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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I didn't laugh once.
Is there really anything else to say? Yes, there's "characterization" and "themes", of course, but for a book that's trying very, very hard to be funny, that's quite the damning statement.
There feels an utter lack of wit about the jokes Vonnegut uses. Whether it's "mention every male character's penis dimensions for no reason" or "repeating the phrase "wide-open beavers" over and over again in the hopes it becomes funny through sheer absurdity", all of the humor resembles something Jay Cartwright would come up with age thirteen.
And it's a shame, because the protagonists Kilgore Trout and Dwayne Hoover are well-realized and entertaining to follow. The sheer juxtaposition between a cynical sci-fi writer who can articulate virtually every flaw in American society and yet is too apathetic to do anything about it and a bombastic car salesman nominally living the American Dream slowly going insane as he comprehends how utterly empty consumerism is makes for a fantastic dynamic, even if they barely share a single scene between them.
I honestly don't have too much to say about this one; it's a satire of just about everything you can think of, and while its irrevanant tone keeps it well away from "we live in a society!" territory, it does eventually reach a point where the cynicism overwhelms and the point it's making feels no greater than "America SUCKS!" Yes, the depcition of crossdressers and homosexuals is probably about as good as you possibly hope for from the early seventies but all I honestly felt by the very end was a vague antipathy for everything. When black humor doesn't land it's merely depressing, and while I wouldn't say Breakfast of Champions ever got to the point where I didn't care what happened, it remains something that won't really stick with me for very long.
6/10, and I'm putting it in 21st place out of 52 of all the books I've read this year.
(PS: I got this as an audiobook before I knew there would be a lot of doodles by Vonnegut in it; strongly recommend anyone interested get the print version!)
Is there really anything else to say? Yes, there's "characterization" and "themes", of course, but for a book that's trying very, very hard to be funny, that's quite the damning statement.
There feels an utter lack of wit about the jokes Vonnegut uses. Whether it's "mention every male character's penis dimensions for no reason" or "repeating the phrase "wide-open beavers" over and over again in the hopes it becomes funny through sheer absurdity", all of the humor resembles something Jay Cartwright would come up with age thirteen.
And it's a shame, because the protagonists Kilgore Trout and Dwayne Hoover are well-realized and entertaining to follow. The sheer juxtaposition between a cynical sci-fi writer who can articulate virtually every flaw in American society and yet is too apathetic to do anything about it and a bombastic car salesman nominally living the American Dream slowly going insane as he comprehends how utterly empty consumerism is makes for a fantastic dynamic, even if they barely share a single scene between them.
I honestly don't have too much to say about this one; it's a satire of just about everything you can think of, and while its irrevanant tone keeps it well away from "we live in a society!" territory, it does eventually reach a point where the cynicism overwhelms and the point it's making feels no greater than "America SUCKS!" Yes, the depcition of crossdressers and homosexuals is probably about as good as you possibly hope for from the early seventies but all I honestly felt by the very end was a vague antipathy for everything. When black humor doesn't land it's merely depressing, and while I wouldn't say Breakfast of Champions ever got to the point where I didn't care what happened, it remains something that won't really stick with me for very long.
6/10, and I'm putting it in 21st place out of 52 of all the books I've read this year.
(PS: I got this as an audiobook before I knew there would be a lot of doodles by Vonnegut in it; strongly recommend anyone interested get the print version!)
Part of what I enjoy most about Vonnegut is his intertwined characters. I'm not sure (and it doesn't seem to be the case from this book) that the 'same' characters from each book are the same versions - but I like that many of them overlap. This one prominently features Kilgore Trout, a sci-fi novelist who pops up throughout many of Vonnegut's other works. I enjoy how these characters resurface from time to time.
The other thing about Vonnegut is that I'm never 100% sure if his writing is this side of confusing, or if I'm not 'getting it.' Normally that's the sort of thing that would bug me to no end, but he does it in such a way that seems very self-aware and tongue-in-cheek and that makes it ok by me. Breakfast of Champions is no exception to this formula, and even though the storyline of this one seems to be more straightforward (than say, the time-jumping of Slaughterhouse-Five) I lost track of this story in bits and pieces. It does all come together in the end and while everyone doesn't get their happy ending (as the character-as-author-as-Creator announces) things do tie up nicely and I was very satisfied.
In all, reading Vonnegut is comforting while being pleasantly confusing and is a great read on its own, but works as a great palette cleanser between other books which may not be the most desirable reads.
The other thing about Vonnegut is that I'm never 100% sure if his writing is this side of confusing, or if I'm not 'getting it.' Normally that's the sort of thing that would bug me to no end, but he does it in such a way that seems very self-aware and tongue-in-cheek and that makes it ok by me. Breakfast of Champions is no exception to this formula, and even though the storyline of this one seems to be more straightforward (than say, the time-jumping of Slaughterhouse-Five) I lost track of this story in bits and pieces. It does all come together in the end and while everyone doesn't get their happy ending (as the character-as-author-as-Creator announces) things do tie up nicely and I was very satisfied.
In all, reading Vonnegut is comforting while being pleasantly confusing and is a great read on its own, but works as a great palette cleanser between other books which may not be the most desirable reads.
If you ever feel like your reading or imagination have stalled, Kurt Vonnegut is the answer. What an original mind, what a refreshing take on life and the world as we know it. More than anything this is yet another space and time bending masterpiece that doubles as a hilarious and thought provoking commentary on Western society and our culture. Relevant as ever.
Really enjoyed John Malkovich reading this. He had a few weird moments where he seemed a little disinterested in what he was reading, but Vonnegut was probably disinterested when writing so it worked.
Page 200 and I'm completely lost, I do not care for any of it, the characters, the settings, what it has to say.
God, what a laborious read, too idiotic and full of nonsense. Vonnegut, I liked your Slaughter-five, but with this
I'm through with you. I cannot take any more of your simple and banal style and nonsensical rambling.
God, what a laborious read, too idiotic and full of nonsense. Vonnegut, I liked your Slaughter-five, but with this
I'm through with you. I cannot take any more of your simple and banal style and nonsensical rambling.
I've wanted to be a writer since I was 11 or so, and this was the first book I read (when I was about 17, I think), that made me say to myself, "Nope. I can't be a writer, I'll never be this good. Better try something else instead." It's incredibly funny, but there is quite a lot of profound sadness, anger, disappointment, and hope in this book too. I think Vonnegut gave it a C, but I will always love it because it introduced me to liberalism, humanism, postmodernism, and a general sense of awareness of the world around me. It honestly changed my life.
dark
funny
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is an odd one to read if your only exposure to Vonnegut was reading Cat's Cradle back in high school because he revisits so many characters from his other novels. That wasn't enough to deter me from enjoyment, rather it made me want to read his previous books and meet those characters outside this particular nexus of insanity.
Champions made me laugh in a childlike (childish) way. I interpreted it as though the author ("Studge") were communicating to a future alien race who would one day arrive at our desolate planet finding only this work to explain American culture. In that way it's like A People's History if Zinn was completely out of his mind. 5 Stars
Champions made me laugh in a childlike (childish) way. I interpreted it as though the author ("Studge") were communicating to a future alien race who would one day arrive at our desolate planet finding only this work to explain American culture. In that way it's like A People's History if Zinn was completely out of his mind. 5 Stars
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes