A review by storyorc
Slaughterhouse-Five, or The Children's Crusade: A Duty Dance with Death by Kurt Vonnegut

challenging dark emotional funny informative reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

A little of the timeline we jump around is tedious but overall this novel is all the horrific magnetism of a train crash paired with the feeling of giggling at a funeral. It is so utterly frank and striped of pretension that the aliens feel as inevitable as the firebombs. The truthfulness that remains threatens the reader with an existential crisis. This leaves absolutely no room for glorifying war, but more jarringly, also denies the following peace any feeling of being earned or even particularly enjoyed. Despite this, the narration manages to feel as amiable and smooth as catching up with your wittiest childhood friend (kudos to Ethan Hawke on the audio for that too). 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings