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poorlywordedbookreviews 's review for:
Timequake
by Kurt Vonnegut
challenging
dark
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
โฆ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐โฆ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐โฆ. โ๐๐ญ๐ญ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ญ๐ฅ'๐ด ๐ข ๐ด๐ต๐ข๐จ๐ฆ, ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ญ๐บ ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ข๐บ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด."
If you read the blurb youโd think this was a novel about the universe suffering a crisis and shrinking back a decade (2001 to 1991), making everyone on earth endure 10 years of deja vu, and total loss of free will. But it isnโt. It is effectively Kurt talking about the concept of such a โtimequakeโ novel with his short story alter-ego Kilgore Trout, who heโs animated and given a backstory to.
Itโs rambling, itโs disjointed, it doesnโt always make sense, and itโs a bit self indulgent. But itโs also quick witted, insightful and amusing in its cynicism. It weaves some autobiographical bits into the ponderings and story threads. Bits of it are written so that you are unsure if itโs an aged relative whose sensibilities are stuck in a different age, or if heโs making a knowing point but forgetting the accompanying conspiratorial wink.
Mainly itโs about free will, living on autopilot/reflexively vs conscience decision making, how we (societies) are doomed to repeat ourself due to apathy, and finding joy despite the pointlessness.
For Vonnegut completists I think. I did just skim the last third, as whilst the first third really held my attention, by the half way point it felt a bit repetitive and I was loosing interest. If anyones read the whole thing fully, let me know if I really should persevere. He does eventually stop using the phrase โejaculated into the birth canalโ every 20 or so pages, so I could probably push throughโฆ I might dip back in before it needs to go back to the library.
๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ด๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ข ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐.