Reviews tagging 'Colonisation'

Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut

7 reviews

abmochapman's review against another edition

slow-paced

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

2.5

this was mid, nihilism is overrated, and i think i do deadpan comedy better than vonnegut. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Death, Suicide, Ableism, Racial slurs, Racism, and Sexism

mxhcat's review against another edition

dark funny reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism

Moderate: Religious bigotry and Colonisation

Minor: Cancer and Animal death

jordan_noel's review against another edition

challenging dark funny reflective tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Cat’s Cradle is a dive into the modern madness of humanity and its inability to remain in a peaceful state. There are contrasts between morals and science that prompt the question of why goodness is important when our nature leads us to destroy ourselves anyway. A demolished, war-driven world seems inevitable with these characters motivated almost solely by their individual interests. The main religion of a hopeless people is openly founded on lies, and yet it is the only religion that these people so devoutly serve. There are no comforts and there are no explanations. It is only chaos.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Death of parent and Suicide

Minor: Colonisation, Alcohol, Grief, Gore, and Racism

katrinarose's review against another edition

dark funny 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

3.0

I feel cheated that I never read this in school. This book is so perfectly suited to an in depth analysis - dissecting of word choice, symbolism, metaphor, and a discussion of the themes surrounding science, religion, and humanity. I feel like I missed a lot of what Vonnegut was trying to convey just doing a quick independent read. I think if I read this in school with the opportunity for that kind of group analysis, this could’ve been 5 stars, but without that, just rating for my enjoyment I give it 3. The absurd and meandering plot left me feeling confused and detached but it was quick and funny read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Classism, Colonisation, and Death

Moderate: Pedophilia, Cancer, Death of parent, Sexism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, and Violence

lynxpardinus's review against another edition

dark funny reflective

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, Death of parent, Racial slurs, Suicide, War, and Ableism

Moderate: Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Sexism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Animal death, Bullying, Cancer, Colonisation, Confinement, Medical content, Pedophilia, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit

Minor: Fatphobia, Animal cruelty, Grief, Excrement, Genocide, and Slavery

Also includes technically legal but nonetheless predatory age gaps.

emoryscott's review against another edition

adventurous challenging lighthearted mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

I enjoyed this read. Several times, I found myself laughing aloud. I don’t think I fully understood the broader picture that Vonnegut was trying to paint with this story, but here and there I was able to notice the deeper meaning. Vonnegut is a tricky author to read, but he can be very reflective. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Colonisation, Classism, Death of parent, Sexual content, Suicide, Blood, Cancer, Confinement, Vomit, Death, and Racial slurs

salm0n's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny fast-paced

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

5.0

I went in to this book knowing nothing about it and have finished feeling like I've always known the story. This book is reflective, witty, and attention holding-- a wonderful introduction to Vonnegut's writing. The ending is just brilliant. I think we all could learn something from Bokononism.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Death of parent, Religious bigotry, Colonisation, and Suicide

Minor: Alcohol, War, and Slavery