Cat's Cradle

Rating:
Summary: Cat's Cradle
Review: The novel Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut is a prime example of the science fiction genre.  The novel contains a perfect blend of scientific logic and literary fiction,  making it both believable and entertaining at once.  The story is the fictitious memoirs of a writer named John,  who is doing research for a book he plans to write about the day the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.  His curiosity spurs a chain of events,  and he soon is caught in the middle of the intricate web of secrets and lies of the Hoenikkers,  the children of Felix Hoenikker,  the father of the atomic bomb.  John soon discovers that the children possess a synthetic compound called Ice Nine,  an isotope of H20 whose unique structure gives it properties unique from any other material on Earth.  The discovery of Ice Nine proves to be the turning point of the novel,  and Ice Nine ultimately plays a key role in the conclusion of the story. I found Cat's Cradle to be an insightful and brilliantly composed novel.  Cat's Cradle has the captivating plot that is characteristic to science fiction novels,  but it separates itself from other novels in its genre with its sense of reality.  Despite some of its far-fetched aspects,  while reading Cat's Cradle,  I couldn't help but think that it was a true story.  Vonnegut's detailed characterization,  believable setting,  and blend of fictitious occurrences and historic events make the novel seem as realistic as an autobiography.  Vonnegut also did a great job using irony and black humor to express the hidden themes of the novel.  Cat's Cradle offers a cynical and insightful view into the worlds of religion,  technology,  science,  and government.   Although I consider this novel to be one of most well written works of science fiction ever composed,  it does contain a few minor downsides.   This book is written in an odd format,  and it is set up as a collection of interconnecting anecdotes.  Although this format gives Cat's Cradle a unique and interesting feel,  it can make the plot confusing to understand at times.  The only other downside is that the symbolism and hidden meaning of many of the events and people in the novel can be difficult to decipher at times.  For these reasons,  I would recommend this book to people ages 16 and above who read at a sophisticated level.  I would certainly recommend this novel to anyone who has an interest in science,  as well as anyone who is interested by politically and socially ironic literature.

Rating:
Summary: Amazing
Review: I don't like sci-fi, but I loved this. This is the first Vonnegut I've read (I took a chance after reading so much praise for it) and it definitely won't be the last. It's one of those rare and wonderful books in the same vein as Animal Farm: simple prose, easy to read, yet with ironic tinges and thought-provoking depths; a novel that can be read and enjoyed at many different levels.

Cat's Cradle is narrated through Jonah, an author who aims to write a book on the single day the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. On investigating the atomic bomb's main founding father (and his three children) he is told about a *non-existant* substance with the capacity to provide all water on earth with a different molecular structure, turning it into Ice 9 (ie, a substance that could bring about the end of the world) A different assignment takes Jonah to the small island of San Lorenzo where he encounters Felix Hoenikker's three children and a society where the religion of choice (a religion that everyone knows is based on lies, yet still has utter faith in) is punishable by death, for the simple fact that it adds excitement to the dull lives of the inhabitants. I won't go any further...

The thing that delighted me most about this book was the way in which it was written. A lot of great and influential books are ones that (on the whole) you enjoy, but take a while to get into, and at times you feel like giving up on: you know the book in question is good literature, but the style and plot make finishing it seem a chore.
Similarly, a lot of fast-paced books hold little impact, don't challenge the mind and are forgotten the instant you read them.
Kurt Vonnegut has managed to write a powerful and memorable novel in a short, snappy style: this book has everything that makes a compelling, challenging read. Vonnegut lets you get a feel for the characters without going into lengthy descriptions, he manages to make sharp, subtle criticisms of religion, human nature and society without rambling or whining, his plot is exciting yet not unrealistic, he creates a hellish world that plays on everyone's fear of obliteration in precious few words. I thought the ending was too abrupt, but it fitted well with the rest of the story (and it would have been even more disappointing if he'd created a satisfying, everything-tied-up-nicely ending)

I found this impossible to put down, and highly recommend it to any fan of literature.

Rating:
Summary: Hy-o-ook-kuh!
Review: Put this review down at once, it is nothing but foma! You there, sitting in your granfallons, thinking you know your karass, but really living out a wrang-wrang. Shame on you! If you want to know your zah-mah-ki-bo, read this book. But never, never drink a cold, refreshing drink poured gingerly over a nice tall glass of ice-nine. If you do, we will all be killed, and not even the pleasures of boko-maru will help ease our sufferings!

Rating:
Summary: Cat's Cradle is terrific. (As it was meant to be)
Review: Cat's Cradle is by far the best Vonnegut novel that I have yet read. Blending his patented wry humor with acute social insight presented in an absurd fantasy world, Vonnegut has written an exceptional novel of love, lies, and the self destruction of mankind. The story centers around the narrator, Jonah, who is called by name once in the entire book. We are told in the beginning that he is writing a book on the events of the day the first atomic bomb was dropped on Japan. His research leads him to a correspondence with Newt Hoenikker, the midget son of Doctor Felix Hoenikker, father of the atomic bomb. After meeting with Newt, destiny leads our protagonist to the impoverished island republic of San Lorenzo, where among other adventures, he finds religion, falls in love, and becomes president. All of this by itself would make for a very entertaining book, but it is not in the story line that Vonnegut's genius lies. Cat's Cradle is rife with painfully accurate insights into the institutions that our society holds so dear, such as, religion, politics, and science. Vonnegut invents for the inhabitants of San Lorenzo a brand new religion based completely and admittedly on "foma", or lies. This wouldn't be so shocking, except for the fact that this "bokonism" seems to make perfect sense. Other Vonnegut ironies pervade the book and are too elaborate to go into. Kurt Vonnegut is my favorite author of all time. Cat's Cradle is one of his funniest, most absurd, and frightening novels. This book truly causes one to stop and think about the things that one holds as unquestionably true. All of the incredible people, places, things, and ideas in Cat's Cradle are intricately woven into a perfect tapestry that sums up and spells out many of mankind's self-created problems in 191 pages.

Rating:
Summary: Very inventive and keeps your interest
Review: Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle (I'm still trying to figure out why he chose that title instead of "Ice 9" which would have been more descriptive) is a very interesting book. It opens up multiple avenues for discussion on all manner of topics both social and scientific and would be a fine choice for a discussion book or a book club book.

Unlike L. Ron Hubbard's Scientology, Vonnegut's Bokononism, created in this book, never caught on as an actual religion. I would say Vonnegut's religion has much more potential among Christians of weak faith than Scientology, so I'm not sure why it never caught on. Perhaps because Vonnegut didn't set up his own church and start believing his own stories like Hubbard did.

Anyway, from the character sketches to the fleshing out of fictional locations, sciences and religions, Vonnegut has a fine eye for detail. He has created a world we recognize and he wields the power to destroy it well.

Rating:
Summary: Wahoo...
Review: I read this book almost a year ago. So my memory is a little rusty, but at the same time, the really good parts and the really not so good parts stick out.

While I was reading this book, it kind of bored me. It takes a great amount of action to really keep me interested in stuff, though. I think I may have a light case of ADD. Anyway, the religious words that Vonnegut made up kind of jumbled together in my mind, and I just pretty much confused one for another. I don't know. I just felt kind of bored throughout the book.

It was good, though. I'm glad I read it. It's kind of like 1984, it kind of sucks as you're reading it because it's so damn boring, but when you get through it, you think to yourself, "Damn it, that was a good book! I'm really glad I read it! Everything was just great!" Cat's Cradle is kind of like this. 1984 was better, though. And then again, I like chemistry, and the whole ice-9 thing is chemistry related. Haha, I'm a dork.

Read Slaughter House Five first, if you've never read Vonnegut before. SHF rocked!

Rating:
Summary: Hard to put down!
Review: It took some patience in the beginning; but with such an acclaimed author, I had to keep reading and was well rewarded in the end. This book has everything : humor, love, mystery, sci-fi, and religion. The protagonist of the story starts out on a mission to write a book about the day the first atomic bomb was dropped on Japan and the father of the atomic bomb, Dr. Hoenikker. He becomes completely immersed in the lives of the Hoenikker family and joins a religious cult, whose fundamental beliefs are based on lies. Vonnegut is so obscure; thus rather than clearly stating facts, many important points of this story are magically dispersed throughout the background. Despite the fantastic chain of events that lead to the conclusion of this tale, Vonnegut's insightful revelations concerning the nature of humanity may be enough to convince the reader that quite possibly fate has already determined the destiny of the world. Well done.

Rating:
Summary: I am a Vonnegut Lover But not Gay lol
Review: It's Pure amazement i am what most people call an athiest i don't really have a religion but this book doesnt try to suck you inot the religion it just expresses it Vonnegut is a great writer I have read Sirens of Titan,Slaughterhous-Five, and Timequake and this is the best so far as soon as i heard about this end of the earth idea my eyes started to water and think of how much of a genious he is to think of such and extra-ordinarily cruel way for the world to die which is also kinda commical. Great book won;t want to take your attention away from.

Rating:
Summary: Vonnegut's Best Work
Review: I know everyone tends to claim that Slaughterhouse-Five is Kurt Vonnegut's pinnacle work. I would suggest, however, that Cat's Cradle is instead his peak, quite possibly the best thing he has written to date. Being a huge Vonnegut fan, I believe there is some truth to this opinion. His main character begins by claiming he is writing his masterpiece, a book entitled "The Day the World Ended," a story about the atomic bomb being dropped on Japan. Instead, it is a whimsical foreshadowing of events to come and indeed events do unfold.

Vonnegut is even rather Tolkien-ish in his writings by creating a new culture along with its own language of sorts, really a dialect of extremely bastardized English. It really proves the intelligence and total command over the language that he possesses. Along with said culture comes a new religion, Bokononism, which emphasizes the pharsical and absurd. After reading the book, you might want to convert to Bokononism yourself! I know I was ready to.

Without giving away too much of the plot, let me summarize briefly. What if a scientist, say one who worked on the a-bomb, devised a way to make things different, namely a new way to freeze water? What kind of a man would do that? What could his family possibly be like? How about a midget, a model-builder, and a freakishly tall woman? Now imagine you are a writer trying to track down the mystery behind the man and the stories from his family. Follow then the trail of Jonah, the protaganist, through a wild chase that takes him to the heartland of America all the way to a remote island nation with a large hook as the punishment for any offense. Truly a tale of the mad and the absurd. Vonnegut fans eat this one up. Laugh, wonder, be amazed, and enjoy the tale as told as only the master himself could tell it. Worth every penny and on a personal note one of the few books I still find myself re-reading at regular intervals. I still can't put it down!

Rating:
Summary: listen:
Review: Wow, I must say it has now become one of my fav. books. In just the opening page I was hooked. This is the second book by Vonnegut I have read and just his style and the words he uses.I dont want to give to much away.

Listen:
when I was a younger man - Two wives ago,250,000 cigarettes ago,3,000 quarts of booze ago....

But I will say this the book is about a man, John who is writing a book about the Father of the Atom bomb, and thats where the story or shall I say the adventure begins. Very funny stuff..but allow me if you will to take a line from the Books of Bokonon, "All of the true things I am about to tell you are shameless lies."