Galapagos

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant
Review: This is one of those books that really makes you think. It asks the question of what it really means to be human. Is it better to accept the bad with the good, or to do away with both and live in contented ignorance? In his own twisted fashion, Vonnegut makes you realize all that is worth saving in this world.

Rating:
Summary: Profoundly Simple
Review: I am surprised at the great swings of opinion from Vonnegut fans on this one. There is really one profound observation explored here - evolutionary divergence from a stable state of existence - is it good or bad - or just human? Few artists have this clear a vision of the human condition - even though it is wrapped in a rather confusing array of (apparently?) extraneous information. One of my favorite books.

Rating:
Summary: Can you say pointless?
Review: This book was just plain bad. Vonnegut spent two thirds of the book wandering about aimlessly. In the final third it's like he got sick of the book and just wanted to finish it, so it suddenly feels rushed. He makes a few minor points along the way, but I never quite caught what he was getting at. Also, while the lack of respect for time is an interesting concept, do not foreshadow when you already tell me what happens. It is ineffective. Style does not a good book make. What a waste of time!

Rating:
Summary: I really enjoyed this book!!
Review: When my Biology teacher told our class we had to read this book, I was really mad. The book stars out kind of slow but it is very fast reading from then on. The longest chapter is about 5 pages which makes it very quick to read. The story line is very interesting because it doesn't really follow the concept of time. It sort of switches off between the future the present and the past without any warning. I really enjoyed it! It also has alot of symbolism. It's a great book! Vonnegut is speaking at our school next month!!

Rating:
Summary: Hardly his best work...
Review: Galapagos is an O.K. book, but perhaps the worst of Vonnegut's books I've read. For beginners, I found it a bit difficult to get into the book due to its non-linear storyline. Sometimes this method works, like in Slaughterhouse 5, but sometimes it doesn't, which I feel applies to Hocus Pocus as well as this book. While the idea behind this book is interesting (showing the humoristic elements of evolution, and, I suppose, analogously showing the absurdity of other forms of progression such as tradition), the novel just seemed to be too long for such a single idea. While I liked the humorous elements typical of every Vonnegut novel, their comedic impact was increasingly outweighed by the monotony of the novel's exposition.

Rating:
Summary: Did not finish
Review: This is the only Vonnegut book I did not finish reading. I have read Slaughter house 5, cat's cradle, player piano, sirens of titan, and breakfast of champions and I thought they were all excellent books.

Rating:
Summary: It's been awhile since I read it but...
Review: I did not expect to like this book because I thought it was going to be another part of the downhill slide from Breakfast of Champions. But it is one of the three classics from the third trimester of Vonnegut's work (along with Slapstick and Timequake). It has an ineffable poignancy. The interested should also read Wonderful Life by Stephen Jay Gould.

Rating:
Summary: THE WORST
Review: Having read all of Vonnegut's novels, I can say without a doubt this is the worst. The characters were boring and the premise was absurd. Give this novel a few billion years, and maybe, just maybe, it will evolve into something readable.

Rating:
Summary: One of Vonnegut's best
Review: This book affected me the way not many others have. I couldn't help but thing that humans' big brains are the source of all our problems. An all to realistic portrayal of the possible de-evolution of humanity.

Rating:
Summary: Closer to Vintage Vonnegut
Review: The problem with Vonnegut is that he peaked in the 60's. Sirens of Titan, Cat's Cradle, Mother Night, Slaughterhouse V, and God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater are his best efforts. That is not to say, however, that subsequent books have been bad. Quite the contrary! Standing alone, later books such as Jailbird, Slapstick, or Breakfast of Champions are excellent; they simply don't compare to Vonnegut's earlier works. I read Galapagos with this opinion, expecting to read good Vonnegut, but not great Vonnegut. But Galapagos surprised me, and though it still isn't quite as good as vintage Vonnegut, it was a lot closer than his recent books.