Cat's Cradle

Cat's Cradle is Vonnegut's satirical commentary on modern man and his madness. An apocalyptic tale of this planet's ultimate fate, it features a little person as the protagonist; a complete, original theology created by a calypso singer; and a vision of the future that is at once blackly fatalistic and hilariously funny.

Stupid & vicious as men are, this is a lovely day!

"...for the quotation captured in a couplet the cruel paradox of Bakononist thought, the heartbreaking necessity about lying about reality, and the heartbreaking impossibility of lying about it.

Midget, midget, midget, how he struts and winks,
For he knows a man's as big as what he hopes and thinks!"
-- Kurt Vonnegut, Cat's Cradle


I first read this in 9th grade. The grade my two kids are right now. Life has a way of making you feel both old and insignificant. When I first read this book I was focused on the technology of Ice-9 and the absurdity of weapons of mass destruction. This time, as I read it in a quickly cooling bath.* Seriously, all men over 40 should read this book naked in a bath that is quickly losing its heat, while wrinkles develop on their hands, feet, etc. There is nothing emasculates a man faster than a cold bath, nakedness, age, and Kurt Vonnegut.

Anyway, 28 years after first reading it and I still love this book. It was my first Vonnegut. One of my first exposures to the world of literature as absurdism, dark satire, and the wicked wink of postmodernism. I was hooked.

* with all this damn technology, one would think it would be easy to develop a better system for insulating baths. During the last 60 years, our society has gone from porcelain to plastic. So, now I can't even scratch OR freeze my ass in my tub and remain dignified.

Interesting, Funny. Challenging

Vonnegut is a great author. Not always easy and not always this enjoyable, but definitely great.

This work is less dislinear (my word - get your own if you dont like it) than other Vonegut works than I have read. That makes it a bit easier to live with and maybe a bit more manstream but none the less challenging.

As an exposition of the depths of inadvertant stupidity that man is capable of it is maybe a bit predictable. But the banality of purpose that the characters portray makes the final outcome seem all the more plausible and therefore maybe just a bit more scary. It might just be an important book as well as a very enjoyable one.

The narration is good just because it is pretty much transparent. What characterisation there is is helpful rather than distracting. Overall a first class audiobook.

busy busy busy

Very intriguing book. Not sure how I feel about it but still very good and interesting.

Very Good !

This was my first Kurt Vonnegut book and I will be back for more as I really enjoyed his stories. Very charming and funny.
I laughed out loud several times. Really glad I opted for the audio book, the narrator was outstanding with his performance.

Oh, and there was a great interview with Vonnegut at the end of the book. Another plus.

#Vonnegut #Satire #ICE9 #Tagsgiving #Sweepstakes

RELAX EVERYTHING IS A LIE

brilliant novel, a lesson in humility, a glimpse into what humanity has meant, and all the richness of written word as a triple chocolate fudge cake. I'd mark a star off for getting lost towards the last third of the novel, but I know that's my own damn fault ;p.