Deadeye Dick, Jailbird and Timequake.
I just finished the short stories in Bagamobo Snuff Box. A great collection of his previously published short stories. My dad (80 yrs old!) really enjoyed Bagamobo too! I think the war stories help him come to terms with his own experiences.
Galapagos is my favorite!
And I liked his cameo in Rodney Dangerfield’s movie, Back To School.
Mother night is my favorite. Ive read Cats Cradle, Wampeeters foma and granfallons, player piano, breakfast of champions, and a few others.
While were on the topic, am I the only one here who saw (and - I admit - liked, despite the bad reviews) the Breakfast of Champions movie?
I like Vonnegut. Read all that my school library has to offer. (As I’m typing this, Cat’s Cradle is sitting next to my computer. I didn’t like it very much.)
I prefer his short stories to the novels, though. The novels just seem so unfocused and I keep losing the thread of the story (assuming it existed in the first place). Unfocused can be good, sometimes it isn’t. Depends on my mood.
jessica
One vote for Welcome to the Monkey House.
I read Vonnegut all at once in high school. My memory of his work is much like the memory of a fabulous night out. I don’t recall many specifics, but lord, I know I had a good time.
I’ve thought about going back to some of those books, but I fear that it would be like East Shinjuku at 10 a.m.
I’m reading Palm Sunday, a collection of his speeches and essays, right now. Outstanding.
Cat’s Cradle.
Wow, I haven’t read any Vonnegut in years. I really loved a lot of the stuff he did. Probably Galapagos is my favorite. It nearly drove me insane with its weird shifts in time (“Three hours later, he would be dead.”) but I’m glad I hung in there, it was really rewarding. Sirens of Titan, another favorite, is another one where you really have to hang in there for the ending. I read Mother Night in a day and don’t remember much about it, but I remember loving it. I must see the movie sometime.
Listen!
I’m ashamed to say that while I love Vonnegut, I haven’t gotten around to reading everything he’s written. I’ll have to reread Slaughterhouse Five one of these days just to get my older impression of it, but it didn’t jazz me the first time around. I loved The Sirens of Titan, especially the chapter with Boz and the harmoniums. Other faves are Galapagos and Timequake. Oh, and Welcome to the Monkey House.
I love Kurt Vonnegut. His writing has changed the way I view life. The more of his writing that I read, the more I understand and appreciate the messages in the books.
A great writer.
*Breakfast of Champions *was entertaining. Although, it seemed more like the outline for a novel than an actual novel. Avoid the movie at all costs.
The Kilgore Trout book Venus on the Halfshell was written by Piers Anthony, IIRC. Anywhoo, I read a blurb by whomever wrote it saying that he was a Vonnegut fan and as a struggling writer he really identified with Kilgore Trout and wrote Vonnegut for permission to write the book.
I like everything of his that I’ve read, but being an Ohioan, there’s a special place in my heart for Dead-Eye Dick.
Another vote for Welcome to the Monkeyhouse.
but I will say that Breakfast of Champions is the only book that ever made me laugh outloud.
Mr. Vonnegut and I belong to the same karass. We went to the same grade school (PS 43) and high school (Shortridge High School) but not at the same time.
I remember going into Vonnegut Hardware store when I was a little boy. Not sure if it’s still open (I think maybe it’s an ACE now)
But you say this guy wrote NOVELS? I never knew. Interesting.
You’re joking, right?
The Breakfast of Champions and Timequake…thumbs up
I’m with Commander Fortune, Palm Sunday is among his best work.
Player Piano is his best novel, especially if you’ve ever worked for a Ross Perot company.
So it goes.
Actually, I heard it was Philip Jose Farmer.