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jiujensu's review
5.0
Great background detail to some of his novels and the Vonnegut one reads in his novels.
callymac's review
4.0
I thought I'd overdosed on Vonnegut. Apparently not.
His non-fiction has always been as charming and insightful as his fiction. But, with his letters, you really get a sense of his journey as a writer and a person. In a schadenfreude way, it's very satisfying to see how his career was by no means certain. How almost no one, including members of his own family, read or respected his first five books. How he constantly felt like he was out of ideas, struggling to write. How even after he became successful, his personal life began to disintegrate. How even after he became successful, critics still jumped at the opportunity to give his later books bad reviews. But, against all that, he was still one of the coolest guys to ever live.
His non-fiction has always been as charming and insightful as his fiction. But, with his letters, you really get a sense of his journey as a writer and a person. In a schadenfreude way, it's very satisfying to see how his career was by no means certain. How almost no one, including members of his own family, read or respected his first five books. How he constantly felt like he was out of ideas, struggling to write. How even after he became successful, his personal life began to disintegrate. How even after he became successful, critics still jumped at the opportunity to give his later books bad reviews. But, against all that, he was still one of the coolest guys to ever live.
carmendarlene's review
3.0
I lost steam with this...it started off so well. Maybe it's just my mood lately.
lootsfoz's review
5.0
This book eloquently captures Vonnegut's voice and offers a window into his life and history. It makes me mourn the lost art of letter-writing.
francomega's review
3.0
Finally finished (after having to return it to the library and getting back on the list). Definitely recommend if you're a fan (of Vonnegut, not me, though either way I guess). This is really just a collection of letters to friends and family over 7 decades. Nothing scandalous or unexpected, but all decidedly Vonnegut.
daneekasghost's review
3.0
3+ stars. Having just finished a biography of Vonnegut, I have to say that I like this format a little better. It was really interesting to see the story of Vonnegut's life through his letters (this is the first time I've read a collection of letters, so I don't have a lot to compare this to).
The letters themselves are sometimes funny, sometimes petty, sometimes touching. They kept my attention throughout, and I was able to get through this book relatively quickly. I think being familiar with the biographical details helped me fill in some things that were mentioned only in passing here.
Lots of little lines here that I marked for later. Still a fan of Vonnegut's writing, even in this form.
The letters themselves are sometimes funny, sometimes petty, sometimes touching. They kept my attention throughout, and I was able to get through this book relatively quickly. I think being familiar with the biographical details helped me fill in some things that were mentioned only in passing here.
Lots of little lines here that I marked for later. Still a fan of Vonnegut's writing, even in this form.
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