This novel might be a classic, but I honestly disliked it very much. The writing style is full of short, choppy sentences lacking detail, and the narrator likes to make long-winded observations about society and such that have nothing to do with the actual plot of the book. The "unstuck in time" plot is incredibly hard to follow. The main character, Billy Pilgrim, is a real milquetoast. Some say this is the point. Well, sure. I still don't like it. The nonchalant phrase "So it goes" is incessantly repeated every time a person dies, to the point of annoyance. Some say this is the point. Well, sure. I still don't like it. (See? Wasn't that annoying?)
Admittedly, the novel has some interesting things to say about fate and free will and the horrors of war and such. I laughed at a few of the jokes. The aliens are neat. Vonnegut was really at the Dresden bombing, so I applaud him for working through his issues by writing this book (though he really should've written a memoir instead).
Overall, however, the novel's description of Kilgore Trout's writing skills is the best descriptor of the book itself: "His prose was frightful. Only his ideas were good." Overall score: 6/10.
Literature I didn't enjoy it
This novel might be a classic, but I honestly disliked it very much. The writing style is full of short, choppy sentences lacking detail, and the narrator likes to make long-winded observations about society and such that have nothing to do with the actual plot of the book. The "unstuck in time" plot is incredibly hard to follow. The main character, Billy Pilgrim, is a real milquetoast. Some say this is the point. Well, sure. I still don't like it. The nonchalant phrase "So it goes" is incessantly repeated every time a person dies, to the point of annoyance. Some say this is the point. Well, sure. I still don't like it. (See? Wasn't that annoying?)
Admittedly, the novel has some interesting things to say about fate and free will and the horrors of war and such. I laughed at a few of the jokes. The aliens are neat. Vonnegut was really at the Dresden bombing, so I applaud him for working through his issues by writing this book (though he really should've written a memoir instead).
Overall, however, the novel's description of Kilgore Trout's writing skills is the best descriptor of the book itself: "His prose was frightful. Only his ideas were good." Overall score: 6/10.