Slaughterhouse-Five
by Kurt Vonnegut
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Book Summary Information
Author: Kurt VonnegutEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1991-11-03
ISBN: 0440180295
Number of pages: 215
Publisher: Dell
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9780440180296
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Book Reviews of Slaughterhouse-Five
Book Review: "there is nothing intelligent to say about a massacre"
Summary: 4 Stars
"Slaughterhouse-Five or The children's crusade" is the first book written by Vonnegut that I have read, and the experience has been quite good. After reading it, I realized that I had felt all kind of things at different times (or pages) of this book. I feel surprised by the lack of logic in some parts, enchanted by the wisdom of some phrases, and somewhat puzzled by some of the antics of the characters. But I didn't feel bored, not even once, and that is good news in my book...
The story is told from the point of view of the writer, at least at the beginning. Shortly afterwards, the main narrator changes: now it is Billy Pilgrim, who like the writer is a former soldier in World War II. The writer and Billy survived the bombardment of Dresden, the city were both were held as prisioners of war (yes, Vonnegut was a POW in the 2nd WW). They stayed in a place called "Slaughterhouse 5", due to the mere fact that that placed used to be...a slaughterhouse.
Billy has some peculiarities that no one else seems to share: he can become "unstuck" in time, going seamlessly from the present to the past or the future, and from there to the present again. He is also quite familiar with aliens, having spent a season with them in their planet (as a specimen in the Tralfamadorian zoo), and isn't shy to tell so. Of course, that brings him a few problems with his family, who wants him to upheld his image of respectable optometrist, but that cannot be helped.
This work has an anti-war tone that pervades the whole book. That is evident in the musings of the characters on the absurdity of war, and on how illogical many actions were (a good example would be the bombardment of Dresden, a city that lacked war industries). Billy, one of the protagonists of the book, accepts things as they come, and after every death he simply says "So it goes". He probably is the best illustration of the fact that "There are almost no characters in this story, and almost no dramatic confrontations, because most of the people in it are so sick, and so much the listless playthings of enormous forces. One of the main effects of war, after all, is that people are discouraged from being characters..." Also, and even though Vonnegut writes that "there is nothing intelligent to say about a massacre", I think that thanks to this book he gives at least a good statement on the massacre of war.
All in all, "Slaughterhouse-Five" is a book beyond strange, so if you prefer linear stories, you are highly likely to dislike this one. If there is something that stands out in it, is its lack of chronological continuity. Despite that, I recommend it even to them, because who knows, they may like it. After all, this book has been considered a classic for many years now, so it certainly has some value. On the other hand, if you are one of those who prefer the unexpected in a book, you just must read it, because I'm certain you will love "Slaughterhouse-Five".
Belen Alcat
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