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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
dark
funny
fast-paced
kind of indistinguishable from the sparknotes im sorry to say
What a wild ride from cover-to-cover. Crazy I’ve gotten this far without reading Vonnegut, but glad I’m finally fixing that. I love his writing style and fully intend to read more as soon as possible.
Truly had no expectations going in, beyond the general acclaim and the vague knowledge that this was an anti-war book. At first I thought Chapter 1 was more of an introduction, being from the perspective of Vonnegut instead of Billy, but it becomes clear that he is part of the story throughout, always present in Billy’s story and sharing his experiences. The fact that he chooses to tell a story from a fictional character’s perspective while still remaining part of the story, rather than just writing a purely autobiographical account, feels like he is allowing himself to behave like the Trafalmadorians Billy becomes acquainted with: observers of a moment in time.
Everyone in the book, at the end of the day, behaves like the book’s subtitle: children in The Children’s Crusade. Billy is the big example of this, moving in and out of events happening around him like a Forrest Gump-type character. Wars are fought by children, babies who don’t have any agency beyond the decisions of greater powers around them. This reality of war is not one that is typically portrayed in movies and books about war, but is a fact that is inescapable when thinking about those who fight and die seemingly so indiscriminately for causes far beyond their control. As Vonnegut puts it, there are very few “characters” in this book, because the reality of war does not allow for characters. It only allows for people to pass in and out of events around them like Billy, and then afterwards are either left to contemplate what just happened, or not come out of it at all. So it goes.
Truly had no expectations going in, beyond the general acclaim and the vague knowledge that this was an anti-war book. At first I thought Chapter 1 was more of an introduction, being from the perspective of Vonnegut instead of Billy, but it becomes clear that he is part of the story throughout, always present in Billy’s story and sharing his experiences. The fact that he chooses to tell a story from a fictional character’s perspective while still remaining part of the story, rather than just writing a purely autobiographical account, feels like he is allowing himself to behave like the Trafalmadorians Billy becomes acquainted with: observers of a moment in time.
Everyone in the book, at the end of the day, behaves like the book’s subtitle: children in The Children’s Crusade. Billy is the big example of this, moving in and out of events happening around him like a Forrest Gump-type character. Wars are fought by children, babies who don’t have any agency beyond the decisions of greater powers around them. This reality of war is not one that is typically portrayed in movies and books about war, but is a fact that is inescapable when thinking about those who fight and die seemingly so indiscriminately for causes far beyond their control. As Vonnegut puts it, there are very few “characters” in this book, because the reality of war does not allow for characters. It only allows for people to pass in and out of events around them like Billy, and then afterwards are either left to contemplate what just happened, or not come out of it at all. So it goes.
I listened to The Smiths in high school, sue me.
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I felt like a lot of time was wasted on describing what Billy was going through whenever he jumped through time but not explaining or demonstrating to the audience the reason for it. I found the sections where he is with the aliens to be the most interesting as they provided the most insight on the human experience. I also have so many questions of how time travel works in this book