Cat's Cradle

Rating:
Summary: You could do worse, but you could do so much better.
Review: To be honest, I was left with a strong feeling of distaste after having finished Cat's Cradle. First, there's the book's rather blunt ridicule of science. In Cat's Cradle, science is represented by two characters - Dr. Hoenikker, inventor of the atomic bomb and all-around genius, and a fellow scientist whom the protagonist goes to interview some years after Hoenikker's death. The latter is basically an overbearing pompous ass and veritably invites the reader's contempt, especially given his praise of the former. The former is portrayed as a completely delusional psychopath to whom nothing exists besides research; his complete lack of contact with reality or with anything outside of his laboratory leads to the death of his wife and the severe maladjustment of his children, and aside from the other scientist, the whole town still hates him even years after his death.

Hey, Vonnegut, you don't think you're being a bit too hard on scientists there, man? I mean, certainly, given the premise of science being irresponsible, deluded and in many ways blind and repugnant, like Hoenikker, then Vonnegut's "parable" about "over-reliance on science" makes perfect sense. But the entire premise is completely intellectually dishonest. There have been, believe it or not, works that have examined the same problem, in the same way of looking at the life of one scientist who is too wrapped up in his work to notice other aspects of life. The film Nine Days Of One Year immediately occurs to me as an example. But that film, though it reached a conclusion similar to Vonnegut's - that, the search for truth aside, one must not forget certain other important things in life - was far more honest about its subjects, acknowledging that they were more than just garish caricatures, and was all the more thought-provoking and powerful as a result. In comparison, Vonnegut's portrayal of science (which, in the book, is always greatly and deliberately praised by the most vacuous and unlikeable characters) is just ham-fisted and crude. Essentially, it proves a point about something that has no basis in reality in the first place.

But that flaw, I suppose, would be forgivable. It's not uncommon for artists to oversimplify this issue, and it doesn't mean that the end result can't be good. The real problem I had with Cat's Cradle was the grotesque and very forced "comedy." Actually, to be more accurate, it was the way Vonnegut turned _everything_ into grotesque and very forced "comedy," and expected me to laugh at it. The prime example of this is that bit where Newt, Hoenikker's midget son, falls in love with a beautiful young circus freak who turns out to be a Russian spy and, moreover, twice as old as Newt. How does that sound to you? To me, it sounds like some gag made on some bad "cult comedy entertainment show," and it was genuinely painful to read. Yes, yes, yes, plenty of great literature contains scenes in which characters suffer painful humiliation - but _this_ scene made me feel, very uncomfortably, that Vonnegut _himself_ was actively getting off on inflicting this sort of mean-spirited, artless tripe on his characters. And then there was that bit with Frank Hoenikker, the missing son who suddenly became second-in-command in a small island dictatorship, when he suddenly tells the protagonist where and why he had been secretively running about throughout his youth. Which would've been possible to ignore, if not for the exposition, in which we view him as a talented, creative human being and are told what he _really_ spent his time doing. Why did the author ever bother characterizing him if he was just going to turn it into another hideous caricature with no depth later on? Why am I supposed to laugh at people being abased for no reason? Oh, wait, I get it. It's supposed to prove some kind of facile "point" about how "life is really one big joke!" Insightful.

I could say more. I could talk about the utterly awful "Calypsos," about the way Vonnegut bludgeons the reader with his overwrought message, about that silly religious terminology, and about other things. But that's all secondary. The science fiction element is original, and Vonnegut's an inventive and imaginative author, but this book simply left a bad taste in my mouth.

Rating:
Summary: Sad and Hilarious
Review: Cat's Cradle is a wonderful little novel. The narrative is quick-paced, never stopping to allow you to catch your breath from alternately laughing and crying at the folly of humanity.

Of course, it's as all of the reviewer's here note; the novel is short, though takes a wide scope. It contemplates such difficult subjects as the nature of science and science's refusal to consider religion or the moral implications of its work. The novel is also extremely interesting for its commentary on religion, particularly considering that Vonnegut was an atheist. Each minute chapter is thought-provoking in its way, and underneath its primary themes, there is an exorbitant range of objects to satirize. And yes, the much of the stupidity is captured in the pages of this little read.

Cat's Cradle is one of the greatest novels of this century. Everything which Vonnegut comments on is just too much to go into here; this review would end up being longer than Cat's Cradle itself. It certainly makes a great read, and the things Vonnegut writes will keep you thinking whether you agree with him or not (I particularly recommend this for college science majors).

Rating:
Summary: The Gospels according to Vonnegut.
Review: This is Vonnegut's commentary on the 20th century - from overreliance on science and its callousness to religion and how political mismanagement makes spiritual revivals necessary. Best of all, Vonnegut is clever and thought-provoking chapter after chapter. His ideas, while they may not seem seminal today, are ever-important.

The story is based on a writer's research for a book cocnerning the dropping of the atom bomb. Vonnegut's roots in scientific curioisity are everywhere in his writings, and crucial here. He creates his comical cast of characters around the story of the atom bomb's fictional father - his midgit son, a 3rd world dictator, American imperialist, a former Nazi physician trying to expiate his sins, and a number of scientists, each defective in his own way and each unwilling to embrace moral responsibility to society.

Vonnegut's narrative flows like a biblical text that is seemingly frivolous, yet seems to tackle serious subjects with the utmost gravity. This is vintage Vonnegut - tackling human weakness and tragedy with satire.

Rating:
Summary: Great commentary on humans and how messed up we truly are!
Review: This was my first time reading Vonnegut and I am very impressed. My girlfriend read this book years ago and suggested that I pick it up and I am glad to say that I did.

This book reminds me of Orwell's "Animal Farm." Not about it's plot but on the levels of the storytelling. For example, I'm glad that I read this book at my age now (23) as opposed to when I was 14 or 16. "Cat's Cradle," like "Animal Farm" makes much more sense as you get older and see the big picture better. Had I read this book years ago I would have thought it was a cute story about a weird place in the middle of nowhere. However, being much older, I saw Vonnegut's intended message on the human race and how truly destructive we have been and possibly could be. This book is brilliant because as you are reading it, you get what's going on. However, when you reach the end, that's when the book's intention of message really hits home and leaves you craving more. Vonnegut's theory on religion is right-on as well as the idea of following something as ridiculous as "bokononism." This book is classic social commentary and I am very glad that I had the opportunity to read it.

Rating:
Summary: "No Damn Cat, No Damn Cradle"
Review: Kurt Vonnegut discusses the importance of science and religion in his science fiction novel "Cat's Cradle". On the first the protagonist seems to be an average person: He does not have a focus in his life, is unstable and feels unloved. That is very interesting about the book because this ordinary person from the beginning becomes someone special in the end.
The protagonist, Jonah, is a journalist who wants to write a novel about the "father of the atomic bomb" whose family he meets doing research. Jonah finds out about Ice-nine, a substance that converts water into ice even at high temperatures, it is unclear if this substance is existent or not. This stays mysterious until the ending of the book, which is an apocalypse, all life on earth dies of Ice-nine. The author has a very descriptive style. The story takes place in unpleasant settings. The characters in "Cat's Cradle" are weird, persons who are very rare in real life because they are so extreme. The plot itself is unrealistic. Vonnegut has a black and white view of life: something is good and bad. There is nothing that is just good or bad. The result of the book is that also science is bad sometimes because it can be destructive and even religion is not only good because it is based on lies.
The book is entertaining and it has an unique humor which is not to be understood for everybody. Who does not like black humor would probably not think the book is funny. But the novel is still a good book to read because it makes people, who are interested in its theme, think about it and get interesting points of view. For people who just want a book for pure entertainment it is not the right book to read.

Rating:
Summary: Cradling the cat of your mind
Review: Dude, this novel rocks! Awesome in its complexity and scope! The world will end, not with a bang, but a whimper of despair so silent it deafens the soul.

Rating:
Summary: "Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die."
Review: My favorite quote from Cat's Cradle by Jonah, our somewhat humble Hoosier narrator. It is just one among many quotes that you will be itching to write down while reading Vonnegut's blackly fatalistic, yet humorous take on the madness of humanity. After having read other dystopian, apocalyptic masterpieces such as Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451, and 1984, Cat's Cradle was a break from the monotony that not only makes you laugh, but also makes you think.

Rating:
Summary: Just great
Review: I was told to read this over summer for an Advanced Placement high school course, and got a great surprise. I could talk about social satire and other philosophical, metaphoric ideas, but nobody cares. Everybody gets something different out of Kurt Vonnegut, and frankly, all you need to know is that this is an easy, great read. Don't be frightened off by Vonnegut's reputation, give Cat's Cradle a shot. The book is just plain excellent.

Rating:
Summary: Off the "HY-U-O-OOK-KUH!"
Review: Initially I was somewhat put-off by the first few pages of the book. I didn't feel like familiarizing myself with this invented religion (Bokononism) and it's respective jargon, so I put down the book and didn't pick it up for several months. But I decided to give the book a chance again and I came up w/ the following:

This work goes at a good pace, in the few places where the novel may start to dull, Vonnegut picks things up again. You can say that it's a roller-coaster of a book, you have no idea where the book can go. "Cat's Cradle" involves Jonah, who decides to write a biography about Dr. Felix Hoenikker, who invented the atomic bomb. Yet, his search really starts to takes off when he acquires information and contacts w/ the former scientist's children. From there, the storyline is like letting to of an inflated balloon --> from the lab to Newt on the plane to San Lorenzo to lust to presidency to ice-nine @ work, and more! I'd find myself returning from a 10-hour workshift and I could still read this book for hours. "Cat's Cradle" is a good one, it'll make your head spin, you'll find yourself begging for more.

Rating:
Summary: vonnegut must be forced to write longer books.
Review: Cat's Cradle is no Slaughter-House Five. But what novel can possibly compare to that one? Though not as staggering as that book, Cat's Cradle is still can unbelievably well done novel that manages to be both hysterical and profound in a way that only Vonnegut can seem to pull off. It is a short book, but this slim volume contains a mountain of insight on religion, war, human nature, sex, well-being, and the limited nature of human comprehension. It broaches all these subjects with humbleness; it brings no pretensions to the table and is throughly honest--it never feels like it is being preachy. Bokonon is one of the best characters I have encountered in all of literature, and the philosphy he promulgatges is so obvious that it is hard to believe that it sounds so fresh. I guess that sometimes obvious things are hard to see. This book states the obvious that maybe we would never notice on our own. Cat's Cradle is vintage Vonnegut. Bokonon says: "History, read it and weep." I say, read Cat's Cradle and have your mind blown.