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/lit/ - Literature

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9453689 No.9453689 [Reply] [Original]

Which book is his best work and why is it Mother Night?
Discuss Vonnegut in this thread.

>> No.9453691

Best of what I've read is Breakfast of Champions, haven't read Mother Night.

>> No.9455105

I like Cat's Cradle a lot. I think it is the most succinct of his novels that I have read. Mother Night is great, but it's least like his other work which is something you may specifically like or dislike about it.

>> No.9455820

SO

>> No.9456075

>>9455820
IT

>> No.9456625

The sirens of Titan is my favorite, don't know what would be 'best's per say.

>> No.9456630

>best work
>implying it's not Godbless You! Mr. Rosewater

>> No.9456652
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9456652

>>9453689
we wore a wig. and the mustache was probably fake, too.

>> No.9456790

>>9456075
Blows.

And so does Kurt.

>> No.9456793

>>9456630
lel

>> No.9456801

I've read Slaughterhouse Five, half of Galapagos and most of Cat's Cradle. I'm looking for something by him that's blatantly SF and pulpy a la Philip K. Dick. Can I get some recs?

>> No.9456803

>>9456801
Sirens of Titan is as good, and close to your description as it gets. It's a great book full of campy scifi and sad characters.

>> No.9456809

>>9453689
Cat's Cradle is the best book no doubt about it.

>> No.9456821

>>9456801
KV's books are tiny, why would you get "most" of the way through one of his books and give up? Weird.

>> No.9456875

Bluebeard. Then Breakfast of Champions.

>> No.9456877

>>9456821
I always get distracted by other books desu. I don't finish much.

>> No.9457812

Breakfast of Champions was a life changer for me. Not really in any great profound sense. It just opened reading to me and made me like it.
Since I read that and enjoyed it I've wanted to read more and more ever since.

>> No.9458053

>>9457812
literally me

>> No.9459629

>>9453691
This guy knows
I've read Slaughterhouse-Five, Breakfast of Champions and Player Piano.
Of those, BoC > SH5 > PP

Looking forward to getting the complete collection of his short stories B&N is releasing soon, they any good?

>> No.9459660

>>9453689
Kurt is one of the premiere cowards in all of literature.

>> No.9460094

>>9459660
What did he mean by this?

>> No.9460159

>>9453689
Mother Night was actually pretty crappy overall. The concept had potential but it was very too goofy and soap opera-like while still taking itself seriously to work. Sirens of Titan was a lot better.

>> No.9460493

>>9453689

For the longest time I thought Vonnegut was a fictional writer from Rodney Dangerfield's Back to School.

>> No.9460508

>>9460159
That pulp element was a mainstay of older science fiction work, though I agree it's dated by modern standards

>> No.9460513

>>9456630
>Godbless You! Mr. Rosewater
Underrated kek, but no

>> No.9460537

sirens of titan is best

slaughterhouse 5 is good too

cat's cradle has interesting ideas but doesn't really know what to do with them, it's a bit light on compelling plot to hold it together

mother night illustrates it's central theme of "you are who you act like" very well but i don't remember it being very fun to read

>> No.9460751

>>9460537
I think Cat's Cradle most definitely knows what to do with its themes. It's probably Vonnegut's most cohesive story ever.

>> No.9461084

>>9460513
>>9456630
>>9456793
What's wrong with God Bless You Mr. Rosewater?

>> No.9461095

>>9453689
Mother Night is his only book I really liked. It had such a cool vibe, and the main character was pretty interesting. I found his life very interesting.

It turned shitty when Vonnegut tried to force it into a traditional plot in the last third of the book though

>> No.9461109

>>9461095
I'm this guy, meant to write more.

I found his prose in the rest of his books to be incredibly annoying. Did anyone else feel this way? Like it was so minimalistic and ironic to the point of being obnoxious and simplistic and gimmicky.

>> No.9461172

>>9461109
That's literally the Vonnegut style though. That's what people come for when they read him.
He has a very unique style that you love or you hate.

>> No.9461233

>>9461172
This. Unless there's some noticeable change in the last half of Mother Night, then I think you're just referring to his matter-of-fact prose style.

>> No.9461681

What's his best lesser known work?

>> No.9461691

When the last living thing
has died on account of us
how poetical it would be,
if earth could say,
in a voice rising up
perhaps
from the floor
of the grand canyon
"It is done"
people did not like it here.

>> No.9461744

>>9461109
I like his style a lot.
Feels very natural to me, almost like it's just Vonnegut talking.

>> No.9461762

>>9461744
Vonnegut has always seemed like a story-telling/talking grandpa with cosmic lessons to tell.