Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
(COULD BE SPOILERS)
I just finished this book and I was extremely dissapointed to say the least. I've seen it get a lot of good reviews on this forum which was merely the reason I decided to read it. Can someone please explain to me what they thought was so good about it? The story didn't capture me at all and I found it way too unrealistic to relate to even the slightest. I almost felt like I was reading a fairytale of some sort.
It started out pretty good when the narrator was on his "mission" to speak with the Hoenikkers about the day of the bombings. I liked the story a lot as long as he was in the city of Illium. But as soon as Kurt decided to engage "ice-nine" and the republic of San Lorenzo into the story I kind of lost interest in it. The ending was not to my satisfaction either. I felt like he built up this whole story and history behind the republic for a very mediocre ending. I just felt like it was all done in vain.
Sure there were some good points as well; for example the tale of Felix Hoenikker tipping his own wife after breakfast, and the expression that everybody thinks as much, only about different things. Kurt also made his point about that all religions are more or less profounded on lies and that the only thing woth investing time in, and "worshipping" is in fact the human race itself. Still I felt that these good parts weren't enough to justify the whole story.
As I've declared before, I thought the whole history of the fictional island and the characters were thought up in vain, since I found the story itself very mediocre.
Any thoughts on this book? Agreers and disagreers please speak up!
(pardon my english. English is, as you can tell, not my primary language.)
"Someone must have slandered Josef K., for one morning, without having done anything truly wrong, he was arrested."
"Jemand musste Josef K. verleumdet haben, denn ohne dass er etwas Böses getan hätte, wurde er eines Morgens verhaftet"
Vonnegut has been widely criticised for his lack of realism, but most people have a tendency to miss that he's writing more so the get across an idea, not so much a the story. I mainly enjoyed the style he writes in, it's what paved the way for other modern writers, like Chuck. But if your looking more so for the story, may I suggest either Philip K. Dick or Anthony Burgess. They are both "sci-fi" writers from the same time period as Vonnegut, but use far more story development.
As far as Ice Nine being unrealistic...well, they used the concept in Alias, so has to be somewhat believable.
“Those who argue that art and philosophy are proof of human worth neglect to mention that, in the scheme we have devised, artists and philosophers are powerless and largely without prestige. Art, music, and philosophy are merely poignant examples of what we might have been had not the priests and traders gotten hold of us.” - George Carlin
well, yeah this was my first attempt at Vonnegut so I didn't really know what to expect...I can get allt he points you're making about the importance of the book being the points made about religion. Still think they could have been made in a better, more realistic way though which would be easier to relate to. This felt to fairytale-like for me. I guess he's not for everybody. Are all his books written in this same way? should I give up reading him if I didn't like Cat's Cradle?
I will definately check Philip K. Dick and Anthony Burgess out. Thanks for the recomendations!
"Someone must have slandered Josef K., for one morning, without having done anything truly wrong, he was arrested."
"Jemand musste Josef K. verleumdet haben, denn ohne dass er etwas Böses getan hätte, wurde er eines Morgens verhaftet"
Most of his books are like that yes, he has a very distinctive writing style. A lot of humour, a lot of irony and allegory. I'd hate for you to give up on him altogether though, if you can get Slaughterhouse Five from a library or a friend, maybe try that one too? If it doesn't work for you still, then you know he's not your taste. I'd just hate for you to miss out on his stuff!
"What cha readin' fer??"
I don't know, if he thought Ice-Nine was dumb he's not going to like Billy Pilgrim stuck in an alien zoo.
It is one of those books that should definitely be read though, so take a leap of faith. In fact you might prefer Breakfast of Champions over Slaughterhouse 5 if the more sci-fi elements turn you off.
I loved Cat's Cradle...though it's not my favorite. I would suggest reading Mother Night or The Sirens of Titan before giving up on Vonnegut.
That's disappointing.
I've only just finished Slaughterhouse-Five.
There is a lot to be criticized, but I overall liked it.
I wanted to read Cat's Cradle because I heard it was more of a fan favorite, while SH5 was Kurt's favorite.
Should I not?
they are words. read, process, keep, or excrete them. usually, you'll get something out of a book. you may not like the book itself, but you'll get some idea out of it. and you can always move on to another book.
also, i thought that cat's cradle was vonnegut's favorite...?
Looks like Spunck's life is dull and pointless.
Have yet to read Cradle, but read Breakfast of Champions recently. Great read. Is it not one of his more renowned books?
"My hopes lay shattered like a mirror on the floor
I see myself and I look really scattered
But I lived my broken dreams"
- Daniel Johnston
Cat's Cradle is one of the most popular of Vonnegut's books. Not my personal favorite, but one that does appear in many Top-Five lists when his work is discussed. A great many people do seem to get a lot out of it. If you have trouble with the lack of realism, I would suggest that Vonnegut might not be for you; he is not a "Realist" writer but an allegorist and philosopher. His books are good rides and are meant to make you think. Some are a bit more "realistic" than others, but this is very subjective.
I have, over the years, tracked down and read nearly everything he ever wrote but for a few of his uncollected short stories and essays. I found him a very worthy - and still entertaining - writer. If you would like to give Kurt another shot, have a look at Bluebeard, Mother Night, or Dead-Eye Dick. They are a little more grounded that many of the others.
This is why we can't have nice things.
Cat's Cradle, btw, was the book for which he was retroactively awarded his Master's degree in anthropology by the University of Chicago.
This is why we can't have nice things.
I say it's his favorite because I know he called that his (sp?) magnum opius.
sorry if im getting that word completely wrong. I'm a bit too lazy to look it up...
I don't mind lack of realism... Half the books I read are for brainstorming (for writing) or keeping my mind preoccupied.
just read it, loved it. Also, my first vonnegut.
Well I don't know if you've ever read Vonnegut, but you need to be able to do a considerable amount of suspension of disbelief. He usually writes a kind of pseudo sci-fi. Cat's Cradle is kind of the same thing. All of his books, also, are allegorical. The plot is only really there to carry you from one social commentary to the next. This book is an attack on religion. When Ice-nine destroys the world, it is not something the reader is supposed to contemplate in how it fits into the plot. The reader is supposed to take that as a symbol of the destructive power of religion. This is a book about the amazing imperfection of the human race. There is so much to get out of it but if you are looking only for a good story, I can see it being flat. I loved cat's cradle. I think the sarcasm and irony are perfect and I think that each character is so original. I don't know what else to say besides what the title suggests, "See the cat? see the cradle?"