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Cat's Cradle
written by Kurt Vonnegut
Studio : Dell Publishing
by Dell Publishing
Release Date : 1998-09-08
Publisher : Dell Publishing
Released : 1998-09-08
Availability : Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Number of Items : 1
EAN : 9780385333481
Avg. Customer Rating: (based on 370 reviews)
List Price : $14.00
Our Price : $7.90
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Product Description |
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One of Vonnegut's major works, this is an apocalyptic tale of the planet's ultimate fate, featuring a cast of unlikely heroes. |
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Americancivilwar.com |
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Cat's Cradle, one of Vonnegut's most entertaining novels, is filled with scientists and G-men and even ordinary folks caught up in the game. These assorted characters chase each other around in search of the world's most important and dangerous substance, a new form of ice that freezes at room temperature. At one time, this novel could probably be found on the bookshelf of every college kid in America; it's still a fabulous read and a great place to start if you're young enough to have missed the first Vonnegut craze. |
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Great Read |
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I love Vonnegut, he's one of my favorite authors, but I had never read this book. I could NOT put it down. I don't have a lot of time to read, but I managed to finish this in 3 days. Definitely one of my new favorite books... |
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Wild satire about nuclear arms and the end of the world |
Enough zaniness and dark humor permeate Cat's Cradle to keep a reader entertained, but there's still a point to Vonnegut's odd comedy--the destruction and danger of nuclear-type weapons, the criticism of society and their motives, and the general stupidity of mankind. To say Vonnegut takes a pessimistic viewpoint might be an understatement, but at least he can have fun doing it. In many respects, I actually found Cat's Cradle to be a little more enjoyable than Slaughter House Five, which seemed to be a little darker in nature.
The story begins with Jonah studying and researching the late Felix Hoenikker, a renown scientist responsible for producing the atom bomb and a dangerous liquid substance called ice-nine. To do this, he interviews various people and colleagues of the late doctor, finding out, while Hoenikker had innocent intentions, he was careless with both his family and his inventions. In his quest, Jonah comes to identify Dr. Hoenikker's three children--Newt, Angela and Frank--a very odd group of kids. Angela is very tall and lanky and has to play the role of parent because of her father's neglect. Newt is a midget, who comes to find love with a midget Russian performer. And Frank leaves the family, disappears, and later emerges in San Lorenzo, being the supposed architect of San Lorenzo's "master plan." Eventually Jonah and a group (including Angela and Newt) embark on a trip to San Lorenzo to see the island of San Lorenzo, it's population "all fiercely dedicated to the ideals of the Free World" (Jonah learns from the pamphlet on the plane). The irony of much of what is discovered on this island is that the people's religion--Bokonon--is mostly based on lies (as it says in its introduction). From here, Jonah becomes adjusted to the people and their customs, meets the island's dictator, "Papa", hears more rumors about the mysterious Bokonon, falls in love with a goddess-like woman Mona, and becomes president of San Lorenzo (he learns from Frank that this is his ultimate destiny, or his "zah-mah-ki-bo"). Eventually, there is a major event that Jonah must deal with, and this happens at the book's conclusion. Wacky as it is, the plot seems to be just a vehicle to get across much of Vonnegut's satirical points about human existence.
Much of the fun of this book is the exceptional comic voice by Vonnegut. He can seemingly take the most serious issues, like religion, politics, nuclear threats, and turn them upside down. One bizarre part is when Julian Castle looks at Newt's "Cat's Cradle" painting (which Newt professes should hold a message for everyone), regards it as "garbage" and throws it out into the waterfall. A moment prior to this Jonah had been musing over the painting's meaning, and this act by Castle seems to fit right into the nonsensical mentality of the island. There is also the "last rites" scene with "Papa" and Jonah, where "Papa" leans over and whispers to Jonah to tell Bokonon that he is sorry he didn't kill him and his philosophy of lies.
If you can take all of the author's jabs in a light way then this will be an enjoyable read; if not, then you might want to pass, or at least sample the book before purchasing. I wished I would have read this one before reading Slaughter House Five (as Cat's Cradle works better for an introduction to the author).
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As relevant today as it was in the past |
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The 60's paranoia doesn't get more sharp, more funny and more smart than Kurt Vonnegut's "Cat's Cradle". But, unfortunately, this portray is still somehow up to date than ever. Published early in that decade, this novel concerns on the fear of a chemical war and the end of the world. One of the characters is a scientist who fathered the Atomic Bomb and also developed something called `ice-nice' that is able to freeze all the water in the world. When the novel was published the world was living the edge of Cold War - hence the interesting metaphor. This is also a cautionary (and very funny) tale about too much power and too much desire of ending the workd. Vonnegut's tone transits between the regular science- fiction and black humor that add more layers to the book. If for one side the characters are plain, on the other, what remains, the fear of a nuclear war or something like it, is very relevant and contemporary. |
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cats cradle |
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Well, what is there to say but that this book is quite highly overrated. An attempt at wry cynicism that was telegraphed all the way. No part of this story was exceptional either in thought or execution. About the best I can say for it is that it was an easy read. I am at somewhat of a loss as to why it has so many positive reviews because it has been my experience that while I do not always like or enjoy books with mostly positive reviews it is usually more a matter of taste but in this case there is a definite lack of quality in style and substance than can be overcome by whatever it is that others see in this story. |
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Positivist Humor |
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This book is full of whimsical humor. It's one of the few books that made me laugh out loud. Ironically, it's also incredibly pessimistic. Humanity is doomed by its own depraved nature to a farcical apocalypse. For Vonnegut, the main culprits are scientists who show no concern for the destructive applications of their inventions. Their scientific method is the only road to knowledge but (more pessimism) cannot yield moral knowledge or wisdom. Nothing can, including religion, which is 'all lies'. |
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