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Breakfast of Champions is a slippery, lucid, bleakly humorous jaunt through (sick? inhumane?) America circa 1973, with Vonnegut acting as our Virgil-like companion. The book follows its main character, auto-dealing solid-citizen Dwayne Hoover, down into madness, a condition brought on by the work of the aforementioned Kilgore Trout. As Dwayne cracks, then crumbles, Breakfast of Champions coolly shows the effects his dementia has on the web of characters surrounding him. It's not much of a plot, but it's enough for Vonnegut to air unique opinions on America, sex, war, love, and all of his other pet topics--you know, the only ones that really count. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
“Vonnegut is George Orwell, Dr. Caligari and Flash Gordon compounded into one writer . . . a zany but moral mad scientist.”—Time
“Free-wheeling, wild and great . . . uniquely Vonnegut.”—Publishers Weekly
THIS IS A TALE of a meeting of two lonesome, skinny, fairly old white men on a planet which was dying fast. Read the first page
Concordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt
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Most helpful customer reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A lyrical fugue on madness, modernity, art and love.,
By "manning_in_sydney" (Sydney, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Breakfast of Champions: A Novel (Paperback)
Although not his most popular work, this is in my opinion Vonnegut's most brilliant novel. Superficially it seems childish, with it's inane illustrations (by the author) and rambling, seemingly unstructured text. But probe a little deeper and some truly profound insights emerge, and there is litle doubt that this is a work of carefully crafted, absolute genius.There are at least four main themes in this book, and the way Vonnegut weaves them together is both masterful and unorthodox. (In no particular order) the first theme is of madness - Dwayne Hoover has finally fallen victim to the chemicals in his brain, and much of the narrative unfolds around his descent into lunacy and violence. The second theme is that of the alienation of modern-day life, as a despairing Kilgore Trout makes his "Pilgrim's Progress" across small-town USA, and Wayne Hoobler spends the novel waiting pathetically for his dreams to come true while standing by a Holiday Inn dumpster. The third theme is on the meaning of all art, both in Rabo Karabekian's stunning exposition on modern painting, and on Vonnegut's own musings about the point of writing a novel (which occurs within the narrative). And the final theme, binding it all together, is that of love and connection. As is found in many of Vonnegut's works, he argues that the giving and receiving of love is the only thing that makes our otherwise meaningless lives valuable. Many people miss this point when they read Vonnegut, and hence come away feeling Vonnegut is a very bitter man. If you see this, you'll discover he is actually a deeply compassionate one. I have read this book many times, and each time come away with a new insight. Read it and treasure it.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
I WROTE MYSELF INTO MY REVIEW,
By
This review is from: Breakfast of Champions: A Novel (Paperback)
Such a funny, clever book. When I start getting bored with reading, I always pick up a Vonnegut book. If it doesn't spark your interest, nothing will. His writing style is unmistakable. My favorite Vonnegut book.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
amazing,
By
This review is from: Breakfast of Champions: A Novel (Paperback)
this was my first vonnegut book, but it certainly won't be the last. this was a wonderful book on free will and how we choose to see the world and our ever eternal fight against cynisism. i think that an important point to keep in mind is that there is a reason and purpose behind every passage he has written, they all connect back to one of the larger points he makes. its cynical, but not a depressing cynical, a cynical that makes you take a closer look. i would highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone. its one of the great reads of our time. philosiphical, satirical, and wonderful. definitely check it out
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