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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
This is distilled Vonnegut, but distilled about a decade before he died and soon after his brother's death. Think Breakfast of Champions and God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, but in the final act of a manmade timequake. His belief in socialism and humanism (or religion at all, for those who need it) as tools to make life more bearable run strong, but the timing of this book tinges his messages. Maybe things like a living wage are for the birds, maybe people won't be able to gain strength by connecting with others, maybe he's been driving at the same message too many times and it hasn't taken yet.
Timequake is an essential chapter to understand Vonnegut. But as a novel, it's more of a collection of thoughts, dick jokes, various plot threads and autobiographical passages. It does hang together, but it's not as focused as some other novels. But, it's a fantastic source of what Vonnegut is remembered best for, and who could ask for more?
Timequake is an essential chapter to understand Vonnegut. But as a novel, it's more of a collection of thoughts, dick jokes, various plot threads and autobiographical passages. It does hang together, but it's not as focused as some other novels. But, it's a fantastic source of what Vonnegut is remembered best for, and who could ask for more?
funny
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Maybe I expected something more along the lines of a narrative of a fiction story. That's not what I felt I got here. I mainly picked this up because of Vonnegut's name.
Completely incomprehensible. Seriously, I have no idea what happened at all or what the point was.
And yet...
And yet...
I wish I had read this before reading A Man Without A Country.
challenging
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Vonnegut’s Timequake meanders from cleverly insightful to outright hilarious to pointlessly crass. His funniest punch lines, of which there are many, had me laughing out loud. At times his cheerful pessimism (is that the right description?) was a bit much for me, but there were still many touching moments as well.
As a whole, though, Timequake was difficult for me to process. It felt to me like a mashup of many different ideas and stories, interesting on their own, but never fitting together to form a main idea. The idea of a “timequake” was initially intriguing, but played a more minor role than I expected, and I eventually lost interest in it.
If you’re checking out Vonnegut for the first time, I’d recommend reading Slaughterhouse Five first, which I really enjoyed and found easier to digest (even with its fragmented storytelling style).
As a whole, though, Timequake was difficult for me to process. It felt to me like a mashup of many different ideas and stories, interesting on their own, but never fitting together to form a main idea. The idea of a “timequake” was initially intriguing, but played a more minor role than I expected, and I eventually lost interest in it.
If you’re checking out Vonnegut for the first time, I’d recommend reading Slaughterhouse Five first, which I really enjoyed and found easier to digest (even with its fragmented storytelling style).
reflective
slow-paced
Some snippets of vonnegutian wisdom but mostly a disorganized collection of final thoughts and ideas. Check out the story of Vonneguts final time with his Wife and the story of John Wilkes Booth Lineage; as well as the bittersweet clambake, as a solid summary of what was beautiful about his work.
adventurous
challenging
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes