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From School Library Journal
YA Leon Trout, the ghost of a decapitated shipbuilder, narrates the humorous, ironic and sometimes carping decline of the human race, as seen through the eyes and minds of the survivors of a doomed cruise to the Galapagos Islands. Vonnegut's cast of unlikely Adams and Eves setting out in a Noah's ark includes Mary Hepburn, an American biology teacher and recent widow; Zenji Hiroguchi, a Japanese computer genius (who does not make it to the ship, although his language-translating and quotation-spouting computer does); his wife, Hisako, carrying radiated genes from the atomic bombs; James Wait, who has made a fortune marrying elderly women; and Captain Aolph von Kleist. Also included: six orphaned girls of the Kana-bono cannibal tribe, who will become the founding mothers of the fisherfolk after bacteria render all other women infertile. Serious fans of Vonnegut's wry and ribald prose will welcome this tale of the devolution of superbrained humans into gentle swimmers with small brains, but others may find this Darwinian survival tale too packed with ecological and sociological details that trap the story line in a series of literary devices, albeit very clever ones. Mary T. Gerrity, Queen Anne School, Upper Marlboro, Md.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
For many Vonnegut fans, Galapagos will be a disappointment. The story is set ``one million years ago, back in 1986 A.D.'' and concerns the maiden voyage of the Bahia de Darwin to the Galapa gos Islands. The narrator is a ghost, and the main characters are those involved with the cruise. As the narrative devel ops, we learn that people have evolved from having ``big brains'' that always get them in trouble, to creatures with flippersbut they keep getting eaten by sharks. The narration jumps back and forth between past and future, so that there is no real sense of what life is like in the ``present'' of the story, and it is difficult to grasp what these new hu mans are really like. Vonnegut's usual stylistic devices just don't work here. Buy for demand. Susan Avallone, ``Library Journal''
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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THE THING WAS: One million years ago, back in 1986 A.D., Guayaquil was the chief seaport of the little South American democracy of Ecuador, whose capital was Quito, high in the Andes Mountains. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt
THE THING WAS: One million years ago, back in 1986 A.D., Guayaquil was the chief seaport of the little South American democracy of Ecuador, whose capital was Quito, high in the Andes Mountains. Read the first page
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4.0 out of 5 stars
A million years ago...,
By Michael Valdivielso (Alexandria, VA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Galapagos: A Novel (Paperback)
In 1986 a simple vacation turns into the next journey of man. A ship full of survivors, or fools, end up on one of the islands of the Galapagos Islands. The plot seems to be a series of accidents, random events and luck (good or bad). Which could all be the same thing just with different names, but allows the reader to see a brave new world being built by nature's laws. Kind of funny. This is my first book by Kurt Vonnegut but while I am impressed by the way he hooked me in with the interesting idea of having a ghost tell us the story I'm not going to run out and buy all his books. This book was funny and interesting, but I'm not going to be rereading it each and every year.If you like this author, are interested in evolution or the future of mankind then buy this book.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good read!,
By
This review is from: Galapagos: A Novel (Paperback)
Vonnegut style! nothing is linear in his books and it is hard sometimes to follow, but stick with this one or Slaughter House 5 and you will have experienced one of the most imaginative & weird literature stories ever written!!
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Well-Written Satiric Social Commentary,
By A Customer
This review is from: Galapagos: A Novel (Paperback)
Having read some of the reviews to this Vonnegut novel, I am of the opinion that some of these reviewers are missing the point. Admittedly, I am but a tenth of the way through this book, but already I see the genius in it. Forget for a moment that there even is a plot (which is wholly interesting unto itself); rather, one should concentrate on Vonnegut's mastery of literary style. I love the tone he adopted for this work. Additionally, his running commentary is a highly satiric social commentary of the state of the human race: satire that hits its mark (and not all does). That said, this is one of the finest, funniest, and most interesting books I have ever read. If you have not read this book, I suggest you give it a try, and if you have and disagree with me, that's fine, but I urge you to give it another shot. Of course, as I said, I am still in the early stages of the book, so my opinion of it could change. But if the rest is anything like the beginning, this book will make me a believer of Mr. Vonnegut. Hope you enjoy it as much as I have. I, for one, am looking forward toward the rest. Pleasant reading!
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