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Summary: A Book with an Important Message
Review: In the end, you are what you pretend to be [so be careful what you pretend to be]... What a message. What an impact this book had on me... Many people might see a weak story here, and indeed I do, too, but the underlying message is highly important. And indeed, the books gets engaging at points by having a fast paced story at times, with a lot of... not action... but drama.
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Summary: A departure for Vonnegut, but a welcome one
Review: Any first time Vonnegut reader should start with the justifiably famous "Cat's Cradle" or "Breakfast of Champions," and anyone who loved those works would do go to branch out to this novel. It's a different style for him, but works wonderfully. He does a good job of putting the book in a realistic historical perspective and makes some great statements about war, espionage, the human soul, and misguided racism and politics. I wouldn't call it his best work, but the worst thing he's written would still warrant at least 4 stars, and this gets 5.
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Summary: Bravo!
Review: Ah. Vonnegut. Vonnegut humor, yes! Draging the effects of World War II into the Sixties, he shows how it truly changed anyone's and everyone's life. The main character no longer belongs to America, or Germany. He is nationless, hated and despised (sp?!) by all, except the ethically challenged, and now being accused of Nazi war crimes. The only person who can help him appears to be fictional. Excellent excellent book. Bravo, Kurt Vonnegut, bravo!
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Summary: Perhaps Vonnegut's best attempt at dark humor
Review: Mother Night is perhaps the darkest of Kurt Vonnegut's novels in terms of it's storyline and sense of humor. Most of the humor within the book comes from Vonnegut's use of situational irony. The main character, Howard Campbell Jr., spent WWII as a double agent. He was a fairly famous German radio personality (dispensing all sort of pro-Nazi propoganda), and did his best to raise German morale during the war. At the same time, he was sending out coded messages for the allied troops over the radio. When the end of the war came, the US wouldn't aknowledge his part as an agent. Thus, Campbell became a war criminal. The novel, in large part, deals with Campbell's treatment after the war. This is where the irony comes into play. I won't go into what happens to Campbell (so as not to give away crucial elements of the plot. However, when reading, it is as Vonnegut states earlier in the book: be careful what you pretend to be [sic], for what you pretend to be is what you are. This story sticks out amonst Vonnegut's works as one of the most original, and suprising of his books. It is also a good introduction to the philosophies that are embodied in most of Vonnegut's other books. I believe that this particular novel is a good starting point for anyone interested in Vonnegut. (aside: do you ever feel like one of those little kids from Reading Rainbow when you're doing a book review?)
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Summary: Mother Night
Review: This book is the autobiography of Howard W. Campbell, Jr., who was later a character in "Slaughterhouse-Five". It is a good book, but Vonnegut has written books that are much better. This book is not as strange as many of Vonnegut's others, and is not as good as some of the others, particularly "Cat's Cradle", "Slaughterhouse-Five", and "Bluebeard". Read those before you read this one.
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Summary: Underrated; Possibly His Best
Review: I thought this book was powerful. Perception is reality and you are what you pretend to be, as far as everyone else is concerned. There are important lessons in this book. This is not the usual comical Vonnegut. Of Vonneut's serious books I feel that this one's his best. "Galapagos" is probably my favorite Vonnegut book, all things considered.
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Summary: Simply his finest
Review: If you're looking for the definative Vonnegut book - this is it. His finest if not one of the finest novels ever written. At no time during this read did I feel collective remorse nor humor for the situations described - mearly a maddening and addictive mix of the two.
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Summary: so Kurt, how do you really feel about the war?
Review: Man, if any of his books really reflects his views on war, government, and patriotism, this one leads the pack. He lays the satire on pretty thick. Unlike _Bluebeard_, he handles the fictional biography idea well. The book is structured very nicely. Like _Bluebeard_ though, he provides one of the more satisfying conclusions to his story. Many of his books are weak when the end hits.
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Summary: Well written satire- honest, and dark.
Review: This is my first Vonnegut to read. I found it engrossing, not only because of Kurt Vonnegut's literary style, but also because of his ease at manifesting characters before the reader, and because of his ability to interweave plot and moral, poetry and prose, the trivial and the profound. The setting is based in and aound the WWII era. The ethical questions faced are National, Political, Societal, Relational and Personal. He analyzes existence, motives, love and ignorance in a tightly sown short novel. The book deals with several mature, but ever present issues: racism, war and sexuality in marriage.
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Summary: A hilariously addictive and heart-breakingly poignant book
Review: "My name is Howard W. Campbell, Jr. I am an American by birth, a Nazi by reputation, and a nationless person by inclination" are the opening words to Kurt Vonnegut's tale of an American playwright living in Germany who, once World War II begins, becomes a Nazi radio propagandist. He becomes infamous for his disgustingly brutal radio shows which distributed wicked Nazi propaganda. He was thoroughly hated by the Americans, and loved by the Nazis. But there is one thing that you should know about Howard W. Campbell. He is an American spy. His radio shows are the medium for transmitting secret codes out of Germany to aid the American cause in the war. He was one of the most effective spies of World War II, and one of the only ones to survive the war. But after the war, he is simply discarded in a small New York attic apartment, with enough money to live the rest of his days there, but with no more direction to his life. He lives his life simply there, away from civilization and anyone who might recognize him as a war criminal, until a white supremacist discovers where he is located, and he once again must face his past. Mother Night is not a traditional war book, for rather than concentrating on the brutal aspects of combat, it focuses heavily on the equally gruesome subject of hate. Vonnegut also dissects the schizophrenic mind of a spy after the war has ended who has not only lost the trust of everyone he loves, but most importantly, his identity altogether, as he realizes he is a "nationless" person. The narrator is constantly questioning his identity, which has been muddled by his spy experiences. Vonnegut also discusses the minds of the Nazis, how ordinary and often intelligent men and women could be prompted to become the vicious killing machines that they were during World War IIMother Night is a sharp, funny book thats humor is both satiric and farcical. It is a very entertaining read with twists and turns at every corner, including a surprise ending that is sure to catch the reader off-guard. Although Kurt Vonnegut is more well-known for his novels such as Slaughterhouse Five and Cat's Cradle, Mother Night is truly an overlooked classic that offers an entertaining read for not just fans of war books, but any reader looking for a hilariously addictive and heart-breakingly poignant book.
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