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ameliaholcomb's review against another edition
3.0
I listened to the audiobook. The stories were interesting and humorous, but the endings weren't very satisfying. It's almost as though he concludes each story with, "Yep." However, the voice actor that narrated the text was awesome!
stewreads's review against another edition
4.0
Having read Vonnegut's novels and essays for so long, I forgot how unique his short stories were! While the stories in this collection aren't as good as his previous collection, Welcome to the Monkey House, they are well worth the read. It's interesting to see an early Vonnegut write stories with a coherent plot and little divergence from it, because, as Vonnegut readers know, that isn't exactly his style. Fun read for fans!
shaunnow38's review against another edition
4.0
Good collections of stories. Occasionally some of the stories are brilliant, and some are merely passable, but all have some enjoyable quality of them. Briefly, the stories could be generally described as portraits of mid-century American life, and Vonnegut is very invested in writing interesting, if sometimes underdeveloped characters. There is a little bit of every genre in here it seems, including splashes of crime novels and sci-fi, which Vonnegut morphs into very driven, motivated fiction. Extremely enjoyable work.
Overall I would rate the book 3.5 out of 5.
Overall I would rate the book 3.5 out of 5.
ben_sutter's review against another edition
2.0
Lets face it - many of the stories in this book are just plain pox - particularly the first handful.
However, the collection is connected by a very intriguing theme, with the vast majority of characters being persons of low self-esteem seeking external validation for themselves.
With recurrent plots of unfulfilled persons seeking hollow goals, obsessed with fame, shallow materialism, compulsiveness and a willingness to lie and deceive to maintain false images of themselves - this book is a series of encounters with characters who are trying to run away from themselves and failing. People allowing themselves be defined by their jobs, their clothes, their wealth and ultimately losing meaning in life.
Whilst the above theme is interesting, the stories are rather simple and pulpy by-and-large. With nearly all the stories set in homely, mid-20th century American towns and mirroring the consumer-driven materialism of that age, the story titled "2BR02B" stands out as an exception to the rest of the collection - a brief disturbing tale of a futuristic, failing utopia which points forward to the great later Vonnegut works.
However, the collection is connected by a very intriguing theme, with the vast majority of characters being persons of low self-esteem seeking external validation for themselves.
With recurrent plots of unfulfilled persons seeking hollow goals, obsessed with fame, shallow materialism, compulsiveness and a willingness to lie and deceive to maintain false images of themselves - this book is a series of encounters with characters who are trying to run away from themselves and failing. People allowing themselves be defined by their jobs, their clothes, their wealth and ultimately losing meaning in life.
Whilst the above theme is interesting, the stories are rather simple and pulpy by-and-large. With nearly all the stories set in homely, mid-20th century American towns and mirroring the consumer-driven materialism of that age, the story titled "2BR02B" stands out as an exception to the rest of the collection - a brief disturbing tale of a futuristic, failing utopia which points forward to the great later Vonnegut works.
ajnewsom's review against another edition
3.0
I love a good short story, and Kurt Vonnegut is one of my favorite writers. I remember reading "Welcome to the Monkeyhouse" the first time and just loving the stories. He was able to get so much across in just a pages. I have gone back and read that collection a few times since and the stories are just as good now as they were back then. Hell, I even got one of my sons to read (and enjoy) the stories.
It has been a while since I read anything by Vonnegut, but one quickly recognizes his voice/writing style when you read the stories within this collection. Overall, "Monkeyhouse" is more consistently impressive in it's stories, but there are some in this collection which can stand with those stories. "Thanasphere" & "2BR02B" are classic Vonnegut sci-fi/futuristic stories. The first telling the story of a astronaut who can here the voices of the dead. The second story of a future with population cap and the willingness of people to volunteer to end their lives with the Federal Bureau of Termination.
There are also the classic Vonnegut love stories.."Runaways", "Lovers Anonymous", "A Night for Love", "Custom-Made Bride" (to name a few). Like other stories, his vision of love and relationships have a twist. In "Runaways" two teenagers run away from home (hence the name) and are brought back by their parents and reprimanded for wanting to be together. Only after attempting to run away again and their parents acceptance of their relationship does the young couple decide that they are not ready for the relationship; they are too young.
As I stated earlier, the stories in this collection are not as consistent as they are in "Monkeyhouse", but it is definitely worth a read for the Vonnegut fan, or anyone who enjoys the ancient art of a good short story.
It has been a while since I read anything by Vonnegut, but one quickly recognizes his voice/writing style when you read the stories within this collection. Overall, "Monkeyhouse" is more consistently impressive in it's stories, but there are some in this collection which can stand with those stories. "Thanasphere" & "2BR02B" are classic Vonnegut sci-fi/futuristic stories. The first telling the story of a astronaut who can here the voices of the dead. The second story of a future with population cap and the willingness of people to volunteer to end their lives with the Federal Bureau of Termination.
There are also the classic Vonnegut love stories.."Runaways", "Lovers Anonymous", "A Night for Love", "Custom-Made Bride" (to name a few). Like other stories, his vision of love and relationships have a twist. In "Runaways" two teenagers run away from home (hence the name) and are brought back by their parents and reprimanded for wanting to be together. Only after attempting to run away again and their parents acceptance of their relationship does the young couple decide that they are not ready for the relationship; they are too young.
As I stated earlier, the stories in this collection are not as consistent as they are in "Monkeyhouse", but it is definitely worth a read for the Vonnegut fan, or anyone who enjoys the ancient art of a good short story.
clreimers's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
emilybooks's review against another edition
2.0
I have to say I was disappointed in this book. I guess I shouldn't have been. These are his early stories & they were written for somewhat mainstream magazines... I was just shocked (and a little bored) by how mainstream these stories were. There were a few that triggered a slightly emotional reaction on my part, but only in the way that Lifetime movies sometimes do...