Rating: 
Summary: a tasty morsel of vonnegut
Review: When I got this book, I wasn't quite sure if I would enjoy it, even though it was Vonnegut. The back of the book didn't really draw me in, except for the use of the word "badger". However, once I started, I couldn't stop! I became as obsessed as the widow Berman over the secret of the potato barn. When I finally found out what it was, it blew me away. I finished the book during my sixth period class at school, which is jazz band, and I just kind of sat there for a while. Hm
Rating: 
Summary: A fine excursion, but haven't we read this before?
Review: "Bluebeard" is one of Vonnegut's many novels that attempts to tie the atrocities of WWII, the simple beauty of modern art, (The central character played a brief role in "Breakfast of Champions" as the artist who paints a blue dot on a canvas) and the cruelness of people. And it does a fine job of that. But then again, didn't we read many of these same points in "Mother Night", "Slaughterhouse 5" and "Breakfast of Champions?" Well, yeah... But for what it is it still succeeds. Wouldn't it be nice if Vonnegut had a new idea for a change, though
Rating:
Summary: "There was a moment of silence, and then..."
Review: Rabo Karabekian was first introduced in "Breakfast of Champions", a minor character in a surreal story. Here he gets the full treatment, and comes off as another one of those great curmudgeon characters. Only in the hands of Vonnegut, he becomes much more. He is crotchety, bitter, cynical, and several steps from senility. But he still has a wonderful memory for his past, and Vonnegut creates for him a fictional autobiography that's fascinating and endearing. And a laugh riot.Rabo has one eye. Rabo was an artist of astounding technical talent, yet helped form the Abstract Expressionist movement (along with his friends the fictional Terry Kitchen and the very real Jackson Pollock). Rabo has seen the best talents of his generation succumb to suicide and self-destruction, yet he is still kicking and screaming at 71. Rabo (guided by Vonnegut) is in the process of pouring his life onto the page, with the encouragement of a mysterious woman who has moved into his home. Vonnegut's greatest accomplishment in the book is the building up of the surprise ending (What the heck is in the barn?) to the point where something astounding should happen, and then drawing up a scene where something astounding happens. It all lives up to the hype, which is a tough thing to do. But I never doubted my man Kurt for a second. He is one of my favourite writers -- for his pointed humour and his deceptively simple prose -- and this is one of his best books. He has managed to create a commentary on the history of war, art, Europe, America, and literature in the twentieth century, by gently leading the reader through a guided tour of one man's life.
Rating:
Summary: one of Vonnegut's better books
Review: A fairly interesting and entertaining story about a "modern artist". This fictitious character was a contemporary of Jackson Pollack and that whole crowd. At some point in his life, he stops painting because he comes to believe that he lacks talent or vision or something. But he continues to collect abstract paintings and ends up holding a quite expensive collection which he has hanging on the walls all over his house.
This is not Vonnegut's best book (that would be Cat's Cradle, in my opinion) but it's quite good. Like much of Vonnegut's writing, it's entertaining as well as thoughtful, and you find yourself moving along through the book quite quickly, not feeling burdened the way you often can with a book. (Face it, it's a lot easier to watch TV than read! Even if the rewards aren't nearly as great.)
Rating:
Summary: What's in the Potato Barn?!?!?
Review: I've read nearly everything from Vonnegut. I must say, this is probably my new favorite! Even with the disclaimer from KV at the beginning (i.e., the story is all made up), I loved it! The writing style of mixing the past with the present was superb. The coincidences and the ironies made me smile quizzically chapter after chapter. Read it just to understand the mystery of the potato barn and what was inside. Heartfelt and brilliant writing, thanks KV! Highly RECOMMENDED by this reader!
Rating:
Summary: Classic Vonnegut
Review: In the 5 or 6 Vonnegut books I've read so far, I've yet to be disappointed, and Bluebeard is certainly no exception. It is, however, one of his less fantastic tales. Karabekian has a less than ordinary past, but the story itself seldom leaves his house in the Hamptons, except for the random flashbacks to his childhood or his time during the war as a camouflage artist. The genius in this book is truly the characters and the twists of admiration, disgust, comraderie and annoyance that keeps even an old bluebeard constantly evolving.
Though not my favorite of Vonnegut's books, I consider even the worst of what he's written absolute masterpieces.
|
