Cat's Cradle

Too good!

Good page quality and cover , haven't read it so can't review it yet.

While this is hilarious, so is it scary. Just the idea of how the world might end frozen is terrifying. Beside that, every character is alive in his own sense. Dynamic and an enjoyable read

As much as I like Kurt's way of holding together a plot with kooky characters and mincing dialogues, I found it a bit convulated and punishing to read at times.

Fun, Humourous and Thought Provoking. Brilliant sci-fi prose from a great writer.

Very witty book

It's a preety solid book, I wouldn't consider it his best work. If you're looking for a definitive Kurt Vonnegut experience, I'd recommend starting with 'The Sirens of Titan' instead.

The best packaging I've ever received when it comes to buying books. Hope penguin classics keep doing the same. The book was individually wrapped in a plastic covering. Paper quality again seems good enough. And for the reading bit, allow me to paraphrase someone here when he said Kurt Vonnegut said satirical pieces are not seriously funny but funnily serious. Go ahead and make this investment.

A lady whose name I cannot recall suggested this reading after I blabbered my opinion on our species. Three years later I stand dipped in gratitude toward her. Maybe the notion of Rochester’s “Imperfect enjoyment” suits the emotion this book has delivered. An exquisite and irreversible imperfect enjoyment. I am not the same after reading this. I am now eager to indulge in my brand new vice and read everything Vonnegut ever wrote.

どことなくジャマイカを思わせるカリブ海に浮かぶ南の島が舞台のSF小説。 島では怪しげな現世否定の新興宗教ボコノン教が殷賑を極めていた。この宗教は 作者ヴォネガットのニヒリズム思想の代弁でもありユーモラス。 肝心のストーリーはこの宗教に特に関係なく、たまたまやってきたアメリカ人一家が 偶然に次ぐ偶然で、あっけなく世界を滅亡させてしまう、という話。世界の終末、という テーマはサイエンスフィクションのド定番中のド定番だが、科学的説明つけながらも、 本作ほど脱力感のある、どうしようもない終わり方をする作品を私は知らず、いつ 読んでもあっけにとられて笑ってしまう。 ちなみに世界の終わる音は、巨大な”AH-WHOOOM”という音だそうだ。 その音の正体が何なのか、は、ぜひ読んで確かめてみてほしい。 世界が終わった後も少しだけ終末後の世界の描写が続くのだが、これがどことなく心地よさそう。 ゾンビ映画でショッピングモールに立てこもって、嬉々とするシーンを思い浮かべてしまう。 こんな終わり方をする世界なら、ぜひ立ち会ってみたいものだ。

Kurt Vonnegut est un écrivain hyper intelligent, garde le suspens dans ses oeuvres. Je commence à peine à découvrir mais il est en train de rentrer dans mon top 5 de mes auteurs préférés de tous les temps :)

Wow! What an amazing piece of writing. If you've read my previous two Vonnegut reviews for The Sirens of Titan and Slaughterhouse Five you'll know that I was not impressed with Mr. Vonnegut after my first read and he slowly grew on me with Slaughterhouse. I enjoyed S5 and Cat's Cradle may have just become my favorite book of all time (for now). After my first two Vonnegut novels I found myself with a pretty decent understanding of Vonneguts writing style and it seems to grow on me more with each. What I liked most about Cat's Cradle is that it can be whatever you're looking for in a book.It certainly holds it's own if you're looking for pure entertainment.Vonnegut's wit and the story shine through here by themselves. I never felt like I had to search for greater meaning to the words in order to appreciate them.As an example there is an exchange between Miss Francine Pefko and Dr. Asa Breed early on in the novel that I found so hilarious I reread it about 8 times.Another that stands out in my mind is the chapter titled "Bicycles For Afghanistan" in which H. Lowe Crosby describes the current state of the American Bicycle industry.It just goes to show how politics can screw up the simplest of business models and although written in 1963, could very well have been penned yesterday. That being said, it would be hard for anyone with an average intelligence not to pick up what Vonnegut was trying to get across with Cat's Cradle.This is a wonderful book that has serious, yet comical, political,anthropological and religious messages.It's not hard to see why Vonnegut was awarded his M.A. for Cat's Cradle from the University of Chicago in the abscence of a formal thesis.I recommend this book to just about anyone.It's very clear why Cat's Cradle is cemented into literary history as one of the all-time greats.

Probably on Kurt's top 5 -- not as good as Slaughterhouse Five and Sirens of Titan, but definitely good