lucinda02's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
hannahalice's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
ethan_libra's review against another edition
3.0
Sweeps the mind at times with waves of emotion and biting satire, but it didn't really come together as a whole for me unfortunately.
professor_x's review
4.0
Confusion. I don't know where to begin. This was my first time reading Vonnegut and I didn't have the slightest clue as to what to expect. Reviews that I had read online about Cat's Cradle made the story sound so weird and confusing. And it is.
Bokonism is a fictitious religion in which practically everyone on the small island of San Lorenzo practices. It was started by a man named Bokonon. It is practiced in hiding because the current president of the island, "Papa" Monzano, will kill anyone who claims they are a Bokononist. How are they killed? By being hung onto a giant hook by the stomach until they die.
Except "Papa" Monzano is a Bokononist too. Everyone is. And then there's Ice-Nine, which is a chemical made by a scientist that freezes all the water in the whole wide world. Which was made to stop U.S. Marines from having to trudge through mud. Our narrator John seeks to interview the inventor of the atom bomb Dr. Hoenikker.
There is a message here somewhere. Religion and war. Science. I just haven't figured it out yet. Would I read Vonnegut's other works? I think I will.
Bokonism is a fictitious religion in which practically everyone on the small island of San Lorenzo practices. It was started by a man named Bokonon. It is practiced in hiding because the current president of the island, "Papa" Monzano, will kill anyone who claims they are a Bokononist. How are they killed? By being hung onto a giant hook by the stomach until they die.
Except "Papa" Monzano is a Bokononist too. Everyone is. And then there's Ice-Nine, which is a chemical made by a scientist that freezes all the water in the whole wide world. Which was made to stop U.S. Marines from having to trudge through mud. Our narrator John seeks to interview the inventor of the atom bomb Dr. Hoenikker.
There is a message here somewhere. Religion and war. Science. I just haven't figured it out yet. Would I read Vonnegut's other works? I think I will.
brettpet's review against another edition
4.0
"I went to Frank's house in San Lorenzo's one taxicab."
I haven't read a Kurt Vonnegut book since finishing Slaughterhouse five years ago in my senior year of high school. Slaughterhouse is still one of my favorite books today, but most of what I took away from the experience circumvented around the overarching themes of war and paradox rather than the characters. I get that Vonnegut novels aren't about a main character or protagonist, but I absolutely fell in love with the worldbuilding and many faces found in Cat's Cradle .
There is no greater lesson to be learned from Cradle , and instead it serves as an exhibition of the corrupting influence of humanity on science, religion, and social structures. No character really has an arc throughout the book-our narrator comes out as Bokonist in the first chapter and his progression further into the religion is telegraphed, while Frank is a responsibility-avoiding dunce, and Newt, Angela, and the other plane passengers are largely one-dimensional. Nevertheless, every character is charming and unique in their own surprising way.
Cradle really clicked for me once our narrator reached San Lorenzo. It's a high-brow example of, as it always does, voluntourism going poorly. San Lorenzo is such an interesting fictional location-full of simultaneous religious zealots and heretics, the ultimate figurehead government, and a Seinfeld-esque "even-stevens" economy. I almost wish more of the book had been set there, as I took away scenes from San Lorenzo much more strongly than the first half. I don't exactly know what to make of the ending. It ends abruptly and pretty unsatisfyingly, but there's still plenty to chew over. I don't say this often about books, but I would love to see this work turned into a limited television series. I see myself re-reading this novel again within the next five years, but Breakfast of Champions or a re-read of Slaughterhouse are next up!
I haven't read a Kurt Vonnegut book since finishing Slaughterhouse five years ago in my senior year of high school. Slaughterhouse is still one of my favorite books today, but most of what I took away from the experience circumvented around the overarching themes of war and paradox rather than the characters. I get that Vonnegut novels aren't about a main character or protagonist, but I absolutely fell in love with the worldbuilding and many faces found in Cat's Cradle .
There is no greater lesson to be learned from Cradle , and instead it serves as an exhibition of the corrupting influence of humanity on science, religion, and social structures. No character really has an arc throughout the book-our narrator comes out as Bokonist in the first chapter and his progression further into the religion is telegraphed, while Frank is a responsibility-avoiding dunce, and Newt, Angela, and the other plane passengers are largely one-dimensional. Nevertheless, every character is charming and unique in their own surprising way.
Cradle really clicked for me once our narrator reached San Lorenzo. It's a high-brow example of, as it always does, voluntourism going poorly. San Lorenzo is such an interesting fictional location-full of simultaneous religious zealots and heretics, the ultimate figurehead government, and a Seinfeld-esque "even-stevens" economy. I almost wish more of the book had been set there, as I took away scenes from San Lorenzo much more strongly than the first half. I don't exactly know what to make of the ending. It ends abruptly and pretty unsatisfyingly, but there's still plenty to chew over. I don't say this often about books, but I would love to see this work turned into a limited television series. I see myself re-reading this novel again within the next five years, but Breakfast of Champions or a re-read of Slaughterhouse are next up!
jostafinski's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
hao_ming_zi's review against another edition
dark
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
“Live by the harmless untruths that make you brave and kind and healthy and happy.”
This book has encouraged me to live life more unseriously and to fully engage with and make meanings in ways that aren’t truth seeking but make space for myself and those I love, those in my karrass so to speak. Amid a world full of granfalloonery, I wish nothing more than to be responsible with my untruths and endeavor to love the things and people I love with unabashed abandon.
This book has encouraged me to live life more unseriously and to fully engage with and make meanings in ways that aren’t truth seeking but make space for myself and those I love, those in my karrass so to speak. Amid a world full of granfalloonery, I wish nothing more than to be responsible with my untruths and endeavor to love the things and people I love with unabashed abandon.