Rating: 
Summary: One of Vonnegut's most entertaining
Review: I have read most of Kurt Vonnegut's novels and I have come to enjoy every single one... some more than others, but never have a walked away from one of his novels deeply unsatisfied.
Slapstick has received a lot of negative reviews from many people, so I read some of Vonnegut's other books before diving into this one. Naturally, my expectations were not as high because of what I had heard about this novel, but boy was I wrong.
Slapstick is full of humor, and is quite possibly one of Vonnegut's top 3 entertaining books. I think Vonnegut is at his best when he allows the main character, which in this story is Wilbur Daffodil-11 Swain, to tell the story himself (this was also successful in Mother Night, Cat's Cradle, and Jailbird).
The character development in this novel is spectactular; you really get to know the characters as you follow Swain on throughout the novel.
What prevented this book from being the best Vonnegut novel was the fact that it seemed to be more for entertainment than it was for providing a message or moral. What made books like Player Piano, Cat's Cradle, and Slaughterhouse-Five so great were that they were not only entertaining, but had a clear message. That is the only thing missing in Slapstick, otherwise it is a great read!
Rating:
Summary: Vonnegut's best
Review: I absolutely love KV. I have read 10 or so of his books and love them all.For a while, Mother Night was my favorite but Slapstick has dethroned it. It doesn't quite have the believable nature to it that Mother Night has but it is a great yarn. Vonnegution wisdom abounds in this book as it will make you laugh while ponder the words on the pages. It is filled with many of my favorite quotes from any of the books that I have read. This being said, I wouldn't start out with Slapstick as my first Vonnegut novel because it is very strange. I would read Cat's Cradle or one of his better known books before I read Slapstick.
Rating: 
Summary: weird
Review: That pretty much sums it up. Welcome to entertainment, and lost society, lost humanity, lost everything. Told from the point of view of an old man who just doesn't care anymore, this novel hardly has the humor that the title suggests, and it's just more tragic than anything. Welcome to the twisted future, where the messed up inner workings of our minds come forth is a world devoid of resources, ambition, order, or any real accomplishments -- welcome to Western Civilization.Where's the humor? Don't ask me. But, like all Vonnegut, this is indeed a memorable book.
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