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Title: Bagombo Snuff Box: Uncollected Short Fiction by Kurt Vonnegut ISBN: 0-425-17446-8 Publisher: Berkley Pub Group Pub. Date: 08 August, 2000 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.67 (27 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: Not his best work
Comment: I began reading Vonnegut as a teenager. He was the first writer whose career I actually followed. When a new Vonnegut book got released, I was the first in line. So when I heard that a collection of his long-lost stories was being released, I put in my pre-order months in advance. When the book arrived I dove in head first and read every story in two days. When I closed the book I felt satisfied, but not elated or touched or any wiser -- all the things I usually feel when closing a Vonnegut book. It's not that the stories weren't entertaining -- they were. But that's all they were. They relied too heavily on Maupassant-esque "twists" at the end. After a while it seemed too gimmicky, too tricky. No epiphanies, no enlightenment, and no understanding emerged from these characters. Vonnegut himself has said that the short story is a difficult and elusive art form. He's mastered the novel, the social satire and he's got enough great books to cement his reputation as one of the 20th century's literary giants. But his short stories won't be counted among his many achievements. Read the stories for fun, but read one of his novels if you want exposure to Vonnegut's best work.
Rating: 4
Summary: Angels protect the innocent as a matter of Heavenly routine.
Comment: Title of this review is a quote from Mr. Vonnegut in this book. The ONLY reason I stopped at 4 stars is that any author who writes with this much skill at the start of his career, must become better and better as his skills mature, and his experience increases. This is the first time I have read Mr. Vonnegut's work, and this collection of short stories has made me a fan that looks forward to the Author's work as it developed. Before you even reach the first story, Mr. Vonnegut provides a biography which is worth the cost of the book if you place a high value on humor, and regardless of whether you agree, social commentary wrapped in a wickedly subtle, and occasionally not so subtle manner. His definition of reading is the best I have ever read, and his description of his time as a salesman for Saab is priceless. Developing so much interest for a reader in the span of a short story is a remarkable feat for any author. Mr. Vonnegut together with John Steinbeck, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and William Faulkner, to name a few literary masters, brought these stories to life when magazines ruled and TV was a nightmare (for the most part) yet to come. Together with artistic legends like Norman Rockwell and N.C. Wyeth, these stories were entertainment for much of America. In spite of all the advances in communications, picking up a book with talent like this, will always endure. Thanks Mr. Vonnegut!
Rating: 3
Summary: Can the real Kurt step up?
Comment: There is a definite reason where the introduction bewares of this being Pre Vonnegutan days. There's the beginning of a master, some twists but that's all. Vonnegut is best known for his quirky, cynical twist on society. If anything in a lot of these stories he supports it. Especially when in "Lovers Anonymous" when he went on about magic markers and report cards, (you have to read it in order to know what I'm talking about.)
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Title: Fates Worse Than Death: An Autobiographical Collage by Kurt Vonnegut ISBN: 0425134067 Publisher: Berkley Pub Group Pub. Date: September, 1992 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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Title: Timequake by Kurt Vonnegut ISBN: 0425164349 Publisher: Berkley Pub Group Pub. Date: August, 1998 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: God Bless You, Dr. Kevorkian by Kurt Vonnegut ISBN: 0743422007 Publisher: Washington Square Press Pub. Date: June, 2001 List Price(USD): $9.95 |
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Title: Hocus Pocus by Kurt Vonnegut ISBN: 0425130215 Publisher: Berkley Pub Group Pub. Date: November, 1991 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Palm Sunday : An Autobiographical Collage by Kurt Vonnegut ISBN: 0385334265 Publisher: Delta Pub. Date: 11 May, 1999 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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