The Guardian’s review, by M John Harrison suggests Look at the Birdie contains “many of the characteristics we associate with Vonnegut the novelist”, observing that the short story collection “is in itself a story, about an author pursuing a market he wasn't interested in”. While Harrison praises the collection, overall, he does admit that these early Vonnegut stories lack some of the absurdity of the author’s novels, such as Cat’s Cradle and Player Piano.
Similarly, Jessica Schneider observes (rightly or wrongly) that “Galapagos is arguably the last good novel Kurt Vonnegut wrote”, the reviewer ranks the book below some of the author’s other work, including Slaughterhouse-Five. It seems that when reviewing Vonnegut’s work, it’s difficult to get away from comparing it to seminal novels like Slaughterhouse-Five, but Schneider does take the time to highlight some of the enjoyable aspects of Galapagos. In particular, Schneider praises “how innovative Vonnegut is when it comes to story-telling structure”, before going on to note that it’s difficult to summarise novels by the author.
Have you read either of these books by Vonnegut? What do you think of Harrison’s and Schneider’s comments – Make sure to let us know your thoughts by filling in the form below.
I find Jessica Schneider's comments about Galapagos very interesting, and your post and her review make me want to read this novel. The aspect of short sentences and the layered telling, through a narrator telling the reader what is happening, are very intriguing.
ReplyDeleteMy question, following your comments, is: What do you think is the impact of reviewers constantly comparing Vonnegut's other works to Slaughterhouse-Five? Does it make sense to do so, or does it somehow not do justice to Vonnegut's breadth of work?
Thanks!
Hi there,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment!
I think that an author's work will invariably be compared to their 'main' novel or story - but in some ways, that can be a good thing. A lot of readers will come across Vonnegut through Slaughterhouse Five and if a reviewer can highlight and discuss how another work can be compared to to the novel, it may encourage further reading.
That being said, sometimes (and I am in no way suggesting this is the case with Jessica Schneider - just a general comment), reviewers can fall back on comparing a novel, or even album or art work, with the piece the writer/musician/artist is best known for, in an effort to fill space. So, it's a mixed bag - but if it introduces readers to a lesser known work, it's got to be a good thing!
What are your thoughts on this? Glad to hear you're interested in reading Galapagos - Guess I'm a little bit biased, but I think it's a wonderful novel.