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postnet's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
As a satire of America its pretty spot on, almost 50 years later. Its definitely aged poorly in some respects, the primary being how frequently were throwing around slurs.
I understand the satirical element of why its being done but it still goes much too far. Im not sure where it fits in terms of my Vonnegut rankings but I know its closer to the bottom.
However i’d be doing a huge disservice to the book if i didnt mention one of the best sentences in any book ive ever read: “He had a penis eight hundred miles long and two hundred and ten miles in diameter, but practically all of it was in the fourth dimension.” Thats an all timer right there, no doubt about it.
I understand the satirical element of why its being done but it still goes much too far. Im not sure where it fits in terms of my Vonnegut rankings but I know its closer to the bottom.
However i’d be doing a huge disservice to the book if i didnt mention one of the best sentences in any book ive ever read: “He had a penis eight hundred miles long and two hundred and ten miles in diameter, but practically all of it was in the fourth dimension.” Thats an all timer right there, no doubt about it.
claytonhults's review against another edition
fast-paced
5.0
Thanks to Vonnegut, doing the wash is no longer a slog, and I can do it any day of the week! Goodbye, Blue Monday!
bugaboobear's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I've read this twice now and it's such a wild ride. Very enjoyable and interesting.
Note that there are quite a few racial slurs in this book, so if that is upsetting to you you may want to pass on it. I will say, it does make sense for the time period and characters that are using them though. The narrative is not racist in my opinion but some of the characters are.
Note that there are quite a few racial slurs in this book, so if that is upsetting to you you may want to pass on it. I will say, it does make sense for the time period and characters that are using them though. The narrative is not racist in my opinion but some of the characters are.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs
Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Mental illness, and Violence
Minor: Slavery, Terminal illness, Sexual content, Racism, Rape, Suicide, and Homophobia
notspacemanlee's review against another edition
5.0
Fantastic. Hope Moms for Liberty don't find out about this book. Or maybe they know about it, and appreciate the gratuitous use of the "N-Word," without understanding Vonnegut's intent. And so on.
kstraps's review against another edition
challenging
funny
reflective
sad
tense
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
4.5
autogeek's review against another edition
3.0
This is the first Vonnegut that I have read and am not sure what I was expecting. Whatever it was, it wasn't this; that's not to say it wasn't bad though. It just leaves me feeling mostly...indifferent.
The book is fairly fast paced, has simple language and is illustrated. As such, it is relatively quick and easy to read and get through it one long-ish sitting.
It also has something unique going for it - Vonnegut is both narrator, creator and character in this book. As a result, there is no clear distinction between the real- and the story-world. The two worlds are mixed and mashed in interesting ways to create a good storyline. Interesting though this is, I don't think Vonnegut used this concept as well as he could have. The storyline, while good, is not exceptional.
On the downside though, after a while, the excessive use of pointless descriptions and illustrations gets a bit annoying. And I do mean pointless. There is a description and illustration of a chicken at one point, for example. And it is not any specific chicken, just a general chicken; as though it is being described for an alien who has just arrived on the planet. There are also repeated specifications of different characters' penis/bosom/hip measurements and not because they have anything to do with the story. The story sometimes takes off in a tangent that ends up having nothing to do with the rest of the plot at all.
Furthermore, the reader is informed of all the major plot elements well in advance, so there is no sense of suspense, excitement, or in fact, anything.
Overall, despite the good language and the easy-to-read nature of the book, I am a bit let down by the annoying descriptions and illustrations and the unimaginative use of interesting concepts.
And so on.
The book is fairly fast paced, has simple language and is illustrated. As such, it is relatively quick and easy to read and get through it one long-ish sitting.
It also has something unique going for it - Vonnegut is both narrator, creator and character in this book. As a result, there is no clear distinction between the real- and the story-world. The two worlds are mixed and mashed in interesting ways to create a good storyline. Interesting though this is, I don't think Vonnegut used this concept as well as he could have. The storyline, while good, is not exceptional.
On the downside though, after a while, the excessive use of pointless descriptions and illustrations gets a bit annoying. And I do mean pointless. There is a description and illustration of a chicken at one point, for example. And it is not any specific chicken, just a general chicken; as though it is being described for an alien who has just arrived on the planet. There are also repeated specifications of different characters' penis/bosom/hip measurements and not because they have anything to do with the story. The story sometimes takes off in a tangent that ends up having nothing to do with the rest of the plot at all.
Furthermore, the reader is informed of all the major plot elements well in advance, so there is no sense of suspense, excitement, or in fact, anything.
Overall, despite the good language and the easy-to-read nature of the book, I am a bit let down by the annoying descriptions and illustrations and the unimaginative use of interesting concepts.
And so on.
ellipsiscool's review against another edition
4.0
"Breakfast of Champions" is what some would refer to as an "interesting" book with that look in their eyes that says they really aren't too sure of their real opinion is or they don't want to admit it was too weird for them.
That said, I really enjoyed the satire and totally crazy story. Vonnegut has a habit of basing certain characters on people from life and stating it throughout the book. He is an omnipresent narrator that draws attention to himself, especially in this book. Personally, I think that's a really neat narrative device that has a lot of potential.
I listened to an audio book version narrated by John Malkovich. It was perfect. I'm not sure if the book would have been as good read in my "head voice."
That said, I really enjoyed the satire and totally crazy story. Vonnegut has a habit of basing certain characters on people from life and stating it throughout the book. He is an omnipresent narrator that draws attention to himself, especially in this book. Personally, I think that's a really neat narrative device that has a lot of potential.
I listened to an audio book version narrated by John Malkovich. It was perfect. I'm not sure if the book would have been as good read in my "head voice."
tdsaito's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0