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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
funny
medium-paced
Player Piano is set in a near-future world (from a 1950s perspective) where all "blue collar" work has been replaced by machines. The former workers are left serving in the army or on teams of laborers. Only managers and engineers are left to oversee the machines and even their lives are largely purposeless. The MC is Doctor Paul Proteus, a manager destined to climb the ranks, but he can't escape the feeling that there's something terribly wrong with the world.
It was interesting to see where Vonnegut was as a writer on this first novel. A big part of Vonnegut's brilliance is his ability to dramatize a concept. Here, it's the Marxist fear that industrialization leaves the worker without dignity. The near-future world of the story is a bit too absurd for it to really work in this case, but if you accept it, the Vonnegut magic is still there. The MC, unlike many of Vonnegut's protagonists that I've read, is quite likable and relatable in his discontent. Even Vonnegut's trademark cynicism is dialed down, though hardly absent.
It was interesting to see where Vonnegut was as a writer on this first novel. A big part of Vonnegut's brilliance is his ability to dramatize a concept. Here, it's the Marxist fear that industrialization leaves the worker without dignity. The near-future world of the story is a bit too absurd for it to really work in this case, but if you accept it, the Vonnegut magic is still there. The MC, unlike many of Vonnegut's protagonists that I've read, is quite likable and relatable in his discontent. Even Vonnegut's trademark cynicism is dialed down, though hardly absent.
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
apesar de ter pontos muito pertinentes e bem atuais, é um livro bem cansativo, maçante e que não precisava de 500 páginas pra argumentar sobre a perda de poder e liberdade de decisão do povo.
fora esses parágrafos gigantes listando máquinas e máquinas que não acrescentam em nada na história, fiquei um tanto incomodada com a insistência na mensagem de que o trabalho edifica o homem e sem isso ele não é nada.
ainda tenho sentimentos controversos sobre esse livro, minha avaliação fica sambando entre 3 e 3,5 estrelas se escolho focar na mensagem ou na extensão de uma história que não tem tanta coisa assim, mas foi ok eu acho.
fora esses parágrafos gigantes listando máquinas e máquinas que não acrescentam em nada na história, fiquei um tanto incomodada com a insistência na mensagem de que o trabalho edifica o homem e sem isso ele não é nada.
ainda tenho sentimentos controversos sobre esse livro, minha avaliação fica sambando entre 3 e 3,5 estrelas se escolho focar na mensagem ou na extensão de uma história que não tem tanta coisa assim, mas foi ok eu acho.
funny
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Kurt's most prescient book?? This book is nearly 75 years old, but it's arguably more timely than ever before. It explores the consequences of automation, which is even more relevant in the age of artificial intelligence. We should all be warned... Jon Stewart recommended reading Vonnegut on a podcast, so I finally picked this one up. This book was hard for me to start. It's a little dry, at least at the start. But I stayed for the main character's journey, and I'm glad I did.
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is still very relevant to today’s society and has such a strong message we could still learn from. Paul Proteus is a very interesting protagonist in the sense that he is just a regular man who happened to be in a very fortunate situation.