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bigenk's review against another edition
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Listen:
Vonnegut is a weirdo. He can be self-indulgent and self-involved. He often subverts expectations for no other than reason than to mess with the reader. I wouldn't fault anybody for not enjoying his writing. That being said; I do enjoy his work.
Breakfast of Champions is written in a way that reminds me of how someone would describe the intricacies of humanity to an alien race. Everything is drawn out, explained with the most basic and detached of descriptions. We learn tiny little details of everybody and everything involved in the story. I can't help but be left feeling just how absurd we are as a species. This book gave me a lens through which to view that absurdity, and laugh. Humor has always been one of Vonnegut's strong points as a writer, which is one of the reasons I tend to be drawn to him. Vonnegut is also a deeply political writer, and it shows especially strongly here. He has a lot to criticize about American values, history, and social structure. He is particularly blunt about his views, which I personally enjoy. I enjoyed the deeply flawed and at times contemptible characters. I especially enjoy Kilgore.
I still don't really know what to think about Vonnegut inserting himself into the story in the latter-half.
I think that Breakfast of Champions is a tad long though. I think that it would've lost little being paired down by 50-100 pages. It dragged for me towards the second half of the book. The short, segmented way in which it is written also prevented me from getting any sort of rhythm while reading, which was frustrating.
Overall, I would say that while Breakfast of Champions is not my favorite Vonnegut work, it's definitely and excellent work of satire and metafiction, that I'm glad to have read a few times in my life.
And so on..
Vonnegut is a weirdo. He can be self-indulgent and self-involved. He often subverts expectations for no other than reason than to mess with the reader. I wouldn't fault anybody for not enjoying his writing. That being said; I do enjoy his work.
Breakfast of Champions is written in a way that reminds me of how someone would describe the intricacies of humanity to an alien race. Everything is drawn out, explained with the most basic and detached of descriptions. We learn tiny little details of everybody and everything involved in the story. I can't help but be left feeling just how absurd we are as a species. This book gave me a lens through which to view that absurdity, and laugh. Humor has always been one of Vonnegut's strong points as a writer, which is one of the reasons I tend to be drawn to him. Vonnegut is also a deeply political writer, and it shows especially strongly here. He has a lot to criticize about American values, history, and social structure. He is particularly blunt about his views, which I personally enjoy. I enjoyed the deeply flawed and at times contemptible characters. I especially enjoy Kilgore.
I still don't really know what to think about Vonnegut inserting himself into the story in the latter-half.
I think that Breakfast of Champions is a tad long though. I think that it would've lost little being paired down by 50-100 pages. It dragged for me towards the second half of the book. The short, segmented way in which it is written also prevented me from getting any sort of rhythm while reading, which was frustrating.
Overall, I would say that while Breakfast of Champions is not my favorite Vonnegut work, it's definitely and excellent work of satire and metafiction, that I'm glad to have read a few times in my life.
And so on..
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Racial slurs
Minor: Rape
cms0899's review against another edition
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Violence
Moderate: Rape and Suicide
vipsahtanut's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I don't know what to think of this book. I'd recommend cheking the content warnings before reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Mental illness, Racial slurs, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Misogyny, Suicide, Violence, Rape, and Sexual violence
booknug's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs
Minor: Rape
mikem1806's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Alcoholism, Car accident, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Homophobia, Suicide attempt, Classism, Colonisation, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Religious bigotry, and Slavery
sashpointah's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This ping-pongs from being so prescient and representative and understanding of the human condition and the systems of oppression it's constructed to being outright transphobic, homophobic, misogynistic, and devolving into racial stereotypes. Severe whiplash but generally well-meaning, and a potential queer interpretation save this one. If you can get past the ugliest bits there's some pretty powerful philosophy to take away from it, it just would be far better if it weren't about race at all.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Misogyny, Death of parent, Hate crime, Homophobia, Xenophobia, Rape, Racism, Mental illness, Violence, Suicide, Death, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Blood, Classism, and Alcohol
Minor: Fatphobia
slugmilk's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Death, Death of parent, Hate crime, Mental illness, and Suicide
Minor: Rape and Homophobia
wiener's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Unsettling…
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Rape
Moderate: Racism
its_kievan's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-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
3.5
Utterly bizarre, terribly paced, kind of racist, navel-gazing, and way better than Slaughterhouse-Five. I think I was much too young when I read this book for the first time and it kind of broke my brain a bit. I think if I read it a third time I would have depression.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
Moderate: Violence, Racial slurs, and Racism
Minor: Rape
velarin's review against another edition
dark
funny
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? Yes
3.5
In the foreword Vonnegut himself says that this book is a dump for all the thoughts he needs to get rid of before his 50th birthday. According to one of the articles he supposedly said he doesn't want to finish the book "because it is a piece of shit."
And I enjoyed it.
I really like Vonnegut's previous writing and Breakfast, though bizarre, had it's charm. It's a satirical critique of everything that is American, full of existential pondering. Almost every sentence is a commentary on social or economic realities of life in United States. Though a big slice of the humour was completely lost on me, and I'd argue aged poorly, it was still a charming read. Through this sometimes crude and straightforward language shines an honest portrait of the author and the world he lived in. Forty years might have passed but at times the commentary surprises with its relatability.
And I enjoyed it.
I really like Vonnegut's previous writing and Breakfast, though bizarre, had it's charm. It's a satirical critique of everything that is American, full of existential pondering. Almost every sentence is a commentary on social or economic realities of life in United States. Though a big slice of the humour was completely lost on me, and I'd argue aged poorly, it was still a charming read. Through this sometimes crude and straightforward language shines an honest portrait of the author and the world he lived in. Forty years might have passed but at times the commentary surprises with its relatability.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Rape