A review by purplemoonmyst
Pity the Reader: On Writing With Style by Suzanne McConnell, Kurt Vonnegut

informative medium-paced

4.0

To start with, I just want to profess my undying love for  Vonnegut. If nothing else, I am thankful for my college professor for introducing me to a world beyond ( think of something). After reading Vonnegut for the first time, I fell in love with his tale of writing. Yes, I read Vonnegut for fun….laugh if you must, but you have to admit that he is a master storyteller.

I admit that I am not as acquainted with his son’s work. However, it WAS a book about Vonnegut and writing, and I love books that give me insight into my favorite authors. It’s like I can experience the whole vibe without figuring out a way to bring a beloved author back from death. 

.

This book is not about the art of writing per se but rather a look into the innermost parts of Vonnegut’s mind. To be honest, I have always wondered how he got his ideas. I remember reading Slaughter-house 5, and I read it while I was in college, so that was 25 years ago, so my memory is not what it used to be, but I DO remember how I felt.  Even then, I thought Vonnegut was brilliant. It was only later that I learned he had been in Dresden when the USA bombed Dresden and that he was struck with the idea for Slaughter House Five. I like to think that it served as a cathartic exercise for him.

The author, a Vonnegut student at Iowa Writers Workshop, weaves a story that showed just how Vonnegut helped students to see the world differently during her time in Iowa. That is one of the best parts of Pity the Reader. While it is impossible for all of VONNEGUT’s admirers to take a class under him, this book is the next best thing. I would have loved to be his student to pick at his brain. Unfortunately, time and circumstances were not on my side, so…I can live viscously through his student.

However, if you are looking for a writing guide that will explain the plot and structure among those things, you will not find them here. This is more like a tribute to Vonnegut than anything else. Vonnegut 100 percent deserves all the respect he gets. It is hard to believe that Vonnegut will never again write another story, but his work will always be here to remember him. And based on Pity the Reader, I am not the only one that came to admire his genius deeply. While most people would turn on the sarcasm about me reading Vonnegut for fun, I have also met people who like me read all they can on Vonnegut’s works and about him. It makes me sad that we will never have more writing projects from Vonnegut himself, but we can always read his works.