Download PDF Slapstick or Lonesome No More! Kurt Vonnegut 9780385334235 Books
Download PDF Slapstick or Lonesome No More! Kurt Vonnegut 9780385334235 Books
Download As PDF : Slapstick or Lonesome No More! Kurt Vonnegut 9780385334235 Books
“Some of the best and most moving Vonnegut.”—San Francisco Chronicle
Slapstick presents an apocalyptic vision as seen through the eyes of the current King of Manhattan (and last President of the United States), a wickedly irreverent look at the all-too-possible results of today’s follies. But even the end of life-as-we-know-it is transformed by Kurt Vonnegut’s pen into hilarious farce—a final slapstick that may be the Almighty’s joke on us all.
“Both funny and sad . . . just about perfect.”—Los Angeles Times
“Imaginative and hilarious . . . a brilliant vision of our wrecked, wacked-out future.”—Hartford Courant
Download PDF Slapstick or Lonesome No More! Kurt Vonnegut 9780385334235 Books
"I am a veteran teacher and became interested in Kurt Vonnegut's writings from our Nevada English text for freshmen students. I am not a sci fi reader at all but Kurt Vonnegut writes it and makes you think. The freshmen students got really interested in another of Vonnegut's short stories about a young man named Harrison Burgeron. So, I downloaded another Vonnegut tale that makes you think. This one is of particular interest because it is toted as and corroborrated by Voneugut's own words as rather autobiograpical. It is sad that he lost his sister and it is disconcerting that he distorted the relationship (I hope) in his fictional version of the main characters in his tale. I would not have students read this due to the incestual insinuations of the brother and sister "monsters" in Slapstick. That and the sexual "slapstick" insinuations were the downsides for me.
On the upside: this writing really makes you think about family and the lower quality of our neighborly relationships today. Vonnegut is no longer with us, yet he knew how sordid our family and social relationships would become. This is the prophetic writing that originally attracted us in English class. In this piece of work, Vonnegut's main character creates and initiates the idea of government ordained families. This works and fills a social void. It makes you think that you better nurture and keep the families you have because all beings need the support of family. Powerful and memorable like all the Vonnegut works I have read!"
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Slapstick or Lonesome No More! Kurt Vonnegut 9780385334235 Books Reviews :
Slapstick or Lonesome No More! Kurt Vonnegut 9780385334235 Books Reviews
- I will not write a lengthy review of the book itself, instead I will simply ease the mind of the potential buyer - yes, it is a good book. If you have read Vonnegut already, this will simply be an extension of what you already know and love. If you are new to Vonnegut, I would suggest Breakfast of Champions, Slaughterhause Five, and Sirens of Titans. After that you will understand Vonneguts humor and wit, and should be able to jump into any Vonnegut book.
- The writing style of "Slapstick" is classic Vonnegut, but perhaps the strangest book he wrote. And it's of course meant to be off the walls and odd. I found the story to be very creative and it's messages thought provoking. However going into reading this, one should have a general idea of what's going on in the plot. Vonnegut doesn't spell everything out to the reader, in fact he can often be somewhat vague. The book is sort of rambling in that Vonnegut way, but I still think it's easy enough to see what ideas Vonnegut is trying to get across. While it doesn't approach many of his brilliant earlier works, I would read it again and I would recommend it. It didn't move me as much as I hoped it would but I would still say that Vonnegut succeeded in crafting a unique and thoughtful novel.
- As with so many of Vonnegut's books, the forward is of utmost importance. It is a rare opportunity to see beyond the veil and understand who KVJ is and what his works are really about. It brings what is otherwise a fairly absurd story about a grotesque set of twin geniuses, into the light, and reveals the deeper story of Vonnegut and his sister. The forward does not go into detail about the particulars of their relationship, but deftly sets the scene to read between the lines of the story. Though true in most of his works, Slapstick feels even more personal and revealing than usual. There is a trepidation and sadness in it that in other works might be dealt with with more of a light humor and author's ego. This feels to be full of humility and regret of not having done more.
In the forward, Vonnegut writes about his incapacity for love. Though done in a funny, insightful, and accessible way, it is clear that this lack of interpersonal connection is a great source of sadness for the author. A constant pang of guilt and fear of being hastily built seeps through the anecdotal lamentations of his tragic and (as usual) doomed characters. Vonnegut's stories are often allegories for painful past events in his life that he lacks the vocabulary to talk about in a direct manner, and in Slapstick this is felt even deeper. Though not his best book by far, Slapstick is possibly the most personal that I have read, and as a great appreciator of the man, I am happy to have this rare look into the brilliant mess upstairs.
PS this review was actually written by my son, Jesse SD Cohen, who is always trying to get me to read more Vonnegut. - As a scholar of postmodernism, Vonnegut fascinates and entertains me to no end. This is a wonderful example of the greatest postmodern author of all time, up there with Breakfast of Champions, Galapagos, and Deadeye Dick. Even if you're new to Vonnegut's unique writing style and plots, I think you'll enjoy this quick, easy, and engaging book.
- I am a veteran teacher and became interested in Kurt Vonnegut's writings from our Nevada English text for freshmen students. I am not a sci fi reader at all but Kurt Vonnegut writes it and makes you think. The freshmen students got really interested in another of Vonnegut's short stories about a young man named Harrison Burgeron. So, I downloaded another Vonnegut tale that makes you think. This one is of particular interest because it is toted as and corroborrated by Voneugut's own words as rather autobiograpical. It is sad that he lost his sister and it is disconcerting that he distorted the relationship (I hope) in his fictional version of the main characters in his tale. I would not have students read this due to the incestual insinuations of the brother and sister "monsters" in Slapstick. That and the sexual "slapstick" insinuations were the downsides for me.
On the upside this writing really makes you think about family and the lower quality of our neighborly relationships today. Vonnegut is no longer with us, yet he knew how sordid our family and social relationships would become. This is the prophetic writing that originally attracted us in English class. In this piece of work, Vonnegut's main character creates and initiates the idea of government ordained families. This works and fills a social void. It makes you think that you better nurture and keep the families you have because all beings need the support of family. Powerful and memorable like all the Vonnegut works I have read! - One of my all time favorites; there is no other book like Slapstick. This is what happens when someone is brave enough to write exactly what they imagine, without any nods at all to convention or propriety. Kurt Vonnegut is so funny and so seemingly random, here, as he lets us in on what his own experience of life has always been. Memories, relationships and society at large are seen here in a funhouse mirror both exactly as they are, and also as something completely different. It's the most optimistic dystopia, with him casting judgement on everyone in a completely accepting way.
- While may want me to pick between "Hopeful" and "Dark" to describe this woolly trip through a funhouse mirror world, I think I'll have to split the difference. A hilariously depressing exploration of what family and genius and love mean, this is unmistakably Vonnegut - wise, sarcastic, playful, and poetic. The prologue is a sustained thing of heartbreaking glory. I might not start here if I wanted to read my first Vonnegut, but any trip through his work must include a layover here. Beautiful.
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