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Slapstick
Slapstick: Or, Lonesome No More! | Kurt Vonnegut
Flying to a favorite uncle's funeral, a middle-aged Kurt Vonnegut daydreams of one-hundred-year-old Wilbur Oriole-11 Swain, pediatrician and past United States President, who wrote history's most popular child-rearing manual and sold the original Louisian
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review
Tamra
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Pickpick

Read this for IRL book club and I think I was the only one who liked it! It‘s a difficult tale to summarize but it‘s about the human condition. The absurdity he envelopes it in doesn‘t hide the sadness & consequences of loneliness. I read the prologue 3x because first, Vonnegut bares his soul in his own detached way, and second, it encapsulates the story which follows.

This is my first Vonnegut and I‘m glad to have read it.

Tamra It is scathing in the sense he criticizes all of our futile attempts to fill emotional voids with consumerism and conquest. But it also appears our misguided natures carry on into the afterlife. 🫢 (edited) 7mo
TheBookHippie I‘ve found ppl love or loathe his writings. I read his earlier stuff in my younger years, I‘ve not read anything published after 1980s. 7mo
Tamra @TheBookHippie I can definitely see he would be a cilantro writer! 7mo
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Ruthiella Great review! “Cilantro writer” 😂 I love him and his exasperation at human behavior, but for sure understand why some don‘t like his works. I‘m glad you liked it though. 👍 7mo
Tamra @Ruthiella which is your favorite? 7mo
Ruthiella I‘m certainly not even close to becoming a completist (yet). Bluebeard was my first and my favorites are Galapagos, Ca‘s Cradle and the most famous (edited) 7mo
Tamra @Ruthiella thanks for the tip! I really should try Slaughterhouse Five. 7mo
Leftcoastzen I adore him ! He just gets it . I couldn‘t pick a favorite. I probably should reread, see if I still agree with myself. 😄 7mo
Tamra @Leftcoastzen I‘m sometimes afraid to reread for fear of a book not holding up. 7mo
Leftcoastzen @Tamra me too! 7mo
55 likes1 stack add10 comments
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OrangeMooseReads
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I haven‘t picked or really looked at a book in a couple months.
I read the first chapter or 20 pages of the tagged book some time ago. Not sure what my problem is. I‘ll get passed it eventually. I guess I should renew my library card so I can get back on Libby that might help.
Here is Isabella being Isabella.

DivineDiana Looks like those beautiful cat eyes are encouraging you! And I encourage to indeed renew the Library card! I love Libby! ❤️ 2y
mcctrish That sounds like a great first step. Then choose something short and fun ( or scandalous) to listen to 2y
Leftcoastzen She‘s beautiful! I‘m in a life piles on reading slump. Maybe reread something that you love? The library is always great , taking money out of the equation is sometimes liberating. 2y
keithmalek She's beautiful! 2y
OrangeMooseReads Thank you for the encouragement @DivineDiana @mcctrish @Leftcoastzen 😊 @Leftcoastzen & @keithmalek She very much knows how beautiful she is 😁Thank you. 2y
33 likes5 comments
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OrangeMooseReads
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🪸 I chose my feeling/emotion. I‘ll scan my shelves or scroll through Libby or Kindle Unlimited until something strikes me.
🐠 by how it makes me feel, the story, the writing. Mostly feeling though.
🐢my parents as usual. They go above and beyond for us (me).
#wonderouswednesday
@Eggs

Eggs Lovely ☺️ thanks for playing ❤️ 2y
27 likes1 comment
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OrangeMooseReads
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Vonnegut will fix my reading funk!

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The_Penniless_Author
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#ThoughtfulThursday @MoonWitch94

Vermont doesn't give you much choice but to read inside, but on those rare, warm spring days I love reading on the deck.

No challenges for me. I have enough stress as it is 😄

Tagging @Twainy @Gissy @laurenashley @eeclayton

MoonWitch94 Thanks for playing 📚💐💗😊🐣 4y
eeclayton Thanks for the tag 🙂 4y
28 likes2 comments
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The_Penniless_Author
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There was very little love in their films. There was often the situational poetry of marriage...

...Love was never at issue. And, perhaps because I was so perpetually intoxicated and instructed by Laurel and Hardy during my childhood in the Great Depression, I find it natural to discuss life without ever mentioning love.

It does not seem important to me.

What does seem important? Bargaining in good faith with destiny.

review
The_Penniless_Author
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Pickpick

The story of a brother and sister, two halves of a twin "genius brain", who become stupid, vain and unhappy when separated. Vonnegut claims he daydreamed the idea for this novel on a plane ride to Indiana to attend his uncle's funeral, but the real inspiration seems to be his sister, who died of cancer at age 41. Actually, the real subject is loneliness itself; I can't think of anyone who processes grief as uniquely and poignantly as Vonnegut.

The_Penniless_Author @Milara Your first mistake was presuming that I'm capable of understanding anything 😄 At least my pace is slowing. That should give you time to catch up. 4y
The_Penniless_Author @Milara I also thought of Vonnegut when I saw another comment you made on a quote from Borges, about the possibility of absolute freedom in one's inner life/memories. I get the feeling that's something Vonnegut lacked, and his fiction was his best attempt to process and live with memories he couldn't control. I guess that's the definition of PTSD, when you get right down to it. 4y
Liz_M Intriguing review! 4y
49 likes3 comments
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The_Penniless_Author
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He asked me how my work was going. I think he respects but is baffled by my work.

I said that I was sick of it, but that I had always been sick of it. I told him a remark which I had heard attributed to the writer Renata Adler, who hates writing, that a writer was a person who hated writing.

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The_Penniless_Author
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#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

This is the closest I will ever come to writing an autobiography.

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The_Penniless_Author
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1. I don't know what plans are anymore. I will go to sleep, several times. I will most likely wake up. In between I'll go to work. Somewhere in there I'll vacuum the living room. 🥴
2. Romance
3. The Dragon Waiting

@Cupcake12 #motivationalmonday

Tagging all who wish to be tagged! 👋

MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm Your first answer! 😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣 4y
Cupcake12 Great answers! Thanks for playing x 4y
37 likes2 comments
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The_Penniless_Author
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Nothing better than finding leftover gift cards from Christmas with money still on them. I don't even have to feel guilty buying books I probably could have gotten from the library. (Not that I'd truly feel guilty anyway, but still... 😁)

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Eggs
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Mehso-so

Cold day, cuddled up with my T-shirt quilt and Vonnegut. It‘s true to its title, verbal slapstick! To KV, life is a battle against absurdity and meaninglessness. The heartbreaking story behind the story is Kurt‘s sister died shortly after her husband died leaving 3 sons-💔Kurt and wife adopted the orphans. If you can handle the nonsensical satire and the feeling of WTH?? you‘ll enjoy. Day 5 #joyousjanuaryreadathon #bookspinbingo

Andrew65 Shame it wasn‘t better. 4y
Eggs @Andrew65 it‘s all good - even KV didn‘t give it a high rating! 4y
TheAromaofBooks Great progress!!! 4y
68 likes4 comments
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Emilymdxn
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Pickpick

Incredibly strange, completely excellent. I think I‘m becoming a Vonnegut fangirl. This was so surreal, funny and thought provoking, it felt like a bizarre drunken thought experiment I was going along on but also somehow very significant? Such a clever look at loneliness and connection.

#scarathlon2020 #teamharkness @StayCurious +16 pts

britt_brooke Definitely his strangest book, IMO! 4y
The_Penniless_Author This is one of the few Vonnegut books I haven't read yet. Now I'm intrigued! 4y
63 likes3 stack adds2 comments
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BlueMonday42
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Pickpick

Vonnegut‘s science-fiction satire about the effects of loneliness and the importance of being connected to others, is vintage Vonnegut. I loved this.

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tjwill
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This is not exactly the edition as it was advertised on Amazon (from a used bookseller), but I didn‘t already have this edition, so I guess I shouldn‘t complain. I‘m adding to my Vonnegut collection. #bookmail

OrangeMooseReads That cover is fantastic even though I hate clowns 7y
britt_brooke That‘s frustrating, but I love this cover! I have it in paperback. 😍 7y
44 likes2 comments
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tracylee11
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The gravity is very light today. I have an erection as the result of that. All males have erections on days like these.

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OrangeMooseReads
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This is the only #litshirt I have in which I haven‘t read the book yet.

Bourriquet76 This is my favorite Vonnegut! 7y
33 likes1 comment
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MiyakoBunny
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Day 13:A Book📚for when I want/need a laugh😄-In this case it would be Books📚! One can never go wrong when seeking laughs if they go w/Palahniuk or Vonnegut. What can I say except 😍They get me!😂& I 🖤 them w/every beat of my blackened heart 🖤 & soul lol🤘🏼💀🖤😂 #SurvivingDecember #BookTherapy #PhotoChallenge #Day13 #Laugh

GrilledCheeseSamurai This photo makes me really happy. 😊 7y
22 likes2 comments
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ValerieAndBooks
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Mehso-so

“...all the damaging excesses of Americans in the past were motivated by loneliness rather than a fondness for sin”, so said by the Last President of the US and current King of Manhattan; campaign slogan: Lonesome No More!

Not the best Vonnegut, therefore the so-so rating, but still entertaining and thought-provoking, as he can be.

Those of you who have read this will understand the doughnuts 😉

This was my vacation read; finished last night.

GAustin Gosh. I read everything I could get my hands one that had his name on it in the 80‘s, but not sure I did read this. I think I did. I wish I could have held on to my books. Too many moves. 7y
63 likes1 comment
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Lylah
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Today's haul!

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Shemac77
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Jess7 I love this one 7y
GlassAsDiamonds 😱 LOOK at that Alice!!!!! Love it! 7y
ValerieAndBooks Amazing hauls! Did you need a moving truck to get them all home 😊? Enjoy!! 7y
See All 7 Comments
Shemac77 I know! I made inappropriate noises when I saw it on the shelf. @GlassAsDiamonds 7y
Shemac77 They fit....barely ;)....in my trunk. @ValerieAndBooks 7y
Izai.Amorim Seems you'll be busy in the near future 😀 7y
kspenmoll Love this series 7y
53 likes7 comments
review
Wilkobell
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Mehso-so

As much as I loved and laughed at the absurd stories of the life of the final POTUS, written in such snappy paragraphs that I felt carried along on his wild journeys without question, I really wanted the ending of the honest, (albeit more traditional) autobiography, that I started to read in the first 12 pages of the book. This felt so familiar that I felt I could have been reading about members of my own family and I wanted more of this.

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Wilkobell
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I got a free kinegram with my copy!

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Samary
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OrangeMooseReads
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I braved Target for birthday shopping, Man Cub turns 9 Tuesday, so I rewarded myself. I really need to stop. I have a problem. I could have bought a lot more though and my addiction could be worse.

britt_brooke 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 8y
britt_brooke I read Slapstick recently. Completely bananas! 8y
OrangeMooseReads I can't wait to read it! I might have to bump it up the list 8y
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Sace Oy. If you have a problem then I'm right there with you! I need to stop too. I will on Saturday. 8y
OrangeMooseReads @Sace this was my second book haul in the last week. 😬 8y
Sace Erm. I think I've had 3 *mumble* maybe4 *mumble 8y
OrangeMooseReads @Sace it's ok I'll keep it quiet lol 8y
39 likes7 comments
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HippieChickHomeschool
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Pickpick

Strange- as Vonnegut always is. I don't think this will ever end up at the top of my Vonnegut favorites list, but I will definitely be pondering it for awhile.

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HippieChickHomeschool
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Sitting down to one of my favorite authors and my favorite mug

16 likes1 comment
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HippieChickHomeschool
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I'm so excited! #bookmail And the cover seems to match my yarn so well

saresmoore I love it when that happens! 8y
CrowCAH Later today I'll have to post my crochet baby blanket project. Both you and @craftshley posted yours! 😊 8y
20 likes3 comments
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britt_brooke
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Pickpick

"Why don't you take a flying fuck at a rolling doughnut? Why don't you take a flying fuck at the mooooooooooooon?"

I don't really know what to say about this book. It's totally absurd. Also smart, witty, and completely entertaining. Not my favorite KV, but a worthy read.

2 of 26: #LetterV #LitsyAtoZ
1 of ?: #MountTBR

BookishMarginalia 👍🏼 8y
116 likes1 stack add1 comment
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britt_brooke
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My first cup of coffee in FIVE days. I've been sick (I'm fine now) and the doctor said no caffeine. I was not prepared for the ensuing days-long headache. 😵

#currentlyreading

LindsayReads NOOOOOO Glad you're off the wagon again 😉☕ 8y
Jenshootsweddings Ugh that makes being sick even rougher! 8y
SusanInTiburon Oh, that headache! 🤕 8y
See All 27 Comments
Kerouacthedog I'd give up the doctor! 😷😉 8y
mrsh62010 Ouch! Glad you're feeling better 💕💕 8y
saresmoore Ugh yes. I know that headache well. Glad you're on the mend! 8y
night_shift That's rough! I can't go with my coffee. Glass you're better though! Being sick sucks :( 8y
britt_brooke @LindsayReads Haha! Right?! ☕️ 8y
britt_brooke @Jenshootsweddings So much worse! What good is it to be stuck at home without coffee to go with my books?! 8y
britt_brooke @mrsh62010 Thank you! 8y
britt_brooke @SusanInTiburon Awful awful awful! I didn't realize I was such an addict. 😂 8y
britt_brooke @UnidragonFrag It was rough! This first cup back was glorious!! 😁😉 8y
Zelma Yay, happy you have your coffee back! I've stopped drinking it a few times in life due to diet or stomach issues, but always come back. It's such a soothing and enjoyable habit. ☕️☕️☕️ 8y
night_shift I was going to have tea this morning but now I'm pulling out the French press. Thanks haha ❤☕ 8y
minkyb Double whammy. Glad you are better. 8y
vivastory I'll be really interested to hear your thoughts on this one. I recently changed my opinion of it. 8y
britt_brooke @minkyb Thank you!! 8y
britt_brooke @Zelma It is! I didn't start drinking it until I had my first son and it was a necessity, haha! 8y
britt_brooke @vivastory It's pretty wacky so far, but enjoyable. I'll probably finish it today or tomorrow. 8y
vivastory @britt_brooke It felt too eccentric when I first read it. But I recently realized the greatness of it when I was thinking about "Dead Eye Dick." I was contemplating the themes of it & how it fit in with his other books. I started thinking how he doesn't have a theme in "Slapstick" to the extent of his other books. It's a very different book for him, but in a good way. 8y
night_shift Under the litfluence coffee edition, haha 😂☕ mine's got a little bit of cinnamon and nutmeg in it. Yum! 8y
britt_brooke @vivastory It seems like one I'm going to need to research further once I'm finished, just to make sure I didn't miss anything I should've picked up on. Continuing my quest to read all of his books. 😁 Dead Eye Dick is still TBR. 8y
britt_brooke @UnidragonFrag Ooh, that does sound good! I'm so boing, I usually drink it black. But it has to be Dunkin. 8y
night_shift Typically, mine is black too. No milk or sugar. I brewed it with the cinnamon and nutmeg. It's good stuff! I get local roasted beans, though Dunkin does have good coffee! 8y
116 likes2 stack adds27 comments
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Brooke_H
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Pickpick

If you've never read Vonnegut before, don't start here. If you have, also grab this one. It's a whole bunch of WTF and "What am I even reading?" But it's fantastic. Also, I have just learned there was a film adaptation of this book in the 80s. Oh dear.

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suvata
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Feeding my Vonnegut addiction. Hi ho.

britt_brooke I haven't read this one yet, but I bought the ebook this week. 👍🏻 8y
suvata It's short but it's very good. 8y
15 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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Alisnazzy
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And in today's edition of #LibrarySale #BookHaul :$4.
Y'all are such a bad influence on me but it's also the best thing ever. #UnderTheLitfluence #DamnitLitsy

Kirstin Great finds!! 8y
LeahBergen Wow!! 👍🏼 8y
James Nice, $.50 each, they are forcing you to buy them. 8y
See All 8 Comments
melbeautyandbooks Great haul! 8y
seebiscan What a great haul! I really enjoyed Cuckoo's Calling! 8y
manifestsanity "Slapstick" is one my absolute favorite Vonneguts. So good! 8y
aa_guer2021 @Ambrosnazzy I just finished this. 😍❤ 8y
111 likes3 stack adds8 comments
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Oblomov26
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I am not sure this is true, but some days it feels that way

BeththeBookDragon I think it might be true 8y
41 likes1 comment
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Oblomov26
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Pickpick

I love Vonnegut and have read most of his books. Those I haven't I am rationing out, but today just felt the need. What a strange but endearing story. I am not sure I can say more which would make sense. I could call it the memoir of the last president of the USA, written from a largely depopulated New York but that would make it sound like a post apocalypse story and it is not. It is a funny, sad tale about sibling relationships, growing up to be

Oblomov26 Normal and how damaging that can be, the need for family even if it is an artificially created family to which you are assigned based on a randomly allocated middle name. A book which leaves me marvelling at Vonnegut imagination and Humanity 8y
BeththeBookDragon I love Vonnegut as well. 8y
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GoneFishing

Love is where you find it. I think it is foolish to go around looking for it, and I think it can be poisonous. I wish that people who are conventionally supposed to love each other would say to each other, when they fight, 'Please — a little less love, and a little more common decency'.

32 likes2 stack adds
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StephBengtson
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Today's haul. I'm grounded from buying books for the rest of the month!

23 likes1 comment
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manifestsanity
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During a recent trip to the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library, I got into a conversation with the curator. He said that you can gauge a Vonnegut fan based on their reaction to "Slapstick" and I agree. Trashed by critics and considered one of his lesser novels, I love this weird, silly book. Vonnegut's introduction alone is worth the price of admission. #Recommendsday

Liberty It's my favorite Vonnegut! 8y
27 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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Oblomov26
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Went for a walk at lunch to clear my head and just happened to walk by a bookshop. Have always been a sucker for unusual covers and Vintage have reissued a series of dystopian novels

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dearelina
Pickpick

This was a re-read for me. This is the closest you could possibly come to literary slapstick humour, with Vonnegut's blend of philosophy, science & human vulgarity. Not the best Vonnegut & def not the place to start with his work, but I still love it

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kaitlyn
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When you come home to #bookmail all the way from Tokoyo

todd Love, love, love this cover! 9y
Connie That is one 可愛い cover! 😊 9y
9 likes2 stack adds2 comments