Product Description

Slaughterhous-Five is one of the world's great anti-war books. Centering on the infamous fire-bombing of Dresden, Billy Pilgrim's odyssey through time reflects the mythic journey of our own fractured lives as we search for meaning in what we are afraid to know.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #345 in Books
• Published on: 1991-11-03
• Released on: 1991-11-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 215 pages

From Amazon.com
Kurt Vonnegut's absurdist classic Slaughterhouse-Five introduces us to Billy Pilgrim, a man who becomes unstuck in time after he is abducted by aliens from the planet Tralfamadore. In a plot-scrambling display of virtuosity, we follow Pilgrim simultaneously through all phases of his life, concentrating on his (and Vonnegut's) shattering experience as an American prisoner of war who witnesses the firebombing of Dresden.

Don't let the ease of reading fool you--Vonnegut's isn't a conventional, or simple, novel. He writes, "There are almost no characters in this story, and almost no dramatic confrontations, because most of the people in it are so sick, and so much the listless playthings of enormous forces. One of the main effects of war, after all, is that people are discouraged from being characters..." Slaughterhouse-Five (taken from the name of the building where the POWs were held) is not only Vonnegut's most powerful book, it is as important as any written since 1945. Like Catch- 22, it fashions the author's experiences in the Second World War into an eloquent and deeply funny plea against butchery in the service of authority. Slaughterhouse-Five boasts the same imagination, humanity, and gleeful appreciation of the absurd found in Vonnegut's other works, but the book's basis in rock-hard, tragic fact gives it a unique poignancy--and humor.

From Publishers Weekly
"Listen: Billy Pilgrim has become unstuck in time." So begins Vonnegut's absurdist 1969 classic. Hawke rises to the occasion of performing this sliced-and-diced narrative, which is part sci-fi and partially based on Vonnegut's experience as a American prisoner of war in Dresden, Germany during the firebombing of 1945 that killed thousands of civilians. Billy travels in time and space, stopping here and there throughout his life, including his long visit to the planet Tralfamador, where he is mated with a porn star. Hawke adopts a confidential, whisper-like tone for his reading. Listening to him is like listening to someone tell you a story in the back of a bus—the perfect pitch for this book. After the novel ends, Vonnegut himself speaks for a short while about his survival of the Dresden firestorm and describes and names the man who inspired this story. Tacked on to the very end of this audio smorgasbord is music, a dance single that uses a vintage recording of Vonnegut reading from the book. Though Hawke's reading is excellent, one cannot help but wish Vonnegut himself had read the entire text.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From AudioFile
Here it is in all its glory: the book that has baffled high schoolers for two generations. From Dresden to Tralfamadore and all the places in between, Vonnegut tells a story that's impossible to put down. To make matters even better, the book gets star treatment from narrator Ethan Hawke, who immerses us in the author's words. Hawke almost whispers his way through the text as if letting us in on a big secret, and he is marvelously effective. He uses impeccable diction and effective pauses to create an atmospheric world that gives the book an authentic otherworldly feel. By the end, Hawke has taken us on a journey that both illuminates the author's words and reflects our understanding of them. R.I.G. © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Customer Reviews

Exceptionally original and almost troubling
I had long ago heard of Vonnegut's writings but never had the chance to read one of his books until now. I approached this one with interest due to its science fiction and WWII connections, two of my favourite genres. What seemed seriously weird and disjointed at first became a very interesting tale and it got me hooked to the end. This is without a doubt the kind of novel that's best read twice, or more. There's very little about this book that could be considered usual and that is an excellent thing. The troubling part is how weird it can be at times, even absurd. Just pick it up, if you enjoy time travel stories, war epics and the ramblings of old fools you will not be disappointed! It's a short read too.

Try Something Unusual!
This book is quite possibly the best I've ever read, and I've read a lot. The problem is that the book is very hard to explain because frankly, it's odd.

This book is an anti-war novel that professes that it is not an anti-war novel. Written during the Vietnam War about World War Two, the book explores the atrocities of war without becoming maudlin. Vonnegut is wickedly poignant as he follows Billy Pilgrim, the main character, as be becomes "unstuck in time."

"Unstuck in time?!?" you say. Yes, the novel is not written in chronological order. It leaps around from time period to time period, and from planet to planet as well. But we'll leave some of that for you to discover.

This is not a difficult book to read. It reads like a light science fiction novel. But then, the issues it discusses are difficult. Vonnegut discusses war in a manner that gently disembowels, if you will. Like I said, it's hard to explain. Check it out. I think you'll agree that it's a "keeper." Another Amazon pick I'd quickly like to recommend is THE LOSERS CLUB: Complete Restored Edition by Richard Perez, another fast, fun, and unconventional read.

One of the best
By far, one of my favorite books, along with CATCH 22 by Heller and KATZENJAMMER by McCrae, SLAUGHTERHOUSE FIVE is an American Classic. This is without a doubt, one of the funniest books I have ever read. Billy Pilgrim, the protagonist, has become, 'unstuck in time', jumping back and forth between various points of life, but centered on his witnessing the American bombing of Dresden, Germany during World War II. Yes, the novel can be sexually charged at times, but all in all, it is a scathing satire about America and its relationship with the world. Do yourself a favor, and read this book!