Reviews

Player Piano by Kurt Vonnegut

mark_b's review against another edition

3.75

Player Piano is an early (1952) Kurt Vonnegut novel concerning engineer/manager Paul Proteus and a failed anti-machine revolution in the fictional city of Ilium, in upstate New York. It’s a comic dark-humor novel, a genre which Vonnegut would continue throughout his writing career.

Player Piano explores themes of social, intellectual and economic inequality. Educational and career opportunities are decided based in IQ tests. Society is organized around sharply-defined class stratification. Gender roles are rigidly maintained.

One subplot, loosely connected to the main plot, describes a college football system built entirely around money and professional athletes. This probably seemed ridiculous in 1952, when pro football barely existed and strictly amateur athletics were highly regarded. Today, with the transfer portal, conference realignments, and NIL deals, college football in 21st century America has caught-up to Vonnegut.

The anti-machine revolt in Player Piano can be thought of as an anti artificial intelligence revolt in 21st century terms. Computers in the 1950s were paper tape, punch cards, and room-sized machines full of hot vacuum tubes. The rise of AI writing, images and decision-making in the 21st century is the modern manifestation of Player Piano’s revolution.

Vonnegut’s writing style isn’t for everyone, and Player Piano isn’t a life-changing read. Still, I liked, and recommend it. 

javinki_'s review against another edition

3.0

Unsure whether to give it two or three stars, but shit, it's got some brilliant one-liners and the buds of Vonnegut's soon-to-be-recognisable idiosyncratic voice so I'll plump for three. A bit clunky and heavy on coincidences, but also eerily prescient for a book published over 70 years ago now. How far we've come...

derekjohnston's review against another edition

funny lighthearted 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

3.25

frankenchrist's review against another edition

dark funny reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.75

zoekahana's review against another edition

funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

hanakorodgers's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Vonnegut having written this in the 50s is absolutely astonishing. The realized hypotheticals that we are now living with and its implication for humans if it continues unchecked was eerie. I was not keen on the ending plot wise, but the 5 stars is well deserved for the commentary and prose alone.

trin's review against another edition

1.0

This is Vonnegut's first novel, and it's likely to be a disappointment to those familiar with his later work. Lacking many of his later innovations (and all traces of the lovely meta), it's a much more traditional, straight-up sci-fi tale--and one that's way too long and slow-paced, at that. Vonnegut's treatments of his female characters is unusually bad, too: even setting aside the nasty, shrill wife, Anita, are we really supposed to believe that, in a future society where social standing is based almost entirely on IQ, women can only make it into "polite society" by marrying a smart man? Yuck. I expect better.

knittingchaos's review against another edition

1.0

I didn't like this book. It is the worst Vonnegut book I have ever read. So depressing and sexist. Even in 1957 there were women who worked outside the home in jobs that were not secretarial. And the idea that when all the jobs went away the displaced would be taken care of is so naive.
I also dislike the idea that men need to have men's work or they can't survive. It is one of the worst tropes in the world.

zgluckow's review against another edition

inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

quackquackmaverick's review against another edition

dark funny fast-paced

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

4.5