Cat's Cradle: Amazon.co.uk: Kurt, Jr. Vonnegut: Books

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Product Description

Cat’s Cradle is Kurt Vonnegut’s satirical commentary on modern man and his madness. An apocalyptic tale of this planet’s ultimate fate, it features a midget 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. A book that left an indelible mark on an entire generation of readers, Cat’s Cradle is one of the twentieth century’s most important works—and Vonnegut at his very best.

Inside This Book (Learn More)

First Sentence
CALL ME JONAH. Read the first page

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Concordance

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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover

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Customer Reviews

24 Reviews

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

3.9 out of 5 stars (24 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 'No damn cat, and no damn cradle.', 16 Jun 2004

By

"strike151" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cats Cradle (Unbound)

Lacks the inherant pathos and humour of Slaughterhouse-5 but, don't let that put you off! This is a superbly imaginitative story that incorporates a brilliantly biting, satirical sideswipe at the cynicism of religion, the dangerous nihilism of science and the abundant stupidity of both!

The protaginist is a writer who, whilst investigating the life of Dr Felix Hoenikker (co-creator of the Atomic Bomb), becomes aware of the deadly Ice-09, a 'lethal chemical capable of freezing the entire planet'.

I won't spoil the plot, suffice it to say that, the bulk of the story involves the writer's pursuit and eventual, catastrophic encounter with the deadly chemical.

Vonnegut keeps the story moving along at a comfortable pace, in short chapters, whilst we are introduced to some of the most colourful characters in 20th Century fiction, from seemingly amoral 'mad' scientists to cynical pseudo-messiahs.

I loved the witty dialogue of the Hoenikkers and, the cynical aphorisms of 'Bokonon'. I also liked the way that Vonnegut portrayed his message that, religion is based upon (supposedly harmless) untruths that allegedly, explain the issues that elude science (the unexplainable).

Just buy it!

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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Make sure you've read Slaughterhouse 5 first, 18 Aug 2007

By

F. X. Dessioux (Madrid, Spain) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Cat's Cradle (Essential Penguin) (Paperback)

This is the second book of Vonnegut I've read, the first one being Vonnegut's best know novel, "Slaughterhouse 5". If it was not for "Slaughterhouse 5" I would take "A cat's cradle" as a very imaginative, weird and funny book, but probably not one that keeps me thinking for some time once finished. The tone is just too light and the story too improbable to be taken otherwise. But this is highly deceptive and once you realise that Vonnegut's war experience in Dresden has been central to his vision of life, this book appears not just as light entertainment but as a more profound reflection on the meaning of life (pretty meaningless in the author's view I gather) and, incidentally, on the role of religion and the power science gives to some very irresponsible and unbalanced people (this book was written during the cold war and the possibility of the world being completely wiped out by nuclear war was then seen as very real).

The message may be too pessimistic to make the novel completely enjoyable but it makes for an interesting and very funny read until someone presses the wrong the button.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Of its time?, 20 May 2011

By

mogwins (London, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cat's Cradle: A Novel (Kindle Edition)

You know that party game where you construct a story by continuing from the last line of the previous author? It feels like that's the process Vonnegut used for Cat's Cradle. I like that game. It produces some hilarious results. But I'm not sure it's what I want from a novel.

So I'm not quite sure of the correct metric by which to assess Cat's Cradle. It's got some great ideas and some truly quirky characters. But as a story it falls short.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars sci-fi mixed with philosophy
Vonnegut's book is packed with irony, humor and the absurd. He invents a new religion - based on lies (very convincing). So far my favourite Vonnegut

Published 1 month ago by Stephanie Redwood "Kindle...