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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
When it comes to a short story collection, this one is full of first round knockouts. Now there is one about a town corrupted by a mob boss which develops over some time, but for the most part these stories conclude quickly and emphatically. Vonnegut in Look at the Birdie is indelicate. He doesn't care to let one down easily. This is meant as a compliment. He wastes no time in setting everything up in his usual airtight fashion and drops the conclusion straight down on your head. It's exactly what most of us need.
funny
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
this was a great read hope to read everything by this author
dark
funny
medium-paced
Vonnegut is one of my favorite authors however, this selection of short stories published posthumously should have remained unpublished. Sadly, this is often the case. While there were some great gems, many of them failed to meet the mark.
If you like Vonnegut: give it a read to see some of his earlier works. Some were good, and some were bad.
If you have never read Vonnegut: read something else to get a good feel for his work. He is a great author and this wouldn't give a great representation of what he is capable of writing. If this was all I knew by him, it would be disappointing.
If you like Vonnegut: give it a read to see some of his earlier works. Some were good, and some were bad.
If you have never read Vonnegut: read something else to get a good feel for his work. He is a great author and this wouldn't give a great representation of what he is capable of writing. If this was all I knew by him, it would be disappointing.
These early stories reminded me of the type found in Alfred Hitchcock or Ellery Queen magazines in the 60s. I enjoyed the book, some were better than others. I knew that these were not going to be the same as Vonnegut's later works and ats ok. It's a quick read when you want something light.
“Do we all have to bleed, before we can believe each other?”
Look At The Birdie by Kurt Vonnegut is a collection of short stories from his earlier career. Previously unpublished, they showcase his unique skills readers have come to love.
The subject matter vary from good versus evil, science fiction, human nature, social influence and many others. This was my first read by Vonnegut therefore I had no idea what to expect.
Instantly the first story pulled at my heart strings and left me shocked. The story is called “Confido”, it’s about a salesman who creates the ultimate hearing aid which is more than what it appears to be. Others which stood out for me were “Shout About It From The Housetops”, “A Song For Selma”, “Hall Of Mirrors”, “The Honor Of A Newsboy”, Look At The Birdie” and “The Good Explainer”.
These all had elements which had me tense, laughing at parts which were dark, surprised and unsettled. Vonnegut’s use of language and timing made the stories so unique and enjoyable. I hadn’t even gone through the first two when I knew I had to read more by him.
This book is a good taster into his work and has me ready to read more. A definite recommended read.
Look At The Birdie by Kurt Vonnegut is a collection of short stories from his earlier career. Previously unpublished, they showcase his unique skills readers have come to love.
The subject matter vary from good versus evil, science fiction, human nature, social influence and many others. This was my first read by Vonnegut therefore I had no idea what to expect.
Instantly the first story pulled at my heart strings and left me shocked. The story is called “Confido”, it’s about a salesman who creates the ultimate hearing aid which is more than what it appears to be. Others which stood out for me were “Shout About It From The Housetops”, “A Song For Selma”, “Hall Of Mirrors”, “The Honor Of A Newsboy”, Look At The Birdie” and “The Good Explainer”.
These all had elements which had me tense, laughing at parts which were dark, surprised and unsettled. Vonnegut’s use of language and timing made the stories so unique and enjoyable. I hadn’t even gone through the first two when I knew I had to read more by him.
This book is a good taster into his work and has me ready to read more. A definite recommended read.
I wanted to read this since it was my friends favorite author. I actually hate this author but wanted to give the short stories a chance anyway so I could talk to my friend about it. I couldnt get past page 18. It started okay, and then I quickly came to hate it like Ive hated other works of Vonnegut's I had been obligated to read.
As most of the reviews already written for this book point out; there’s something odd about reading the posthumously published works of an author. I always find myself asking why they weren’t published by the author themselves, and if the author didn’t publish them... weren’t they deemed good enough? And then to add another question into the mix - if the author didn’t like the stories enough to publish them, why should we do it after they die?
It seems to me -in this instance- as if the adoration of Vonnegut has allowed us to dig about his discard pile and publish whatever we find there. While a lot of the stories held great promise (and some I genuinely enjoyed), they lacked the finesse and polish I was expecting. To further add to the feeling of unfinished business, a lot of the stories were predictable and felt as if they finished in the middle of a thought.
Not the biggest fan, but I won’t blame Vonnegut for this one.
It seems to me -in this instance- as if the adoration of Vonnegut has allowed us to dig about his discard pile and publish whatever we find there. While a lot of the stories held great promise (and some I genuinely enjoyed), they lacked the finesse and polish I was expecting. To further add to the feeling of unfinished business, a lot of the stories were predictable and felt as if they finished in the middle of a thought.
Not the biggest fan, but I won’t blame Vonnegut for this one.
A collection of previously unpublished short stories.
Brilliant, Every last one of them. Man, that guy could write.
Brilliant, Every last one of them. Man, that guy could write.