Reviews

Bagombo Snuff Box by Kurt Vonnegut

bookish_scientist's review against another edition

funny lighthearted slow-paced

3.0

noodletime's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

3.75

Hit or miss short stories w/Vonneguts classic wit and writing style 

kevin_shepherd's review against another edition

4.0

How does one rate a collection of short stories? Should I rate each story then average them out? Or should I invent some amalgamated, conglomerated, overall valuation based on gut feelings and my present mood? I find it so much easier to rate nonfiction. Nonfiction seems much less arbitrary and capricious.

Here’s the compromise—I’ll list all the stories along with where & when they were originally published. Then, I’ll give the whole thing five stars (because it’s Vonnegut) minus one star (because I don’t want to seem too obsessive).

Thanasphere, Collier's Weekly 1950
The Boy Who Hated Girls,* Saturday Evening Post 1956
Souvenir, Argosy 1952
A Present for Big Nick, Argosy 1954
Custom-Made Bride, Saturday Evening Post 1954
Hal Erwin’s Magic Lamp,* Canary in a Cat House 1957
Lovers Anonymous, Redbook 1963
Bagombo Snuffbox, Cosmopolitan 1954
The Cruise of Jolly Roger, Cape Cod Compass 1953
This Son of Mine…, Saturday Evening Post 1956
2 B R 0 2 B, Worlds of If 1962
The Powder Blue Dragon,* Cosmopolitan 1954

*According to Vonnegut’s coda, both The Boy Who Hated Girls and The Powder Blue Dragon were extensively rewritten before being published in this collection.

charlottedante's review

3.0

My first Vonnegut. Pleasant enough, for sure.

bldinmt's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

htankersley's review against another edition

adventurous reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.25

I thought short stories would be a way to dip my toes into Vonnegut and I’m glad this is the route I took. Some stories were better than others (obviously) but overall, this is a great collection. My favorite stories are The No-Talent Kid and 2BR02B.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder and Suicide

yeah_nahnia's review

3.0

Even though I wasn't a fan of most of these stories, it's certainly not put me off from reading other Vonnegut books. My personal stand-outs were Powder Blue Dragon and the title story.

amberhayward's review against another edition

4.0

I don't really know what I can say that I haven't already gushed in other Vonnegut reviews. Every story has a kernel of greatness that transcends time but still has the great feeling of the Short Stories in Magazines Are a Fine Way to Make a Living era. Some stories are a little sappier than his usual fare, but still irresistible for a Vonnegut lover.

jeet_the_maiden's review

4.0

Loved it. I knew I would like his style (Vonnegut has been highly recommended to me) and his subversive, irreverent and pithy humour is a delight to read. I need to re-read the stories, but my favourite is certainly "2 B R 0 2 B", with "A Night for Love" a close second. Now I look forward to reading his standalone work.

mattycakesbooks's review against another edition

3.0

As far as Vonnegut goes, this is Vonnegut-lite. Which, to be fair, he says in the introduction -- these are stories he wrote when he was just starting out, so some of them you get through and kinda think, "Meh." They lack his fully developed voice in all of them with a few exceptions -- the introduction, the afterword, and the short story "2BRO2B," which is full-fledged, awesome Vonnegut.

Worth reading if you're a Vonnegut fanatic, but if you're just getting into his short fiction, start with "Welcome to the Monkey House."