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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."
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."
geve_'s review
3.0
Not bad but not great.
Maybe I expect too much out of Vonnegut. These stories were perfectly fine, if a bit dated. Most of these stories are full of bumbling but well meaning men, and women who are far smarter, but content with them. Pretty classic middle america middle century post war kind of vibe where they love cars and household amenities and watches. Can be hard to relate to, and these lack some of the absurdity that I usually love. There were several stories that deal with the increasing presence of women outside the household and it never goes in quite the way you might think.
All in all, not bad, pretty gentle and generally happy stories with a bit of philosophy.
Maybe I expect too much out of Vonnegut. These stories were perfectly fine, if a bit dated. Most of these stories are full of bumbling but well meaning men, and women who are far smarter, but content with them. Pretty classic middle america middle century post war kind of vibe where they love cars and household amenities and watches. Can be hard to relate to, and these lack some of the absurdity that I usually love. There were several stories that deal with the increasing presence of women outside the household and it never goes in quite the way you might think.
All in all, not bad, pretty gentle and generally happy stories with a bit of philosophy.
kb_208's review against another edition
3.0
A nice collection of short stories from one of America's finest writers. The stories here are very nice and simple, but there isn't much that really stands out. The collection found in Welcome to the Monkey House was much more consistent, but these are still worth reading. They were written during the 50's when he was still starting out as a writer, so he hadn't quite found his form yet. It is very humbling to read these stories that were written during a time when people would read magazines for entertainment instead of flipping on the TV. There's a real innocence about these stories that I feel holds up to today.
krep___'s review against another edition
4.5
A wonderful collection of early Vonnegut short stories, narrated by Alexander Marshall except introduction and afterword read by the Vonnegut.
Contents (note the order is different from print editions):
--Introduction
-- Thanasphere
-- The boy who hated girls
-- 2BRO2B
-- Hal Irwin's magic lamp
-- The cruise of the Jolly Roger
-- The power blue dragon
-- Der arme dolmetscher
-- A present for big Saint Nick
-- This son of mine
-- Custom-made bride
-- Souvenir
-- Lovers anonymous
-- Bagombo snuff box
--Coda to my career as a writer for periodicals.
Contents (note the order is different from print editions):
--Introduction
-- Thanasphere
-- The boy who hated girls
-- 2BRO2B
-- Hal Irwin's magic lamp
-- The cruise of the Jolly Roger
-- The power blue dragon
-- Der arme dolmetscher
-- A present for big Saint Nick
-- This son of mine
-- Custom-made bride
-- Souvenir
-- Lovers anonymous
-- Bagombo snuff box
--Coda to my career as a writer for periodicals.
chichi27's review
4.0
A collection of short stories from the '50s, before Vonnegut really got his footing and became known. The most interesting part of reading this collection is how much of its time it is.
books_n_bananas's review against another edition
4.0
I liked seeing this side of Kurt's writing. It's more silly and fun. Nice stories rather than philosophical/political commentary diatribes. Some of the stories have a philosophical thought behind them, others are just nice stories.
It was definitely a diverse collection that speaks to the random collecting of the many stories he wrote for magazines and publications.
It was definitely a diverse collection that speaks to the random collecting of the many stories he wrote for magazines and publications.
diggitalot's review
4.0
Kul at läsa såpass gamla noveller och ändå känna att de är lika aktuella nu som då. En bra början för alla som vill ha en ingång till Kurts lite skruvade värld.