Rating: 
Summary: Before you take Rich's word for it...
Review: I was thumbing through the Modern Library panel's list of the 100 greatest novels of the century the other day. It starts with (of course) Joyce's *Ulysses* and contains mostly classics your high school English teacher had on his book list.*Slaughterhouse-Five* was #18. Since the Modern Library is filled mostly with pretentious jerks, this one surprised me. Vonnegut is post-modern, tinged with sci-fi, unpretentious, fairly easy to read, and funny. This isn't a knock at poor old James Joyce--I love him too--or the great literary classics of the world (I read more of them than I do Vonnegut novels), but you don't expect to see a writer as purely *fun* as Vonnegut in the top 20 novels of the 20th century. Maybe we should. This is the book most closely linked to Vonnegut's name, and it's definitely representative of his best work, if not the best of the best. It's not your typical literary classic and does have some fantastic elements to it, but judging by most of the reader comments below me, that's not a problem. And yes, it is anti-war, written by a veteran, and if you're a die-hard American patriot like our friend/reviewer Rich down there (what are you doing reading an author with a German name like Vonnegut anyway, flyboy?), then you'll not be happy. For you non-militants out there, it's hard to go wrong with Vonnegut, especially *Slaughterhouse-five.* Even if you can't see why it's on the top 20 list, it's still a fun ride. (The iron grip of Britian, Rich? Please.)
Rating: 
Summary: Quite possibly the dumbest book ever?
Review: i, too, was one of the deceived few who picked up this book thinking that this would be a wrenching novel, one of those novels that makes you sit there and take a good look inside yourself. Instead, there was this incredibly simple, pointless, and RAMBLING novel that went all over the place. There was no coherence throughout the book, there were no "deep" scenes that made me put down the book for a few minutes and say "WOW", and Vonnegut has this annoying habit of making quantum leaps within his subject matter. I guess that's due to the time travel premise in the story, but that doesn't make it any less irritating. The other problem i seriously have with this book, and maybe this is why i hated Catch-22 as well, is the "anti-war" theme. I find it strange that a person can completely denounce "war", when "war" (yes, as another reader said, War IS bad), freed the early American colonies from Britain's iron grip. The Great Depression wouldn't have ended if a certain man named Hitler had decided that he was satified with his little plot of land in Eastern Europe. I'm not condoning war, but, in war, as in anything, you've got to take the good with the bad. In addition, most wars have been of the unavoidable type. Remember the period before World War II when America was practicing her isolationist policy? Well, uh, we ended up going into that one somehow. Oh,hell, look at me now, I guess I'm rambling.......Anyways, if you would like to read about war, i suggest you bypass this book and peruse a nonfiction account of whatever war you're interested in. I just finished reading "A Bright Shining Lie" by Neil Sheehan and I'd highly recommend it. (It's on the Vietnam War.)
Rating: 
Summary: Vonnegut loses his own message
Review: Did anyone else read the copy of this book which had the introduction about Vonnegut meeting with a friend of his from Dresden and that man's wife? He promised the woman that he would not represent the events of Dresden in a John Wayne-style, but instead would represent the horror as it truly was. What Vonnegut has done with this book is even worse than if he had filled it with bravado and glory. His now token use of science fiction makes ridiculous the gruesome truth of war, and places this novel on the level of G.Gordon Liddy's writings in the realm of anti-war. Anybody read JOHNNY GOT HIS GUN?
Rating:
Summary: Deeply affecting
Review: This is a really powerful book. I truly loved the story, the characters, the structure, the wording --everything. That said, I think it should be noted that this is a particularly dark book for Vonnegut. I felt sad for hours after reading it. Not really one for the beach.
Rating: 
Summary: First Vonnegut book I've read, and I'm generally impressed.
Review: This is the first book I've read by Vonnegut. I picked it up mostly because it was there, and I had vaguely heard of it before. Normally, I don't like stuff that talks about aliens and other planets and such. But I managed to overcome that prejudice here (really only a fraction of this book is science fiction anyway). While so much science fiction is an escape to a false reality, this book speaks the truth about the real world. This book is full of truths. But you should discover them yourself. Vonnegut has something important to say, and he says it well. Can't ask for much more than that.
Rating:
Summary: A Fascinating Voyage
Review: A very original book. At first it seems like a Science Fiction or a war novel, but further reading unearths a fascinating story. It takes you and teaches you how to look at life in a whole new way, through the eyes (or eye) of a Tralfamadorian. It's a great book and I recomend it to you.
Rating:
Summary: Don't read this as a school assignment
Review: Frankly, I'm glad that I blew off reading all the classics in High School and College in favor of partying. Now that I'm older, I can really enjoy these books and draw my own conclusions. Nothing kills the classics more than having them "assigned" in school and having to sit through one mindless "class discussion" after another, everyone throwing out canned opinions that they got from Cliffs Notes. Instead, teach classes on how to move the hell out of mommy and daddy's house and become your own person.
Rating:
Summary: SWEET
Review: all i can say is that kurt vonngut is one of the best writers of all time his anti-war book "Slaughter-House Five" is the first one i read and now i'm hooked
Rating:
Summary: Vonnegut's a frigging genius!!!!
Review: I'm new to Vonnegut and this is just the 2nd one I've read, but I've made up my mind! Slaughter-house Five is hilariously perceptive.... his unique style is amazingly effective. Makes you intermittently laugh and ponder, revelling all the while in the zany and wondrous realms of Vonnegut's mind. I can't stop pushing it in other people's noses and saying "readitreaditreadit". Meanwhile, I'm scrounging up my allowance to buy more of his masterpieces.
Rating:
Summary: Incredable
Review: This is simply one of the best books I have ever read. Anyone who reads this for some school project and hates it is probably mad if they cannot appreciate this book.
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