Reviews

Player Piano by Kurt Vonnegut

javinki_'s review against another edition

3.0

Unsure whether to give it two or three stars, but shit, it's got some brilliant one-liners and the buds of Vonnegut's soon-to-be-recognisable idiosyncratic voice so I'll plump for three. A bit clunky and heavy on coincidences, but also eerily prescient for a book published over 70 years ago now. How far we've come...

derekjohnston's review against another edition

funny lighthearted reflective fast-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

3.25

frankenchrist's review against another edition

dark funny reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

zoekahana's review against another edition

funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

hanakorodgers's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Vonnegut having written this in the 50s is absolutely astonishing. The realized hypotheticals that we are now living with and its implication for humans if it continues unchecked was eerie. I was not keen on the ending plot wise, but the 5 stars is well deserved for the commentary and prose alone.

trin's review against another edition

1.0

This is Vonnegut's first novel, and it's likely to be a disappointment to those familiar with his later work. Lacking many of his later innovations (and all traces of the lovely meta), it's a much more traditional, straight-up sci-fi tale--and one that's way too long and slow-paced, at that. Vonnegut's treatments of his female characters is unusually bad, too: even setting aside the nasty, shrill wife, Anita, are we really supposed to believe that, in a future society where social standing is based almost entirely on IQ, women can only make it into "polite society" by marrying a smart man? Yuck. I expect better.

knittingchaos's review against another edition

1.0

I didn't like this book. It is the worst Vonnegut book I have ever read. So depressing and sexist. Even in 1957 there were women who worked outside the home in jobs that were not secretarial. And the idea that when all the jobs went away the displaced would be taken care of is so naive.
I also dislike the idea that men need to have men's work or they can't survive. It is one of the worst tropes in the world.

zgluckow's review against another edition

inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

quackquackmaverick's review against another edition

dark funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

is_it_chris's review against another edition

dark funny reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0