Rating: 
Summary: Muted story
Review: In Deadeye Dick, the underlying messages shine through Vonnegut's words, the morals of innocence, the corruption of being etc. etc.
But Vonnegut forgot one thing in this book. The story. What is in his other books a perfect mixture of story and the underlying morals, here it is a decidedly lop-sided affair. The story is very unengaging and I found it quite tedious, to be frank. And unfortunately, it went downhill after an ok-ish start. Thankfully, those recipes he throws in very frequently at the first part of the novel are toned down because what was a good idea would have turned into an annoying one if continued too frequently.
This is the most disappointing Vonnegut book I've read so far.
Rating: 
Summary: eh...
Review: It was ok. it was written in the usual eccentric vonnegut style, but i couldn't really get into it like I did with Bluebeard. Maybe i'm not reading into it deeply enough, i'm sure that's part of the case, but whatever. I found the whole tumor imagery especially disturbing, but i have to say that Rudy's playlets were hilarious.
Rating: 
Summary: A fantastic novel
Review: Kurt Vonnegut is a master of observation and relation. This novel, Deadeye Dick, tells the tale of Rudy Waltz, who loses his innocence at a young age and struggles to get a grip on life. He is detached from life, and Vonnegut writes Rudy's struggle with such peircing honesty and clarity that you can't help but feel for Rudy. He finds you in Rudy Waltz - there's a little bit in here that we've all been through. Dusted with some quirky, often ironic humor here and there, Deadeye Dick is a touching novel and vastly under-appreciated.
Rating: 
Summary: Not about a sharpshooter detective
Review: Kurt Vonnegut's style is usually able to make his books fast reading even if the plot and characters are bad, but this book is plain terrible. I picked it up because I though it would be about a sharpshooter detective, but it was about this kid that accidentally killed a pregnant woman when he shot a rifle out of his window and the ramifications of this act on his life. This book, like most of Vonnegut's, takes place in Indiana and is about the main character growing up and some events that take place during his lifetime. Since, however, the events that Vonnegut chose to include and the characters they involve are uninteresting, this book is bad. If you want a good book by Vonnegut, get Breakfast of Champions instead.
Rating:
Summary: Vonnegut's one-two punch
Review: Many reviewers have indicated that Deadeye Dick was their first Vonnegut. To get a better (if that's possible) experience from reading this book you should now read Breakfast of Champions, if you haven't already. One of Vonnegut's motifs through the years has been to bring up certain characters and plot lines in several books--Kilgore Trout being one of them. He does this most successfully in Deadeye Dick tying up many threads and characters from BOC. If you have not read either book read BOC first and follow it immediately with Deadeye Dick. While both books are excellent on their own, you will enhance the experience of both by reading them back to back. Although I read BOC almost twenty years ago, I was taken right back to it while reading Deadeye Dick. I enjoyed it more with each turn of the page. These two together are a knockout!
Rating: 
Summary: average vonnegut
Review: Not a standout novel of KV, but a good read all around. I'd say it peaked around 3/4 through, and then the rest was really just filler, and not all too interesting. One thing I really like about KV, is his characters keep reappearing in various novels of his. A handful show up in here.
Rating:
Summary: Vonnegut's worst
Review: Of all the books in Vonnegut's body of work, this provides the bottom of the barrel. If one is to grant that each book is a mirror of where he was at in his life, it's safe to say this was a bottoming point before he was able to reflect upon it with a smirk. The miserable moments provide neither glimmers of hope nor wistful pronouncements of ironic futility. For fans, it's a must read because hr wrote it, but don't expect what you felt with "Bluebeard," "Breakfast of Champions," or "Mother Night."
Rating:
Summary: I loved it!
Review: Of course, I'd like it if he stomped on a club sandwhich, mimeographed it, and surrounded it with threadbare stories of his Indiana childhood. I would say then, as I do now, "Oh! A Masterful romp!"
Rating:
Summary: Grim, but Great
Review: Only Vonnegut could make such a tragic story humorous. It probably will rank as one of his most memorable books in my mind. Vonnegut once again weaves his story between flashbacks and flashforwards and keeps the pages turning. I read this book on a flight to Chicago and almost passed on the peanuts so I would not be interrupted. Definitely one of his best.
Rating:
Summary: Advice
Review: Read this after reading Breakfast of Champions, you'll enjoy it that much more.
|
