kurezan 's review for:

Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut

3.25

funny fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Very readable and occasionally quite funny. Cat's Cradle didn't quite land for me like the other Vonnegut books I read, and I found myself quite disappointed. I devoured it in a couple sittings, but as it went along I found myself having to force myself to finish. I kept seeing talk of Newt the midget as the protagonist, but it did not feel like he was. In fact, while Newt was certainly important to the story, the narrator really did his own thing most of the time, quite independent of Newt. It lacked a little something-something for me, which had grabbed me in Slaughterhouse-Five, Breakfast of Champions and Mother Night. It also seemed like the most aimless, plotless novel. If I started reading Vonnegut with this book I would have probably never continued-- it would have just confirmed what my impression was, that his books were clever nonsensical funny stories. Perhaps I am being a bit harsh, but it is only because of how much I was impressed by his other works, and how hyped this book seemed to be by other fans of Vonnegut, that I ultimately finish feeling let down. Perhaps this is a re-read kind of book, where a few years will go by and I'll read it again in a feverish afternoon and love it. Who knows?