Slaughterhouse Five

The_Metatron · #1 by **The_Metatron** » Feb 22, 2012 11:21 am

It's a war story. His overuse of the phrase: "...so it goes." got pretty goddamned tiresome to me. I don't understand why it was ever on a banned book list (wherever such lists are kept).

The guy with his Tralfamadorians? What the hell? Guy goes to war, comes back nuts. This isn't terribly surprising to me, or terribly uncommon, I think. I don't know. Perhaps Vonnegut was giving a gritty recounting of the effects war can have on people. I don't dispute that these effects are certainly real, and societies would do well to know of them.

To me, a clear anti-war book. No shit. Maybe I don't find this book as shocking or viewpoint shifting owing to my own background and experiences, and what I saw of the experiences of others.

Anyway, I didn't like the book. Not that it was badly written. Not at all. It's just that it showed me nothing new. Certainly nothing that made it live up to the mystique I'd built up around it for all these years, having never read it.

By the way, I didn't read it. I listened to it. Unabridged, from audible.com. It's a very convenient way to "read".

zulumoose · #2 by **zulumoose** » Feb 22, 2012 11:53 am

It is on my reading list, or rather, in my pile of cheap books bought at the SPCA that I am working through.

I haven't read it since school in the 80's, when I won the first round of an inter-schools literary essay speech competition, with a presentation based on his works.

Will give you some feedback when I go through it again.

Animavore · #3 by **Animavore** » Feb 22, 2012 1:09 pm

I did once get a book of Vonnegut's short stories from the library. I only read less than half. I thought they were terribly dull.

j.mills · #4 by **j.mills** » Feb 22, 2012 8:40 pm

I've read a handful of Vonnegut and I do like Breakfast Of Champions and The Sirens Of Titan, both full of pathos. But I couldn't see what the fuss was about with Slaughterhouse Five. It's not without its moments, but the interesting time-slipped consciousness device seemed irrelevant and 'unleveraged'. A straight, focussed telling of his Dresden experiences might have carried more of a punch. Meh. Maybe I'm missing something. :dunno:

The_Metatron · #5 by **The_Metatron** » Feb 22, 2012 8:54 pm

j.mills wrote:I've read a handful of Vonnegut and I do like Breakfast Of Champions and The Sirens Of Titan, both full of pathos. But I couldn't see what the fuss was about with Slaughterhouse Five. It's not without its moments, but the interesting time-slipped consciousness device seemed irrelevant and 'unleveraged'. A straight, focussed telling of his Dresden experiences might have carried more of a punch. Meh. Maybe I'm missing something.

My "What the hell?" was more succinct.

j.mills · #6 by **j.mills** » Feb 22, 2012 8:57 pm

If we settled for your succinctity, it would be a very short thread...

The_Metatron · #7 by **The_Metatron** » Feb 22, 2012 8:59 pm

True, that is. So it goes...

CdesignProponentsist · #8 by **CdesignProponentsist** » Feb 22, 2012 9:01 pm

We covered this book in high school. Not so much banned where I live

orpheus · #9 by **orpheus** » Feb 22, 2012 9:32 pm

I don't think Vonnegut's work ages well. This one in particular seems rather dated. Remember though that it appeared in 1969. The Vietnam War was pretty hellish then.

That said, I don't think this is his best work. I was more impressed with Cat's Cradle.

j.mills · **#10** by **j.mills** » Feb 22, 2012 9:42 pm

Keeps getting mentioned, that one. S'pose I'd better put it on the Infinite Pile...

Mazille · **#11** by **Mazille** » Feb 22, 2012 9:47 pm

Funny, because I'm just thinking about getting Slaughterhouse Five off of mine. :think:

Or... you know... just setting it a bit further back.

j.mills · **#12** by **j.mills** » Feb 22, 2012 9:51 pm

On the plus side, Maz, it's a short book. :dopey:

Mazille · **#13** by **Mazille** » Feb 22, 2012 9:53 pm

Huh.

Then again, I've got this Gauss biography lying around which isn't too long either and who doesn't like himself some Gauss?

j.mills · **#14** by **j.mills** » Feb 22, 2012 11:58 pm

I have the solution for you, Mazille. Over at rinkworks they have a Book-A-Minute list. Click here to read the ultra-condensed version of Slaughterhouse Five. :dopey:

Lion IRC · **#15** by **Lion IRC** » Feb 23, 2012 12:28 am

Yossarian?
No wait. I'm thinking of Catch-22
Sorry.

SafeAsMilk · **#16** by **SafeAsMilk** » Feb 23, 2012 1:27 am

I remember likingThe Sirens of Titan better than anything else I read by him, which was 7 or 8 books. His "weird" stuff struck me as mediocre. Especially when he included stupid little drawings. How clever...yawn.

I was always much more into Russell Hoban :dopey:

orpheus · **#17** by **orpheus** » Feb 23, 2012 1:41 am

SafeAsMilk wrote:I remember likingThe Sirens of Titan better than anything else I read by him, which was 7 or 8 books. His "weird" stuff struck me as mediocre. Especially when he included stupid little drawings. How clever...yawn.

I was always much more into Russell Hoban

Hoban was a much finer writer. Funny; why do you mention him though? I don't associate the two.

Teuton · **#18** by **Teuton** » Feb 23, 2012 4:45 am

Don't miss the movie:

Wiðercora · **#19** by **Wiðercora** » Feb 25, 2012 3:38 pm

j.mills wrote:I have the solution for you, Mazille. Over at rinkworks they have a Book-A-Minute list. Click here to read the ultra-condensed version of Slaughterhouse Five.

Well, there goes my evening. I think a few Bookaneers (well it's word now!) here would appreciate this one.

SafeAsMilk · **#20** by **SafeAsMilk** » Feb 27, 2012 1:38 am

orpheus wrote:
SafeAsMilk wrote:I remember likingThe Sirens of Titan better than anything else I read by him, which was 7 or 8 books. His "weird" stuff struck me as mediocre. Especially when he included stupid little drawings. How clever...yawn.

I was always much more into Russell Hoban

Hoban was a much finer writer. Funny; why do you mention him though? I don't associate the two.

Both wrote "strange" books, though as you pointed out their styles are worlds apart. But I was reading both in high school, and hadn't had much experience with "strange" literature up to that point. So while the kids that thought themselves clever were gushing about Vonnegut, I was busy brandishing Riddley Walker :lol: