Update: I decided to upgrade the rating to 5*. When trying to "sell" the book to my father I realized how much I enjoyed this.

The last time I read more than one book by the same author in one year was probably in high-school. I usually prefer to read as diverse as possible, even if I lean toward a certain genre. Saying that, I read two Kurt Vonnegut books in six months and I do not regret my deviation from the norm. I think I might be turning into a Vonnegut fan.

I do not know what it is so special about Vonnegut. Maybe the way he combines nonsense and powerful philosophical/social/political messages. Maybe it is the entertaining experience I have when reading his books even when he writes about disasters. I love the way he uses comedy and satire to express a message.

In my opinion Cat’s Cradle book deals with two major themes. The first one is how we could use science irresponsibly to build deadly weapons which might end up destroying the world. The message is that we are more likely to destroy ourselves by mistake, being reckless than to be destroyed in an evil premeditated manner.

The second theme is represented by and interesting take on religion. The author creates a new religion book which emphasizes the ways a new religion can be created on lies and the crazy imagination of one man. Does it ring any bell? I can think of some examples in the real world quite easily.

The relationship between the two themes is not so clearly presented. For me, religion and science are both two powerful tools used to control the life of the population. Both of them can save you or kill you, if it is let on irresponsible hands. The book can be read as a wake up call as the themes feel very current.

This is one of those reviews that is a bit painful to write, because I already know people are going to judge me for it, but wow, where do I even begin to tell you how strongly I disliked this book?

This was my first time reading anything by Vonnegut, and I had high hopes. So many people in my circles love his writing, and he's considered by many to be one of the greatest satirists of our time (as someone who loves a good bit of satire, this in particular piqued my interest). I didn't know what to expect, but it certainly wasn't what I got.

This book is a disaster. The writing is all over the place, there is no cohesive plot (even many of the 5-star reviews I'm seeing state the same thing, so at least I know I'm not alone here), the repetition is god-awful, and the sci-fi facet is so underdeveloped that I kept forgetting it even was a part of the book—which is a damn shame, considering this book is so frequently marketed as science fiction!

On top of how much I disliked the general narrative, story, and humor (I physically rolled my eyes more than once), this was such a ridiculously uncomfortable thing to read. I know, "it's a product of its time", so I can promise you, the star rating is not based on what I'm about to say (if it were, this would be a 1-star read instead of 2), but what the hell was up with Vonnegut's obsession with people with dwarfism? He literally could not refer to one character for more than a single sentence without calling him a "midget" or referring to him as "small" or talking down to him. It was disgusting and crass, even for that time frame, to treat someone as less of a human than yourself because of a medical condition they were born with.

I could honestly rant for days about how much I hated this book, and how hard it was to power through to the ending. It's also grossly sexist, features what might have been the world's first example of insta-love in a sci-fi novel, and creepy. The only reason I'm giving this 2 stars is because, as someone who was burned by Christianity when I was younger, I have to admit that some of his rude remarks about religion were entertaining and/or very valid, observant points.

I'm so sorry to everyone who had such high hopes that I would love this author, but this book was honestly a bad enough experience that I doubt I'll pick up any of his other works.

This is one of those books that's more interesting to think about than it is to read. The main word I'd use to describe this deceptively short book is tedious - though Vonnegut hits his mark with the humor more often than not, the meandering, repetitive style gets old, and even the once-funny jokes start to become stale. It's also the kind of classic that hasn't aged well, at all; jokes about dwarfism and sexist remarks abound - it's inevitably going to induce more than a few cringes from the modern reader.

So, why 4 stars? Because it's fascinating and smart as hell. This novel is filled to the brim with intriguing, relevant, timeless ideas: how religion adapts to suit the needs of the people, conceptions of social identity and what it means to belong to a group, the paradoxical role of science in how it's used by humanity - both for medicine and for warfare. The interplay between science and religion in this novel is done so well, as is the bizarre fusion of absurdity and realism. This was my first Vonnegut, and I can't help but to think I would have enjoyed his work a bit more if I'd read it when I was a teenager, but it was every bit as thought-provoking as I'd been led to believe and I'll certainly be looking into reading more of his works at some point.

The best way to cure Reader’s Block is to reread authors whose works induce chest pains of happiness in one’s . . . chest, so I did this with Mr. Vonnegut this afternoon. Sadly, upon rereading Cat’s Cradle, which I first tackled in 2007 at the summit of Arthur’s Seat as a love-drunk twenty-year-old starting to lick the world’s honeyest creases after a period of long-term depression, I was more disappointed than delighted. I suspect this book is read largely in one’s teens when confronting the vast nothingness of space and wondering where religion and civilisation and love and death fit into this premise. Five years later, some of these things have slid into place or slipped to the back of one’s mind to be replaced with short-assured leases on two-bedroom flats and where to purchase a decent chapatti bread for under five pounds. And so on. But this novel is a structural mess, shambolic and meandering and at times a little laboured. Mostly, however, Vonnegut is at his satirical peak and some of his finest creations and enduring ideas are explored in the novel, among them Bokononism and ice-nine and the weary reticence of a cynical humanist who loves people so much he can’t stand their company. A masterpiece at a certain time in one’s life. As a novel, patchy.

Manny wrote a great review of the book. Manny says in his review here: “very focused, and makes its point with near-perfect economy and wit”. It’s also a masterpiece, perfectly woven, and yet it seems effortless.

In true Bokononist tradition, I will just say: “Thank you for your world, Kurt. I, mud, sat up and saw what a nice job you did writing the book. I said, nice going. I got so much, and most mud got so little. I got to sit up and read your book for a while. Now I will put down the book.”

That was 2014.

2020...six years later. I, mud, sat up again and said to Kurt. "Thank you for your world! Nice job you did. Six years later, us Mud still standing...somehow, someway, we mud keep moving." Then, I laid back down and went to sleep, dreaming of Boko-maru...

I struggled a bit with this one. Kurt Vonnegut's writing is always a little unusual but this book seemed to be excessively disjointed and rambling. I felt my brain wandering off into more interesting thoughts and had to keep rereading bits. Keeping track of all the characters' names was hard too. Not a successful read for me I am afraid.

3.5. I want to say it seems like a good time to read Vonnegut. But then, it's probably always a good time. Human stupidity is forever on show, it knows no bounds, and he saw it for what it was. I enjoyed Cat's Cradle and if I had read it as a teenager I'm betting it would be my favourite book now.

Bizarre, irreverent, dark, witty, funny, cynical, thoughtful, creative, and one heck of a ride!

I am not sure exactly what I just read, but I think I like it!

Live by the harmless untruths that make you brave and kind and healthy and happy.
Cat's Cradle ~~ Kurt Vonnegut


Buddy read with Aesaan

I've told this story before, but it bears repeating. My junior year of college, I had a roommate, Don, his nickname was Har Don ~~ which he hated; Har Don loved Kurt Vonnegut ~~ no, he worshiped Kurt Vonnegut. It’s ironic since everything Har Don believed in was the antithesis of what Vonnegut stood for. Har Don insisted I read Vonnegut's SLAPSTICK. He told me it was the greatest novel ever written. I did, and it isn't. He insisted I was wrong. I wasn't. But, I was done with Vonnegut; there were authors I was craving to read and Vonnegut was not one of them.

Skip ahead to my joining Goodreads. Friends here, people whose opinions I truly respect, kept telling me I had to read n  Slaughterhouse-Five (my review)n. So, I broke down, and picked up a copy, and I loved it.

I wanted to explore more of Vonnegut's universe, so, when my amazing friend, Aesaan, and I decided to do a buddy read we decided upon Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle so he could experience Vonnegut's universe too. We both loved it.



Once more I was dazzled by the world Vonnegut created. I have to admit I was wrong to turn my back on Vonnegut so long ago.

When reading Vonnegut I wonder if he believes there is any hope for humanity. All we do as a race of people is so self-destructive. I can only imagine what Vonnegut would write with all the fodder he’d have to work with today.

Science and religion are the two main targets of satire in Cat’s Cradle. While Vonnegut satirizes science and religion, he offers no alternative to these belief systems. I truly believe Vonnegut views humanity as hopeless in his humorously, nihilistic view; yes, Vonnegut believes human existence is meaningless. Vonnegut is the ultimate pessimist who has no answers to the mess humans have made of things, and, thankfully, doesn’t pretend to have any answers.

I don't think Vonnegut would appreciate the serious tone of this review, Kenneth. Lighten up.



Our narrator in Cat’s Cradle is Jonah ~~ as in Jonah and the whale. Or is he John ~~ as in The Gospel of John. I do know for certain, the only God in any of the atheist Vonnegut’s novels is Vonnegut himself.

Our narrator, Jonah/John is investigating the life of the Father of the atomic bomb to write a book on him and remembrances of the day the A bomb was dropped. While researching his subject, Jonah/John embarks on a journey of discovery towards the next man-made destructive event in the form of ice-nine. To tell you more of ice-nine would only spoil the fun the great god Vonnegut has instore for you dear reader.

Does it seem weird to compare Vonnegut, a life-long atheist, to god? Somehow, it seems fitting.



Every chapter ~~ the longest of which is three pages long ~~ in Cat’s Cradle ends with a unexpected shock, followed by a brilliant punch line to wrap up the topic of interest in the chapter and hurling the reader into the next. Cat’s Cradle is a book that begins with the writing of a book about the end of the world and itself becomes a book about the end of the world. The plot slowly squeezes out of the chaos of memories as the lives of the characters all converge on one location ~~ the plotting here is brilliant. The god Vonnegut has gathered them together to perform the task of ending the world. The author Vonnegut has gathered them together to create this tale.

In the end, Cat’s Cradle is a series of fables about science, weaponry, war, fate, and religion. The moral is up to the reader to decipher ~~ if there even is a moral. Vonnegut knew he wasn’t changing the world with his writing, but what he did do was to entertain and bring smiles to his readers.

However, the god Vonnegut did impart one very important lesson in Cat’s Cradle ~~ n   Science is magic that works.n

Although I found the ending rather abrupt, I thought this was a fantastic book! The style of short chapters was unusual but fit well with the narration.

The story is told from the point of view of a writer John (or Jonah) who has converted from Christianity to Bokononism and is attempting to write a book about the day the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. He meets many weird characters (or members of his karass) along the way and describes among other things, his journey to Bokononism.

I thought the history of how the religion was founded and the tactics used to encourage people to practice it were a fascinating comment on human nature. This was the most enjoyable aspect of the novel for me.

I'm not an expert on Vonnegut but he seems to have amazing skill at dealing with unpleasant topics in a way that seem almost funny. In a more general sense, I often wonder if it isn't dangerous to make people to comfortable with hard issues by turning them into skits or good stand up comedy on late night shows as I fear it might undo some of the reality of how awful these things are. Parodies of men in charge mistakenly blowing up a village can be made funny, but should they? In my opinion they shouldn't and the effect of doing so lessens the impact of the truth that these things do happen. Somehow Vonnegut seems to lighten the mood without taking away from the horror of the situation. I found myself laughing at parts in this book, but I never forgot where we were and what was happening. It's a skill we could use more of in the world I think.

I now regret all those years in which I wasn't reading Vonnegut, because I should have been reading Vonnegut.

Even before the first page I knew I was going to like this one.
It says;

Nothing in this book is true.

'Live by the forma* that make you brave and kind and healthy and happy.'
The books of Bokonon. I : 5

*Harmless untruths

The illogical makes so much sense and the logical becomes nonsense when I read Vonnegut. I never misunderstand or struggle with what I'm reading, he carries you along with his words. No effort from the reader apart from to let yourself be immersed in the story.

Vonneguts writing is fantastically quirky, irreverent and it is right up my street.

There is a quote from author JG Ballard who wrote The drowned world amongst others, he says
"Vonnegut looked the world straight in the eye and never flinched."

And how true is this quote?
"People have to talk about something just to keep their voice boxes in working order, so they'll have good voice boxes in case there's ever anything really meaningful to say"

Another of Kurt Vonneguts books to go on my 'books I'm passionate about shelf'

5+++☆