Slaughterhous-Five is one of the world's great anti-war books. Centering on the infamous fire-bombing 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 are afraid to know.
Slaughterhouse-Five (Kurt Vonnegut Series)
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Kurt Vonnegut's absurdist classic Slaughterhouse-Five introduces us to Billy Pilgrim, a man who becomes unstuck in time after he is abducted by aliens from the planet Tralfamadore. In a plot-scrambling display of virtuosity, we follow Pilgrim simultaneously through all phases of his life, concentrating on his (and Vonnegut's) shattering experience as an American prisoner of war who witnesses the firebombing of Dresden.
Don't let the ease of reading fool you--Vonnegut's isn't a conventional, or simple, novel. He writes, "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..." Slaughterhouse-Five (taken from the name of the building where the POWs were held) is not only Vonnegut's most powerful book, it is as important as any written since 1945. Like Catch- 22, it fashions the author's experiences in the Second World War into an eloquent and deeply funny plea against butchery in the service of authority. Slaughterhouse-Five boasts the same imagination, humanity, and gleeful appreciation of the absurd found in Vonnegut's other works, but the book's basis in rock-hard, tragic fact gives it a unique poignancy--and humor.
From Publishers Weekly
"Listen: Billy Pilgrim has become unstuck in time." So begins Vonnegut's absurdist 1969 classic. Hawke rises to the occasion of performing this sliced-and-diced narrative, which is part sci-fi and partially based on Vonnegut's experience as a American prisoner of war in Dresden, Germany during the firebombing of 1945 that killed thousands of civilians. Billy travels in time and space, stopping here and there throughout his life, including his long visit to the planet Tralfamador, where he is mated with a porn star. Hawke adopts a confidential, whisper-like tone for his reading. Listening to him is like listening to someone tell you a story in the back of a bus—the perfect pitch for this book. After the novel ends, Vonnegut himself speaks for a short while about his survival of the Dresden firestorm and describes and names the man who inspired this story. Tacked on to the very end of this audio smorgasbord is music, a dance single that uses a vintage recording of Vonnegut reading from the book. Though Hawke's reading is excellent, one cannot help but wish Vonnegut himself had read the entire text.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I had long ago heard of Vonnegut's writings but never had the chance to read one of his books until now. I approached this one with interest due to its science fiction and WWII connections, two of my favourite genres. What seemed seriously weird and disjointed at first became a very interesting tale and it got me hooked to the end. This is without a doubt the kind of novel that's best read twice, or more. There's very little about this book that could be considered usual and that is an excellent thing. The troubling part is how weird it can be at times, even absurd. Just pick it up, if you enjoy time travel stories, war epics and the ramblings of old fools you will not be disappointed! It's a short read too.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Billium
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I reread this in one sitting the other night as I have periodically for some 20 years. Slaughterhouse-Five was the first book to really make me think as a young teenager. After all that time and at least six or seven reads I still laugh out loud at jokes I can see coming for pages, and I'm still moved for days or weeks after. Billy Pilgrim's innocence and sadness and Vonnegut's humanity are still astonishingly pure and beautiful.
Don't let the fragmented timeline of Billy's tale put anybody off; it's there to juxtapose disconnected events and thereby create illustrations that are creative and funny and satirical and moving. When available fictional devices cannot make his point, Vonngut puts one or another fantastic tale in the pen of alter ego Kilgore Trout, or brings in the Tralfamadorians for a few life lessons.
Vonnegut is an unparalleled storyteller with a style that is at once easy and deep, like a wonderful aunt or uncle with biting humor and years of wisdom quietly regaling late into the evening. The tale he tells in Slaughterhouse-Five is one of the great stories of all time for it's unbelievable creativity and it's quiet, gentle and powerful sense of humanity. A masterpiece.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By -_Tim_-
Format:Mass Market Paperback
The hero, or antihero, of Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five is Billy Pilgrim, a time traveling idiot savant. The central event in Billy's life is the firebombing of Dresden, Germany, an event he witnesses with little emotion. Billy has the sense to cry when he sees a pair of horses suffering but he is unnaturally passive in war, in his marriage, in raising his son, in being kidnapped and taken to the planet of Tralfamadore, and so on. From his experiences on Tralfamadore, Billy comes to perceive time in a different way that is very comforting to him and perhaps to Vonnegut as well.
First published in 1969, Slaughterhouse-Five has an experimental feel to it. Billy's time travel leads to some unconventional juxtaposition of scenes, and Vonnegut makes frequent use of asides to the reader to tell us about himself and why he wrote the book. Tragic events are described in flat, emotionless terms.
Slaughterhouse-Five is a quick and entertaining read, and it educates the reader about the horrors of bombing directed against civilians. Because of the flat tone, though, and because the characters are so unattractive, there doesn't seem to be much of a message here except to say that men are fools.
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4.3 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
Not happy.
This is not what I thought. This is a book about the book. Sucks. I haven't been able to return it.
Published 10 days ago by F. Gorosh
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great service.
I had a small problem with my order and the seller contacted me right away to fix it, very nice too. Quick, efficient service!
Published 15 months ago by AshSev
5.0 out of 5 stars
BEST of the BEST!
This is one of the greatest novels of the modern era.
No, that's not my opinion, it's a fact.
No other novel has ever presented so many poignant paragraphs that... Read more
No, that's not my opinion, it's a fact.
No other novel has ever presented so many poignant paragraphs that... Read more
Published 21 months ago by M. Witcher
4.0 out of 5 stars
Still has much To Say.
Science Fiction novel first published in 1969. Even though this book was published over forty years ago, it is still a thought provoking read. Read more
Published on April 8 2011 by Heather Pearson
5.0 out of 5 stars
Even on the 20th read, SH5 never gets old
I regard Vonnegut as a literary deity. Breakfast of Champions was the first book I ever read. Slaughterhouse Five was my second. It singlehandedly catalyzed my love of books. Read more
Published on Jan 25 2011 by SBuckle
5.0 out of 5 stars
Slaughterhouse-Five
This book never grows stale and is still as relevant today as it was when it was written. That's sad, really - because we seemed to have learned nothing in the interim. Read more
Published on Jan 5 2011 by Angelfire
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great pulp fiction
This book is a great easy read. Classical literature it is not. But it does give insights into the allied bombing of Dresden. A must read
Published on Jan 31 2010 by Rafid Haidar
3.0 out of 5 stars
Worth the Read
I found the story line of Slaughterhouse Five original and interesting. I was definitely curious as to what was going to happen next all through out the read. Read more
Published on Oct 30 2009 by Stephanie West
4.0 out of 5 stars
Really funny book.
I thought this book was hilarious and sad at the same time. It's a really good read with interesting things happening all the time. Read more
Published on Sep 11 2008 by Andrew Kolbeck
4.0 out of 5 stars
Heartfelt and Funny
Hilarious book, even with the subject matter being so grim. The explanation of time by the Tralfamadorians (spelling could be off on my part) is interesting and clever. Read more
Published on Dec 14 2007 by Benjamin Anderson
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