| REVIEWER | RATING & REVIEW |
 | Marcelina (0)
10/02/2008 | Vonnegut is THE most underrated writer of the last hundred years. Period. I've never read anything by him that disappoints. He's as innovative as Borges, as poignant as Steinbeck, and as thoroughly gratifying as Agee.
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 | Bad Wolf (0)
09/25/2008 | Probably one of the best books EVER written!!
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 | effy05 (7)
09/24/2008 | love the description of the tralfamodorian novel: "We Tralfamadorians read them all at once, not one after the other. There isn't any particular relationship between all the messages, except that the author has chosen them carefully, so that, when seen all at once, they produce an image of life that is beautiful and surprising and deep. There is no beginning, no middle, no end, no suspense, no moral, no causes, no effects. What we love in our books are the depths of many marvelous moments seen all at one time."
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 | caligula (2)
08/02/2006 | I thought this book was fantastic. It and Catch-22 are probably the best war novels ever. Very funny and very sad at the same time.
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 | OneHungryMonster (2)
08/29/2004 | I don't know about this one. I really liked the theme and the idea, but the plot was probably a little overboard. I still have to give it a four, though.
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| Habanerobuck (0)
06/06/2004 | Vonnegut is only for certain tastes. Just about everyone can appreciate one or two Vonnegut works. I have a hard time imagining anyone reading more than five of his works and retaining a love for his style. Slaughterhouse Five was not the first Vonnegut book I read, it was about the fifth or so, therefore I probably couldn't appreciate it separate from the body of work to which I had already been exposed. It did not seem to match some of the razor-sharp wit of his other works, so I suppose you would have to rate a few of his other books ahead of this one. Is easily read in a day or two, which is part of Vonnegut's appeal.
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 | overg (0)
03/23/2004 | This book is really Vonnegut in a nutshell. Not his whackiest (see Cat's Cradle), nor his best (Bluebeard), but it really does give you a glimpse of everything he was and would become. One of his more optimistic books, in that he's actually trying out a solution to the sorrow he obviously felt (namely, the Trafamandorian notion of focusing on the good times). His simple, straightforward, and humorous prose is the way everyone should write.
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 | Enkidu (38)
02/28/2004 | An unapologetic look at war as it really is, through the eyes of the utterly unique Billy Pilgrim who has come unstuck in time. By far my favorite Vonnegut, it is certainly the most personal statement by that sometimes maddening, and always iconclastic author. In this book he recounts, through layers of third-person distance and scathing irony, his own apocalyptic experience as a prisoner of war in Dresden, the scene of the most horrific single massacre of human beings in one day in the 20th century, the fire bombing in February 1945 by the Allies. It's a powerful book: don't miss it. Note to Moosekarloff: it's not a science-fiction book; the time-travel is a metaphor, not to be taken literally. When you look into the abyss, you may see something too terrible to face, and need to escape in any way you can. Unstuck in time says it better than I can.
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 | irishgit (150)
12/16/2003 | It's probably Vonnegut's best book, but that's damning with faint praise.
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 | Moosekarloff (19)
12/15/2003 | This book was fine when it dealt with the Dresden firebombings, but lost it when it got into the ridiculous time travel nonsense. Face it, sci-fi is for kids and those of limited intelligence/imagination. Vonnegut, another one of those overrated pop novelists who had enhanced cachet during the days of the counterculture, has written better books than this one, yet when one reads his tomes these days, they come across as pretty dated. If you want to read something really good that deals with arbitrary temporal displacement (which is supposedly the crux of this book), pick up Cortazar's Hopscotch, which makes Slaughterhouse Five come off like Archie and Veronica in comparison.
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| Kim Herring (0)
05/26/2003 | Vonnegut has few peers in his ability to communicate a signficant message to millions. Insightful, witty, skilled, moral without being self-rightseous--no easy task--he will be recognized years from now for his ability to reach and touch people, and entertain and engage us at the same time, even when the story underlying it speaks to our weaknesses, cruelty and foolishness. An artist with few equals.
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 | Neroli (0)
03/14/2003 | Great, but Cat's Cradle is his best.
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 | Rusty (0)
06/24/2001 | For anyone who enjoys Vonnegut as much as I do, his story of the bombing of Dresden during World War II and the psycho-social ramifications of subsequent actions reflected Vonnegut's tenure as a flier during World War II, when his squadron went on bombing raids over Nazi Germany. Vonnegut's mastery of nihilism and pessimism in his disjointed chapters leaves the reader as if (s)he has taken on a journey of Sisyphean proportions. I read this in sixth grade and I was left with a cold, surreal feeling about my actions and all factors that play into my daily life. Very good reading for those who question why we do what we do, and what the outcome(s) will be.
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 | Cult Master (0)
03/01/2001 | A superb book: witty, subtle, profound and perfectly balanced. Vonnegut has an uncanny ability of catching one's attention and not letting go of it.
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| raptor (0)
02/07/2001 | very intriguing about ww2
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| Pookie (0)
01/09/2001 | Slaughterhouse Five is one of the greatest books ever written. It is engaging, fun, and contains a profound but not overdone, anti war message. The length and language of the book make it an easy read. Slaughterhouse Five is also extremely funny and Vonnegut's humor is thought provoking.
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 | Wiggum (17)
12/19/2000 | I guess there are lots of different ways to use art to express the tragedy of war. You can be openly forceful, like the movie "Apocalypse Now." You can be understated, like Hemingway's "For Whom the Bell Tolls." Or you can use humor, like the movie "Life is Beautiful" or Joseph Heller's "Catch-22." Vonnegut's "Slaughterhouse Five" draws liberally from each approach. Sometimes Vonnegut will throw out an amazingly direct and forceful image (young civilian girls boiling to death in a watertower), sometimes he'll make his point with understatement (the train car death of the soldier who keeps saying "I've seen worse than this"), and at all times he uses humor to attach us to the characters and make us laugh at the absurdity of the situations. The end result is an amazingly cohesive and entertaining story about the fire bombing of Dresden.
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| Jedic (0)
12/13/2000 | Another work in the classic Vonnegut style. He creates a shadow world mirrored by his experience in World War II. How can men live when their life is not worth living? Well Vonnegut does not pretend to know but his characters are driven to self preservation even through the horrors of war. If you are in a good mood, read something else. If, however, life has you by the balls read this and find others who feel he same way.
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 | magellan (174)
11/28/2000 | A simply written, quick read, that carries resounding moral implications. Vonnegut is able to highlight the idiocies and atrocities of war in such a way, that it makes the reader question how the worlds' governments could be so shortsighted, amoral, and stupid to continue to let war happen. Beneath the ridiculous characters and bizarre plot, Vonnegut tells the story one of the worst massacres in modern history - the bombing of civilian Dresden by the US army in World War II. Because there is no possible, logical explanation to support the destruction of Dresden, Vonnegut creates the alien world of Trafalmador, in which everything is pre-destined and time is irrelevant. In such a world, atrocities such as Dresden are not as bad, as you will always be able to choose to exist in your happy moments, and ignore the bad ones. As disturbing as it is hysterically funny, I could not recommend Slaughterhouse Five more strongly.
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 | GeekWings (0)
11/17/2000 | Some might call me a blasphemer for saying this, but I don't like Kurt Vonnegut. Slaughterhouse Five in particular is muddled, choppy and pointless. I read through the whole book expecting some great revealation at the end to tie up all the lose ends, but I was ultimately dissapointed. It was interesting, which is why it got better than a one, but interesting does not a good novel make.
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| frogbait (0)
11/16/2000 | Slaughterhouse Five is my favorite book of all time because Vonnegut's voice is sarcastic and ironic. Billy Pilgrim, the main character, leads an exciting life and has an interesting experience in the Dresden fire storm. The plot is intriguing.
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 | efowler (0)
11/15/2000 | This is such an interesting story. It really gave me a good idea of the effects during and post war on soldiers and others involved. It described in great detail the issues the characters dealt with in all different situations and atmospheres. It was able to draw me in. I know that some people found it boring and unrealistic, while others found it interesting and action filled. It switches scenes all the time and jumped all over the place. It finally came together in the end. It worked out wonderfully by the end.
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| melena (0)
11/03/2000 | Very good book. Vonnegut is a good writer, I enjoyed many of his books. This is one of my favorites.
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| chinajohn (0)
11/02/2000 | Kurt Vonnegut's catharsis about the bombing of Dresden during WWII. Vonnegut's unstuck in time, sci-fi retelling of what many people consider an unjust act of war hits the reader with a wallop with its matter of factness and pre-ordination.
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| fred (0)
10/27/2000 | This was a very thoughtful book mainly, it seems, commenting on how humans or other conscious beings exist in time. It also gave insight to people's perspective of war using the bombing of Dresden in WWII as a context. This was a depressing book, but Kurt Vonnegut Jr. is witty.
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| viajeraperdida (0)
10/20/2000 | Vonnegut's view of WWII captures the little ironies and odd situations of war perfectly. His tone is free from nationalism or patriotics, and instead tells the stories of individual people in truly bizarre situations. His characters have very little power over their lives, and thus are mostly wide-eyed observers and passive participants in the war.
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| jacknili (0)
10/20/2000 | Vonnegut is a prophet for the next era of technology. Books stay with you for days.
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| mehrlich (0)
10/17/2000 | I liked Slaughterhouse Five. KV did a good job of showing the senselessness of war. It was also interesting from a historical and biographical point of view. I liked his books Sirens of Titan, Breakfast of Champions, Cats Cradle, and Deadeye Dick a little better.
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| bjunk (0)
10/16/2000 | Nonfiction fiction blend of the age old story of man's life. Unique storyline bouncing back and forward. Someday every one of us will die somewhere far away. I just killed a yellowjacket. So it goes...
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| stars (0)
10/11/2000 | SlaughterHouse Five is my favorite book. It is an account of the gruesome and gory feelings that war leaves people with. It deals with veterans and what mentally is going on in their heads.
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| tmsk10342om (0)
08/31/2000 | Kurt Vonnegut Jr. is the bomb. He is insightful without beating insight. It is funny without pulling punches. I don't like war books as a rule but Vonnegut makes things bearable, joyful, and absurdly real.
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| nepo10321om (0)
08/31/2000 | This book is hard to describe-it is humorous, sad, bizarre yet realistic. It explores WW2 and humanity in general through the eyes of one man and a race of aliens. Though the plot is bizarre and fantasical, the comments on war and society and the insights into the human mind are very real and relevant.
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 | PoorOldEdgarDerby (4)
08/27/2000 | Listen:
Billy Pilgrim has come unstuck in time.
He has gone to sleep and awakened to find his story unrated and underappreciated. He has walked through a door in 2000 and come out another is 1944 to begin it all again. He is spastic in time and has seen his birth and death dozens of times. And so on...
Fantastic book! I've read this one dozens of times. It's one of those books that because every part is so good and it leaps forwards and backwards so often that you can just pick it up and start on any page and just read. If you haven't read this you're missing out.
Thanks operator, thanks just the same...
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| alicat (3)
08/15/2000 |  I just started this book a couple of days ago and I really like it. It is easy to read. The sentences are short but yet say so much. I have read some war books and really like the history aspect of war books. This is no exception. I got really into it right from the start and I can't wait to see how the story pans out. I will finish my thoughts when I finish the book but I had to let everyone know what a great author Kurt Vonnegut is....I am writing this about a week later....and I am almost finished but I wanted to update before I get to the end. I still find this book absolutly fascianting. It is not only a war story but has science fiction entangled in it. The main character is so deep in a fascinating way. It is hard for me to put it down when I have to get off the bus. The story goes back and forth in time but it ends up telling the whole story. It is in a different version of time. That is another theme of the book. Time. It makes you look at things differently. I will finish my comment when I finish the book which will hopefully be tonight....to be continued....
(1 voted this helpful, 0 funny and 0 agree) |
| chol1158du (0)
11/13/1999 | Slaughterhouse Five is, in my opinion, the only account of the human mind during/preceeding/after war - likewise, during/preceeding and after life and experience.
(1 voted this helpful, 0 funny and 0 agree) |
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