quite a wallop within itself.
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LibraryThing member gkchandler
It took me two attempts to read this - worth it in the end. One very annoying phrase that Vonnegut uses - you'll see pretty quickly what it is. Done for effect? I guess - still annoyed the hell out of me and in the end my eyes skipped those few words evey time I encountered them.
LibraryThing member 5hrdrive
Sixty-five years ago today the city of Dresden, Germany was fire-bombed out of existence. Kurt Vonnegut was there and shares his experiences in this strange and wonderful book. Part memoir, part historical fiction, part science fiction - it's greater than the sum of it's parts. I like how Vonnegut
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writes, it's like he's sitting right next to you telling you a story, and you know he's embellishing some of it, but he's giving it to you with a totally straight face. All you have to do is listen and enjoy. Show Less
LibraryThing member Phrim
What a weird book; is all Vonnegut like this? On one hand, it's amazing how well everything is tied together, and how the book references itself around in circles. On the other hand, it was really hard to bring myself to care about the characters or the plot. The book had zero suspense. It seemed
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like it was really more of a work of art instead of a novel. Show Less
LibraryThing member mrminjares
The language in this short novel is nonchalant, casual, and free; the narrative is chaotic, schizophrenic, and non-linear. I did not enjoy reading this book, mostly because I felt at the end that most of the sentences were an unnecessary waste of time. What message was it sending? I had trouble
But maybe at least that was part of the point, that much of the life we live is meaningless; at least for those who witness the death and destruction of war. This book is a fictionalized memoir. It begins with Vonnegut telling us he witnessed the fire bombing of Dresden, then moves to tell us the story of a fellow named Billy Pilgrim, who I assume is a stand-in for Vonnegut. He goes to war, gets captured by the Germans, then suffers at their hands. But he develops a skill for time travel, which allows him to jump forward and backward in time when he closes his eyes. He is then abducted by aliens and placed in an Alien zoo. The aliens teach him how to use his time traveling skills.
This is where I think the clearest message is given: the Aliens tell Billy Pilgrim that those who can see the future can do nothing about it. We live our lives to the fullest, and take what the future gives us. This deliberate paralysis helps Billy Pilgrim deal with the horrors of war. Later, he tells an audience he knows when and how we will be killed. People ask him why he doesn't do anything about this, and he relates what he learned from the Aliens: you don't do anything about the future, you just live it.
It's maybe a cynical view of life, and not an uplifting one. I can see how Kurt Vonnegut, who truly was a prisoner of war and did witness the firebombing of Dresden, came to appreciate the awful meaninglessness of life. This strong existentialist message is present in the novel, and is what I took away from it.
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finding the meaning in it all.But maybe at least that was part of the point, that much of the life we live is meaningless; at least for those who witness the death and destruction of war. This book is a fictionalized memoir. It begins with Vonnegut telling us he witnessed the fire bombing of Dresden, then moves to tell us the story of a fellow named Billy Pilgrim, who I assume is a stand-in for Vonnegut. He goes to war, gets captured by the Germans, then suffers at their hands. But he develops a skill for time travel, which allows him to jump forward and backward in time when he closes his eyes. He is then abducted by aliens and placed in an Alien zoo. The aliens teach him how to use his time traveling skills.
This is where I think the clearest message is given: the Aliens tell Billy Pilgrim that those who can see the future can do nothing about it. We live our lives to the fullest, and take what the future gives us. This deliberate paralysis helps Billy Pilgrim deal with the horrors of war. Later, he tells an audience he knows when and how we will be killed. People ask him why he doesn't do anything about this, and he relates what he learned from the Aliens: you don't do anything about the future, you just live it.
It's maybe a cynical view of life, and not an uplifting one. I can see how Kurt Vonnegut, who truly was a prisoner of war and did witness the firebombing of Dresden, came to appreciate the awful meaninglessness of life. This strong existentialist message is present in the novel, and is what I took away from it.
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LibraryThing member galacticus
I just finished Slaughterhouse Five and I am pleasantly surprised - as always - with Kurt Vonnegut. I enjoyed this book much more than Joseph Hellers' Catch-22. Vonnegut is succinct and therefore efficient. He is able to deliver the message in rhythm. I enjoy his humor as well. Both are important
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works but in my humble opinion Vonnegut has the slight edge. Show Less
LibraryThing member BillPilgrim
Needless to say, Vonnegut is one of my favorite athors. I first read this book in my late teens, and loved it then, and have continued to enjoy reading it again and again over the years. I have read this book more than any other.
LibraryThing member SandraBrower
I have wanted to read this book since the first time i watched the movie Footloose!
It interested me that Ren would call it a classic and the 2 adults that were so ridges would say it is sinful. So, i decide to finally get the book from the library. I found it interesting... It took til the middle
This book could be so confusing at times what with the time warping! But it left questions- was our story teller insane? Did he have PTSD? Only you can decide!
I recommend reading it atleast once.
It interested me that Ren would call it a classic and the 2 adults that were so ridges would say it is sinful. So, i decide to finally get the book from the library. I found it interesting... It took til the middle
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of the book to figuare out why in the world it was listed as a banned book!This book could be so confusing at times what with the time warping! But it left questions- was our story teller insane? Did he have PTSD? Only you can decide!
I recommend reading it atleast once.
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LibraryThing member godardd
This book promised to provide an actual account of the Dresden bombing in 1944 where 120,000 civillians lost their lives. The authour suggests the whole book is a memoir and spend many years trying to make it perfect. The result, however, was less about Dresden and more about the fleeting nature of
This book is probably best described as a cross between Catch-22 and Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. Very funny at parts, mostly at the expense of the main character. He's a pathetic chaplain's assistant in the army that the authour probably started using to epitomize the ridiculousness of their story together. As he goes on, I think the authour gains more respect for his hero and gives him honour with a life that makes sense, however irreverent and philisophical it becomes.
Very amusing book, very short too.
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life.This book is probably best described as a cross between Catch-22 and Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. Very funny at parts, mostly at the expense of the main character. He's a pathetic chaplain's assistant in the army that the authour probably started using to epitomize the ridiculousness of their story together. As he goes on, I think the authour gains more respect for his hero and gives him honour with a life that makes sense, however irreverent and philisophical it becomes.
Very amusing book, very short too.
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Subjects
Awards
National Book Award (Finalist — Fiction — 1970)
Hugo Award (Nominee — Novel — 1970)
Nebula Award (Nominee — Novel — 1969)
Society of Midland Authors Award (Winner — 1970)
501 Must-Read Books (Emma Beare, 2006) (Science Fiction)
Notable Books List (1969)
Waterstones Books of the Century (67 — 1997)
Newsweek's Top 100 Books: The Meta-List (60 — 2009)
The SF Book Club's "The Most Significant SF & Fantasy Books of the Last 50 Years From 1953-2002" (42)
The Great American Novels (1969)
Call number
FIC A4 Von