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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
challenging
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
disappointing ending, but very good story and written only as Vonnegut can do.
dark
reflective
Longer, slower than the KV I’ve read before. I lost momentum about half way through and ended only by audiobook.
I did enjoy the ideas and it’s a great sci-fi what if.
I did enjoy the ideas and it’s a great sci-fi what if.
funny
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
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Player Piano is set in a near-future world (from a 1950s perspective) where all "blue collar" work has been replaced by machines.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