Rating: 
Summary: Vonnegut hasn't failed me yet
Review: Bluebeard was the 4th Vonnegut novel I've read, and after reading it, I'm now almost done with my 5th. He never ceases to amaze me with how he pulls it all together in the end. Vonnegut has the knack for perfect endings, and this is no exception. I was a bit scared at the 'topic' of the book, which is a mock autobiography of an impressionist painter, as I've never been too heavily into the artistic world of painting, but regardless of the subject matter, the book is very much more. Rabo Karabekian, a minor character in "Breakfast of Champions," is a stubborn, ghost of his past self at the opening of the book, until Circe Berman, a widow and pop novelist, shows up at his estate and begins to seek the non-ethereal man. While the novel is in the style of an autobiography, it is also crossed with a sort of journal of Karabekian's relationship with Berman, his cook, and his last surviving painter friend. All of the characters have depth, yet are developed slowly enough to be well digested. Throughout the novel, a Bluebeard theme is carried out, with Karabekian having locked up something in his potato-barn-turned-studio that everyone is dying to discover. Like something out of Catch-22, there are other smaller "Bluebeards" throughout the novel, as we see Rabo's childhood, 'apprenticeship', military service, marriages, painting career, and retirement. Anyone that likes Vonnegut will love this book, and anyone that hasn't read Vonnegut should.
Rating: 
Summary: eessential reading
Review: Vonnegut's sem-autobiography, based on the interesting life of Rabo Karabekian, an Armenian-American, war veteran, abstract expressionalist painted, who after the death of his 2nd wife to cancer, became a morose recluse in his house in the Hamptons. He's decaying one day at a time, until an eccentric young woman named Circe Berman invades his privacy, bullies him into writing his autobiography, and revitalizes him with a new approach to life. It has many uncanny similarities to Vonnegut's life, such as the experiences in Dresden, Germany, being married twice, and being unconventional and unique in their respective art forms (writing and painting in this case).
The journey begins with Rabo's parents escaping the Armenian Holocaust, then leads to his apprenticeship to Dan Gregory, a prominent Norman Rockwell-type painter who treats him like a peasant, and who is infatuated and enchanted by Hitler's philosophy, and the dictatorship in Europe circa World War 2. It also shows his affair with Gregory's girlfriend, Marilee Kemp, and their betrayal to Dan Gregory by going to the Museum of Modern Art and by making love to each other. It also shows his introduction to abstract-expressionism, and being in the same ilk as gorundbreaking and innovative painters, such as Jackson Pollock and Terry Rothko, both died due to self-destructive behavior.
This is a book you have to follow carefully in order to understand, since Vonnegut likes to switch back and forth to different time periods and zeitgeists in the course of this book. But it is essential reading, and certainly one of the most memorable books I have ever read in my entire life.
Rating:
Summary: More Kurt
Review: Kurt Vonnegut is one of our most treasured modern American writers, and with good reason. Although it is not one of his masterpieces, Bluebeard is another fine novel from Vonnegut. It's written in the highly caustic first-person style of many of his books, and his writing is just as devastatingly clever as ever. The amazing thing about Vonnegut is that his prose is very simple - almost child-like at times. This would seem at first glance to trivialize the contents or take away from the produndity of the book, but this it does not do. As Michael Crichton has pointed out in his essay on Vonnegut, this seems like a really simple way to write; but, as anyone who has actually tried to do it knows, it is actually much more difficult than it seems. What makes this particular book special is that here we encounter perhaps Vonnegut's most recognizably human character. He has his faults, like all of us, and is a very tender and lovable character (as opposed to, say, the narrarator in Hocus Pocus.) We feel this man's tragedies as we go along. That his story is told to us through typical Vonnegut wit and farce makes it only that much the better. Highly reccommended for fans of the author.
Rating:
Summary: Behind the simplicity, sheer genius.....
Review: I don't normally write reviews for books that I've read, but on this one I couldn't remain silent. As good as Slaughterhouse Five was, Bluebeard shows a more mature, well-refined Vonnegut at the top of his game. This is a story that could be considered rags-to-riches on one level, and the supreme failure on another of a famous artist's life. The sarcastic wit and humor so prevelant in Slaugterhouse Five is present here too, but is used in a much more forgiving and less taunting fashion, as if Vonnegut has become more tolerant of his own idiosyncracies late in life. The book is a kinder, gentler Vonnegut with enourmous depth. Without giving away the story, the "big secret at the end of the book" lives up to its billing; in so many books, the "big ending" falls flat. Not so in this case. I was floored, moved, elated, and generaly in awe of the genius of the idea. It made me realize that the helter-skelter events in the main character's life had been anything but; Vonnegut had written every event in the main character's life like Mozart placing every note it its correct place. This may be the most human book I've ever read; it is teaching the reader about life without being preachy, witty without being annoyingly sarcastic and thoughtful about the state of human existence and how we all interact. Most of all, it makes the reader really think about what he or she ultimately does with his life. This book is a must-read.
Rating:
Summary: Pure Vonnegut
Review: Bluebeard harbors two themes: good old-fashioned appreciation of the USA and the human spirit's longing to achieve something great in life. The cowboy boot symbolizes one character's achievement, the secret in the potato barn represents the hero's. Rabo Karbekian (from BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS) is an aging artist writing his autobiography. He recounts his parents' stories -- their immigration from Armenia. His mother adaptated to life in America, his father didn't. Vonnegut moves his story skillfully between past and present. Karabekian's work -- his paintings -- have disintegrated into dust of the floors of galleries and private collections worldwide (did A. Wyeth's work inspire this story?) but he now owns the largest collection "of abstract expressions paintings still in private hands." A widower, he has adopted two friends, a has-been novelist and Circe, a widow he finds on the beach. Circe inspires him to write his autobiography and it is to her that he reveals the secret in the potato barn (which, in his mind likens him to the Bluebeard of fairy tale fame). The reader will enjoy this book on several political and philosophical levels in addition to enjoying a fine story. It is tender yet sometimes loveless, a blending of wisdom and insanity. Vonnegut's writing is of the Hemingway/Dick-and-Jane style -- short, sharp and exasperating. He writes like someone who has no appreciation for the English language and wants to use as little of it as possible. That's stylish today, but vexing to someone who likes to read. I find his author intrusion distracting and annoying but his characters enchant, his wit amuses and his observations stimulate. BLUEBEARD's wit, substance and style are pure Vonnegut.
Rating:
Summary: tired of the art....
Review: I enjoyed Bluebeard and it is one of my favorite Vunnegut books. Rabo K goes through life as an abstract artist, yet his greatest work ends up being a realistic painting of an image from his time in the war. This paining ends up transforming his life, bringing him to a happy period in life that he had so longed for in his other persuits. Any Vonnegut fan should read this book.
Rating: 
Summary: It's Vonnegut... but:
Review: I read Breakfast of Champions first, and I have to say that I find this work much more subdued and 'unengaging' in a way -- not for lack of philosophy, but because KV seems to be holding back his personality a bit. Maybe it's the device of him telling the whole story as Rabo writing an autobiography, but it feels like we are not getting Rabo but just a rather muted Kurt. The book is still brimming with things to consider and excellent peeks at the human experience, but you can't help but notice that the sparkle is a wee bit damp here, although still a sparkle.
Rating:
Summary: Art, war, and people who don't like each other
Review: Another great book by KV. His style for this one is supposed to be an older gentleman writing an autobiography, but KV waltzes off that track fairly early, and you lose that feel. Especially with frequent jumps between past and present. Bluebeard has one of the best endings of all his books. Usually he just drops you with minimal closure, but in Bluebeard, he at least gives you something memorable to walk away with first.
Rating:
Summary: My mad hero, Mr. Vonnegut.
Review: Most writers hit their stride during middle age. Then after, they're never able to create the spark known in their earlier work. Not in Vonnegut's case! I don't know how old he is but he's no sprung chicken - he's old as dirt! Still, advanced age doesn't prevent him from spinning his satirical and comic magic. This BLUEBEARD tale has so many twists, turns, incidentals, and intended digressions, my attention span was fast being redlined. But what a joy it was to read! Thank you, Rabo!
Rating:
Summary: Great Book!
Review: Not a lot hype surrounding this book, but it really is a gem. I think a lot of Vonnegut's better-known novels, don't necessarily mean better written, or they don't have better stories. I like all his work, and I read this book not expecting anything less than vintage Vonnegut... and it delivered beautifully...
|
