God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater

Rating:
Summary: Atypical but outstanding Vonnegut
Review: Just as most of Vonnegut's novels follow a single character through a series of semi-plausible episodes, so does 'God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater'. However, unlike the others, this story does not rely on science fiction. Rather, it focuses on one man's struggle to affirm his sense of self against great odds. Seems like an appropriate theme in a society increasingly concerned with style and ignorant of substance.

Rating:
Summary: A Hip Sixties Re-Telling of "Harvey."
Review: Like Elwood P. Dowd (the hero of Mary Chase's play "Harvey") Vonnegut's Eliot Rosewater is a wealthy drunk with heart of gold who drives his loved ones batty and nearly ends up permanently committed to the booby-hatch because of his uncommon generosity and love for the ordinary people of his small home town. Instead of a large invisible rabbit, Eliot chooses as his soulmate science-fiction writer Kilgore Trout, who becomes a sort of imaginary best-friend to Eliot, and, like Harvey, only asserts his actual presence at the end of the story. The book is better than the play (or the James Stewart movie, for that matter), but it is not one of Vonnegut's best. In "Palm Sunday" Vonnegut gives this book an "A." I'd rate it a "C." It's nowhere near as good as "Mother Night," for instance.

Rating:
Summary: Weird, fun, and enjoyable
Review: What a fantastic book! It is one of the only books that I"ve read were I really wished it would not end. The content came across as light but imbued with deep thought. The writing was weird and fun--it made for an enjoyable read. I can't remember a character study that I've liked more.

Rating:
Summary: i can trully say, "God bless you, Mr. Rosewater."
Review: in church, on the subway, mr. rosewater makes me cry. beautiful, the way we should all look at life. the drunk, caring for the people of his town in indiana, a 'great guy'. mr rosewater. with the largest fire alarm in the western hemisphere. seven miles away, at high noon, the dog's squeel-ruff ruff, visitors in the cafe, spill.

thank you, god bless you, mr. rosewater.

Rating:
Summary: Bland In Comparison to Other Vonnegut
Review: When one has read many of the great and wonderful works of Mr. Vonnegut, this book leaves one cold. It compares well to reading the cover story in a tabloid.

Rating:
Summary: Eliot Rosewater shows us all a little something
Review: Slaughterhouse Five often gets the credit, but this is the best Vonnegut book out there. There is a lot we can all learn from Kilgore Trout, and if a drunken Eliot Rosewater can figure it out - its sad that others out in this world can't.

Rating:
Summary: A Classic...
Review: This book is truly a pearl. This work and "Slaughter House Five" are the two anchors of my Vonnegut collection. As I began to collect his books, I was like an avid junkie who couldn't wait to get her next wry-wit fix from Mr. Trout and company. I have gone through 2 copies of "God Bless you Mr. Rosewater" after being worn out from many re-readings but no matter how tattered & torn, I still have them -- tape, notes in the margins and all! My collection, all in paperback, is one of my prized posessions that I hope to share with my child as my mother had done for me. You will enjoy this work and if it is your first experience with Vonnegut, what a treasure you have found!

Rating:
Summary: Total thievery
Review: After reading a vast assortment of Vonnegut's work I found this book unsatisfying in the extreme. Usually honest, often brutally so, Vonnegut works this book into a crecendo of cheesiness. What had potential to be a genuine classic like "Breakfast of Champions", "Dead Eye Dick" and "Slaughter House Five", became nothing more than a cheap commentary on the human race with a sappy 'love thy neighbour' quality. If I want to be scammed by an unimaginative ending I will go to Hollywood; movies are less time consuming.

Rating:
Summary: all in one little book
Review: Vonnegut gives us an excellent commentary on the dichotomy of social hierarchies, as well as making us laugh out loud. He conflicted the drunk with all the money and the runty lawyer who wants to swindle him out of it. We can see that there are factions within factions and utterly wealthy men who still have hearts in this fictional world adorned by the ideas of a very inventive Mr. Kilgore Trout. Volunteer firemen, fishermen and senators all in one little book. Classic Vonnegut.

Rating:
Summary: You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll want to read more Vonnegut
Review: I loved this book and so will you. This novel truly displays how generosity can affect the world and how one person can make a difference. To the truly generous it seems rather selfless and only natural to give, but to the greedy and rich it is viewed as a rather insane act. The book has Vonneguts usual dark humor and dark tone which always give his novels a unique touch. A must read for Vonnegut fans!