Reviews with content warning for Death - Slaughterhouse-Five

this was such an interesting read. it took me a little while to get into but once i did it was so worth it. this book is marketed as science fiction but i felt it was more impactful to read it as an analysis of a trauma response. something that ive seen conflicting opinions on is the narration style/changes but i loved it. you get through about half of the book before the narrator reminds you that he is in fact Not billy pilgrim and completely shatters the illusion and tension in the best way.

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savannahtrice's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny reflective fast-paced

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

3.5

Definitely not something I would usually gravitate towards, but I'm so glad I picked it up! I loved how the concept of time was used to move the story forward.

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skygray's review against another edition

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dark reflective fast-paced

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

3.5

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ri_lei_gh's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.75

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libryofalssndra's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny medium-paced

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

5.0

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smileyjayna's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Diverse cast of characters? No

5.0

If what Billy Pilgrim learned from the Tralfamadorians is true, that we will all live forever, no matter how dead we may sometimes seem to be, I am not overjoyed. Still—if I am going to spend eternity visiting this moment and that, I’m grateful that so many of those moments are nice.

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a_reader_of_book's review against another edition

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challenging reflective medium-paced

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

3.75

This book was weird. But in a good way? I really don't know how else to describe it. I went in thinking this was just about experiences during WWII, but there was so much more. For example, I didn't expect aliens. So that was surprising! I feel like this book was about a lot of things while also being about almost nothing in terms of the apathetic life led by Billy Pilgrim. It's very unconventional, and I think that pairs well with the messages I thought Vonnegut was trying to convey. The discussions about the "necessity" of war and the descriptions of a decimated city felt eerily similar to the current tragedies occurring in Ukraine. As Billy would say, "So it goes." It's not a long book, so why not take the time to read it? As the Tralfamadorians would explain to you, time really isn't as sequential as we humans think it is.

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_morgan's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark funny reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

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