Rating: 
Summary: Interesting and Page-Turning
Review: I enjoyed this book almost as much as "Mother Night" but I am reserving 5 star ratings for the best of Vonnegut. This book made many realistic allusions to events like the Cuyahoga Massacre and the Boston Clock Company that forced me to cite a historical source in order to determine whether the event had really happened. In many cases the events described were based on real occurences. Also the subplots of President Nixon's White House and other real-world scenarios make this book quite different than many of the Vonnegut novels I've read. As a Vonnegut enthusiast or a first timer, "Jailbird" is a must read.
Rating: 
Summary: One Of Vonnegut's Best!!
Review: I have read all Vonnegut's novels and must admit this one took me by suprise. Cutting satire, and humorous commentary on life in the mad, mad world we live in blends into a work of art that ranks up there with his best (Cats Cradle, Sirens of Titan etc.) Forget any talk of Vonnegut going into a self indulgent slump after Breakfast of Champions, Start it today!
Rating: 
Summary: Only three stars because I'm tough (but fair I hope)
Review: If you are planning to attend Harvard, this is a must read! Don't commit to attend or pay tuition before you enjoy this book.
Rating:
Summary: wow, you can never go wrong with vonnegut!
Review: Jailbird deserves a five star rating. But for many vonnegut enthusiasts all of his books have 5 star ratings. One can never go wrong when reading vonnegut! Always the black humorist,making our own lives just a little bit easier to live.I have read every word of his entire collected works. Novels, short stories, plays, essays and even commencement speeches. Jailbird, Sirens of Titan, and Cats Cradle are all incredible works for the first time reader to gain an unparalleled apreciation for this fun loving, playful author. Vonnegut is a must have!!
Rating:
Summary: Uniquely Ironic
Review: Jailbird is a truly unique and enjoyable novel. It is the story of Walter F. Starbuck, a man whose life was intertwined through Harvard, the Great Depression, communism, World War II, the Nuremberg Trials, and Watergate. For a man to be so well connected to history, greatness or infamy would likely be concluded. Walter Starbuck attained neither. Vonnegut introduces the reader to Walter's pathetic life through a highly unusual structure. The story is told in first person from Walter's point of view, but it jumps from one part of his life to another in such a way that it nearly resembles stream of consciousness. Fortunately, it is easily read and his style is easily adapted to. Irony and humor are two constants throughout the novel. Sometimes Vonnegut uses them to make a cynical comment on the state of our society. Usually they add to the entertainment value of the novel and gain the readers interest. "The human condition in an exploding universe would not have been altered one iota if, rather than live as I have, I had done nothing but carry a rubber ice-cream cone from closet to closet," is a good representation of Vonnegut's humor. From a man with a "French-fried hand," to a harp showroom atop the Chrysler building, Jailbird is also permeated with surreal images which contribute to the dreamlike tone of the novel. I found Jailbird very intriguing and quite compelling. It is a good book for anyone who is interested in history, politics, or who enjoys cynical comedy. While the novel does center around several key political points in our nations history, Vonnegut avoids delving too deeply into personal politics and thus refrains from alienating certain readers. In Jailbird, Vonnegut uses cynical humor with a razor sharp edge to discuss social and philosophical issues. He provides a unique perspective into the most important political events of the past century, while also examining the role of the common individual in society. Jailbird is an unusual novel and definitely worth a read.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty Good.
Review: Maybe I just wasn't in the right mood for this one. Vonnegut's deceptively simple prose was up to snuff and I was frequently amused by a well-turned phrase or unexpected observation. However, it too often came off like a by-the-numbers Vonnegut pastiche--yet another world-weary, ineffectual, passive observer wandering through a world of failure and hypocrisy.
Rating:
Summary: Not up to his usual standard
Review: Maybe I just wasn't in the right mood for this one. Vonnegut's deceptively simple prose was up to snuff and I was frequently amused by a well-turned phrase or unexpected observation. However, it too often came off like a by-the-numbers Vonnegut pastiche--yet another world-weary, ineffectual, passive observer wandering through a world of failure and hypocrisy.
Rating:
Summary: A beautiful look at how silly the idea of money is
Review: Once again, Vonnegut the master satirist has put into words what everyone knows but just can't express. Just hearing his sensible and hilarious ramblings is enough for me. However, for those who are looking for a rather poignant look at the world we're living in and where we may go, I recommend this book. Read and think and learn and share.
Rating:
Summary: Jail break
Review: The best Vonnegut book I have read so far. A beautifully crafted story, with some great characters. On top of that, one of the funniest books I have read.
Rating:
Summary: Funny fiction
Review: This book may make you laugh out loud. It did me, several times. Like when Walter's date, Sarah, guffaws at his boyish attempt to kiss her, "braying like she was at a Marx brothers' movie." Or something. Walter F. Starbuck's striking characteristic, to me, is his humility. He seems to have no hidden pretenses about his role in the world, never forgets his humble origins, never takes others for granted or assumes he's superior to them. He seems generally to assume he's inferior. Yes, he did make some mistakes, but they don't seem gargantuan (for example, he "ratted" on a one-time friend, mentioning during an investigative hearing that his friend had once been a member of the Communist party). The narrative just keeps rolling until about the end, when poor Mrs. Jack Graham, Walter's first sexual experience, dies as a fantastically wealthy bag lady, in her tennis shoes, as it were, filled with a desultory 4,000 one dollar bills and her last will and testament (to distribute her corporate empire to the American people). The ending just seems slightly abrupt. But one important piece of philosophical advice may have been given by Walter, when he notes that, no matter what course he had taken in his life, it really wouldn't make any difference in a world (which is) just a small iota in an infinitely expanding universe. Except to us? Diximus.
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