Mother Night

Rating:
Summary: Fascism for opportunists
Review: Prerequisite for Mother night is Palm Sunday, where Vonnegut bemoans the lost of his family's ties to German culture. Motehr night, like Speer's biography (and Arendt's interview with Eichman) is about how easily a seemingly ordinary person, this time Vonnegut imagining himself as an American in Germany before and during WWII, can fall into fascism out of opportunism. Sister book to this one (complementary) is Slaughterhouse Five, which Vonnegut did not have to invent because he was there for the show.

Rating:
Summary: Vonnegut is a master
Review: Howard W. Campbell, secret agent for the US and a Nazi propaganda artist faces execution by a War crimes trial in Israel circa 1960. Will he be recognized for his service with the Allies or will he be executed for his crimes while 'playing a Nazi'? Vonnegut leaves us with a story of a man plagued by his on ambiguity and the consequences of associating one's self with the wrong cause. Very good story, very insightful writing; Vonnegut shows mastery.

Rating:
Summary: Moving piece of literature...Vonnegut with another winner.
Review: Mother Night is one of my favorite Vonnegut books, along with The Sirens of Titan and Hocus Pocus. It is different than the majority of his works, as Vonnegut does not rely on obvious comedy, or space travel. In this account of an accused Nazi war criminal, Vonnegut lets the reader deep within Campbell's mind, in order to allow the verdict to waver back and forth between guilty and not guilty. This is a brilliant novel, and it deals with issues deeper than Vonnegut lets on. A must for Vonnegut fans...

Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: This is one of the best books I have ever read. The story of Howard Campbell is compelling. All of the differing supporting characters are interesting. Since most of the other reviews are so good, I'll just say that this is a book that is a joy to read and is easy to read. It is relatively short and Vonnegut writes in a style that makes you want to finish the book in one night. Also of interest is the movie Mother Night starring Nick Nolte which stays very close to the book and features a cameo by Vonnegut.

Rating:
Summary: Possibly Vonnegut's best book ever
Review: A classic! Easily one of the best books ever written, and possibly Vonnegut's greatest work. The story of Campbell was so compelling, the first time I read it I finished it in one sitting. I am now reading it again for the fourth time, and it still enraptures me. Vonnegut's style is superb, and the skill with which he weaves this tale is astounding. The ending shocked me, and it still haunts me every time I read it. The only regret I have is that I can only give it 5 stars.

Rating:
Summary: Masterful
Review: What an extraordinary book! Out of countless layers of irony and a keen perception of human motivations and human foibles, Vonnegut has created a work simple in its narrative layout but almost infinitely complex in its implications. This is the sort of book in which is enjoyed the most when thinking about it months or years afterwards. Extraordinary.

Rating:
Summary: Slaughterhouse-Five revisited
Review: It's S-5 in a less speedy, more contemplative and laid-back mode

Rating:
Summary: 1st book I read by Vonnegut and I'm hooked!
Review: In the seventh grade, my literature circle teacher and several of my classmates recommended Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. At first I wanted to read "Cat's Cradle", but all of the copies were taken. My friend suggested I read "Mother Night", and I loved it. I found it to be very interesting and hard to put down. I thank my teacher for interesting me in Vonnegut and as of now I am in the middle of "Cat's Cradle" and loving it.

Rating:
Summary: Great book!
Review: I read this right after Slaughterhouse Five. What amazed me was how I was putty in Vonnegut's hands. I hated Campbell in Slaughterhouse Five, really didn't want to read a book about him, but loved Vonnegut so tried it. He made me totally sypmpathic to Campbell, which I thought impossible. The man is a grand master!

Rating:
Summary: Vonnegut is simply genius
Review: Kurt Vonnegut is America's greatest mind. In MOTHER NIGHT he explores humanity in a way that is so simplistic, but so complex. I love Vonnegut because he forces me to think.