Rating: 
Summary: Far from my favourite Vonnegut.
Review: Having read Slaughterhouse 5, Slapstick, Breakfast of Champions, Player Piano, Mother Night and "Wampeters, Foma and Granfalloons" (hope I got the last title right), I was itching to get stuck into this one. Unfortunately, I found it repetitive, slow and lacking the depth of character, plot and imagination demonstrated in many of his other works. I'm not saying it wasn't a good(ish) book, but I found it far from being his best. I'm surprised to see the variance in ratings given by other KV fans - I simply can't imagine giving this book five stars, let alone suggesting it's the best book I've ever read.
Rating: 
Summary: Will read Vonnegut again
Review: This is my first Vonnegut novel. After getting tired of the "mainstream" science fiction genre, I decided to give the much acclaimed Vonnegut a try.First, I must warn that I found some aspects of the book quite depressing. The characters lead unfufilling, sad lives. The narrator often cynically dwelled on the mundane. Suicide was a recurring theme. The good aspects: The narration on the mundane was interesting and gave the kinds of perspectives (albeit cynical and erratic) not shared in most other sci-fi novels. The novel did not progress in the standard linear fashion, with the narration frequently relating events to ones that had yet to take place. This made the novel's parts fit together quite well. The novel had some extra randomness. Not all events are conveniently constructed to aid the story. Some things don't happen "for a reason", they just happen. That's life. There is nothing cliche in the novel. Vonnegut has created something original. I plan to read another of Vonnegut's novels soon.
Rating: 
Summary: Good read!
Review: Vonnegut style! nothing is linear in his books and it is hard sometimes to follow, but stick with this one or Slaughter House 5 and you will have experienced one of the most imaginative & weird literature stories ever written!!
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding work
Review: Many Vonnegut fans have a strong aversion to Galapagos. Okay, let's not mince words - they hate it. Contrary to their beliefs, though, I think that Galapagos is one of Vonnegut's very best, and certianly far superior to his most famous work, Slaughterhouse-5. Galapagos shares something very much in common with my other favorite Vonnegut book, Slapstick. Its plot is coherent. This stands in marked contrast to some of Vonnegut's more famous works. Galapagos, in examining what would happen if humanity experienced a spurt of evolution over a million years, is extraordinary in its portrayal of Vonnegut's view of mankind (however flawed that view may be). In addition, the narrator in this book unveils the new state of humanity in a very well-paced manner, adding just a little new information at a time. Galapagos was the first Vonnegut book I read, at the age of 8. Many years later, it still strikes me as one of his best, and I am quite glad that I did not begin reading Vonnegut with, say, Breakfast of Champions (which relies in three places on crudely drawn human genitalia for its humor) or Slaughterhouse-5 (which is incoherent at best). Had I begun with another book, I would likely have never discovered the several excellent Vonnegut books, filled with plot and humor (among them Slapstick and Mother Night). This is an excellent starting point for anyone wishing to read Vonnegut.
Rating:
Summary: Far from my favourite Vonnegut.
Review: Having read Slaughterhouse 5, Slapstick, Breakfast of Champions, Player Piano, Mother Night and "Wampeters, Foma and Granfalloons" (hope I got the last title right), I was itching to get stuck into this one. Unfortunately, I found it repetitive, slow and lacking the depth of character, plot and imagination demonstrated in many of his other works. I'm not saying it wasn't a good(ish) book, but I found it far from being his best. I'm surprised to see the variance in ratings given by other KV fans - I simply can't imagine giving this book five stars, let alone suggesting it's the best book I've ever read.
Rating:
Summary: A million years ago...
Review: In 1986 a simple vacation turns into the next journey of man. A ship full of survivors, or fools, end up on one of the islands of the Galapagos Islands. The plot seems to be a series of accidents, random events and luck (good or bad). Which could all be the same thing just with different names, but allows the reader to see a brave new world being built by nature's laws. Kind of funny. This is my first book by Kurt Vonnegut but while I am impressed by the way he hooked me in with the interesting idea of having a ghost tell us the story I'm not going to run out and buy all his books. This book was funny and interesting, but I'm not going to be rereading it each and every year.
If you like this author, are interested in evolution or the future of mankind then buy this book.
Rating:
Summary: Good read!
Review: Vonnegut style! nothing is linear in his books and it is hard sometimes to follow, but stick with this one or Slaughter House 5 and you will have experienced one of the most imaginative & weird literature stories ever written!!
Rating:
Summary: More fun than most, yet not as good overall
Review: Galapagos has more wit, humor and raw fun than most Vonnegut books... yet somehow it still doesn't seem to stand up as much in terms of sheer literary strength. It's quirky, bizarre, and makes a point about the human race that deserves some credit I think. Did I mention it is quirky? Several techniques (the use of the asterisk is my favorite) are used to add flavor and flare to this tale, making everything seem a bit irrelevant. Yet, I think that is the point really. 4 stars... Should I have given 5 stars? It's better than most contemporary fiction, just not up to Vonnegut's own standards.
Rating:
Summary: A Well-Written Satiric Social Commentary
Review: Having read some of the reviews to this Vonnegut novel, I am of the opinion that some of these reviewers are missing the point. Admittedly, I am but a tenth of the way through this book, but already I see the genius in it. Forget for a moment that there even is a plot (which is wholly interesting unto itself); rather, one should concentrate on Vonnegut's mastery of literary style. I love the tone he adopted for this work. Additionally, his running commentary is a highly satiric social commentary of the state of the human race: satire that hits its mark (and not all does). That said, this is one of the finest, funniest, and most interesting books I have ever read. If you have not read this book, I suggest you give it a try, and if you have and disagree with me, that's fine, but I urge you to give it another shot. Of course, as I said, I am still in the early stages of the book, so my opinion of it could change. But if the rest is anything like the beginning, this book will make me a believer of Mr. Vonnegut. Hope you enjoy it as much as I have. I, for one, am looking forward toward the rest. Pleasant reading!
Rating:
Summary: top 2
Review: This is, hands down, one of my two favorite Vonnegut books (Player Piano being the other). I also believe that it is the most unabridged window into Vonnegut's own gut reaction to the human condition. His constant referals to the trouble caused by "...our great big brains..." is infinitely simple yet deeply philosophical and very much akin to Daoist thought. The way in which the story is told seems, at first, to be pointless, but serves to better express the philosophical undercurents of the book.
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