Galápagos takes the reader back one million years, to A.D. 1986. A simple vacation cruise suddenly becomes an evolutionary journey. Thanks to an apocalypse, a small group of survivors stranded on the Galápagos Islands are about to become the progenitors of a brave, new, and totally different human race. In this inimitable novel, America’s master satirist looks at our world and shows us all that is sadly, madly awry–and all that is worth saving.
Galapagos (Kurt Vonnegut Series)
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Book Description
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Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
YA Leon Trout, the ghost of a decapitated shipbuilder, narrates the humorous, ironic and sometimes carping decline of the human race, as seen through the eyes and minds of the survivors of a doomed cruise to the Galapagos Islands. Vonnegut's cast of unlikely Adams and Eves setting out in a Noah's ark includes Mary Hepburn, an American biology teacher and recent widow; Zenji Hiroguchi, a Japanese computer genius (who does not make it to the ship, although his language-translating and quotation-spouting computer does); his wife, Hisako, carrying radiated genes from the atomic bombs; James Wait, who has made a fortune marrying elderly women; and Captain Aolph von Kleist. Also included: six orphaned girls of the Kana-bono cannibal tribe, who will become the founding mothers of the fisherfolk after bacteria render all other women infertile. Serious fans of Vonnegut's wry and ribald prose will welcome this tale of the devolution of superbrained humans into gentle swimmers with small brains, but others may find this Darwinian survival tale too packed with ecological and sociological details that trap the story line in a series of literary devices, albeit very clever ones. Mary T. Gerrity, Queen Anne School, Upper Marlboro, Md.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
For many Vonnegut fans, Galapagos will be a disappointment. The story is set ``one million years ago, back in 1986 A.D.'' and concerns the maiden voyage of the Bahia de Darwin to the Galapa gos Islands. The narrator is a ghost, and the main characters are those involved with the cruise. As the narrative devel ops, we learn that people have evolved from having ``big brains'' that always get them in trouble, to creatures with flippersbut they keep getting eaten by sharks. The narration jumps back and forth between past and future, so that there is no real sense of what life is like in the ``present'' of the story, and it is difficult to grasp what these new hu mans are really like. Vonnegut's usual stylistic devices just don't work here. Buy for demand. Susan Avallone, ``Library Journal''
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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More About the Author
Kurt Vonnegut was born in Indianapolis in 1922. He studied at the universities of Chicago and Tennessee and later began to write short stories for magazines. His first novel, Player Piano, was published in 1951 and since then he has written many novels, among them: The Sirens of Titan (1959), Mother Night (1961), Cat's Cradle (1963), God Bless You Mr Rosewater (1964), Welcome to the Monkey House; a collection of short stories (1968), Breakfast of Champions (1973), Slapstick, or Lonesome No More (1976), Jailbird (1979), Deadeye Dick (1982), Galapagos (1985), Bluebeard (1988) and Hocus Pocus (1990). During the Second World War he was held prisoner in Germany and was present at the bombing of Dresden, an experience which provided the setting for his most famous work to date, Slaughterhouse Five (1969). He has also published a volume of autobiography entitled Palm Sunday (1981) and a collection of essays and speeches, Fates Worse Than Death (1991).
Customer Reviews
“ There is no central character (or characters) to carry the narrative, but rather a somewhat vague narrator whose purpose in the tale initially seems a bit gratuitous. ”
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful
By Jason
Format:Paperback
I'm really surprised to see so many people who consider Galapagos to be one of Vonnegut's worst novels. I love his work and I've read many others... I have to say Galapagos is one of my favorites. On the surface, the unconventional style is great. It's told from a million years in the future, with events revealed in non-cronological order. This nonlinear storytelling really drives home Vonnegut's philosophies about the meaninglessness of time (as in Slaughterhouse Five and Sirens of Titan, for example). Also, the grandiose nature of his plot is great. The end of the world and the human race as we know it... typical Vonnegut, but still good stuff. Above all, this book is very funny. As in his other books, he treats such serious matters as war and death lightly. This underlying irony is very present in Galapagos. However, Galapagos is by no means a "light" book. The subtlest twinge of sadness peeks through all of the humor -- just enough sadness to leave an impact. On another level, Galapagos is great for its concept. The human race is only screwing itself over, and it's about time it starts going backwards again. The pessimism of it all is delightful, yet rings true. My one gripe with Galapagos is its weak character development. In a way this is OK, as it reinforces the message of the human race as a lost cause. However, it would have been nice to have someone, anyone, to sympathize with. But in the end Galapagos is interesting, funny, unconventional, and just a great read.
28 of 32 people found the following review helpful
By CV Rick
Format:Paperback
You know what my big brain told me to do? It told me to read all the Vonnegut I could get my hands on, and my big brain finally got something right. More social commentary from the master of fiction with a message, Galapagos tells the story of the last band of humans and how they evolve, absent technology.
What's the cause of all human misery? An oversized brain, which brings up the book's tagline - My Big Brain Told Me To . . .
What would humans be like without this oversized brain? What would the earth be like without a species with an oversized brain? These are the questions Vonnegut explores in depth.
As usual, Vonnegut's narrator is a master satirist with a rambling tone who seems to be going in wrong directions, but ties all threads together brilliantly. In this book, the narrator is the son of Kilgore Trout, a frequently recurring character in Vonnegut novels.
I don't think it's the best Vonnegut novel which makes it merely fantastic.
- CV Rick
What's the cause of all human misery? An oversized brain, which brings up the book's tagline - My Big Brain Told Me To . . .
What would humans be like without this oversized brain? What would the earth be like without a species with an oversized brain? These are the questions Vonnegut explores in depth.
As usual, Vonnegut's narrator is a master satirist with a rambling tone who seems to be going in wrong directions, but ties all threads together brilliantly. In this book, the narrator is the son of Kilgore Trout, a frequently recurring character in Vonnegut novels.
I don't think it's the best Vonnegut novel which makes it merely fantastic.
- CV Rick
18 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Vonnegut is an author that really grows on me. Galapagos is the latest novel that I've read, and (like the rest of his) immediately becomes my favorite.
The premise of the book is that humanity is going to make an enormous change of genetic course due in part to it's own stupidity. The onion is peeled, and the story reveals more about the problems in humanity while following the story of the future common parents of mankind.
The book maintains several consistencies with Vonnegut's other works:
- A witty style that covers sharp criticism. (Like they've said of Twain, "They'd hang him if they thought he was serious")
- A satire that's sometimes obvious, but sometimes hiding behind the story.
- Cameos by characters from his other books.
- A solid criticism of modern societyu
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
AN ENJOYABLE SOCIAL SATIRE, WRITTEN LATE IN VONNEGUT'S CAREER
Science Fiction is a genre that often is PREMISE-driven rather than character-driven or plot-driven. Read more
Published 1 month ago by David R. Eastwood
1.0 out of 5 stars
Bad Science=Bad Science Fiction
Kurt Vonnegut's early novels like Player Piano and The Sirens of Titan were significant because they sent up the stale conventions of normal science fiction-- space travel,... Read more
Published 1 month ago by A Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars
Nonlinear Grandiose Plot
Kurt Vonnegut is the king of satire and truly memorable irony. He employs outrageous scenarios, exaggerated characters, gritty observations, droll humor, scathing perceptions, and... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Joyce Metzger
5.0 out of 5 stars
Kurt is a genius
There is no way around saying that Kurt Vonnegut is probably a total madman, yet completely brilliant. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Kevin Burton
3.0 out of 5 stars
Galapagos
Galapagos
The plot is a bit fanciful and far fetched to be entertaining although setting a futuristic scene for humanity in the Galapagos ( with Darwinian survival of the... Read more
The plot is a bit fanciful and far fetched to be entertaining although setting a futuristic scene for humanity in the Galapagos ( with Darwinian survival of the... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Colin Doudy
4.0 out of 5 stars
Odd tale
Very typical of Kurt Vonnegut, this book goes back and forth between time and people. Somehow he manages to tie it kind of together in the end. Out of the box version of evolution.
Published 4 months ago by P H F
5.0 out of 5 stars
a must read
I read this book many years ago. Now with children in high school I think this is a must read to counter the rush toward dystopian society works that have become so popular.
Published 5 months ago by Daniel Graves
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not Cat's Cradle, but still a great book
I don't understand how people are slamming this book. I guess everyone's standards for Vonnegut are so high they can't just read one of his lighter novels and enjoy it. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Unbias
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the most amazing books
This book to some may seem repetitive or not have a point. I know some have told me they feel that way when finishing it. I disagree on those points. Read more
Published 17 months ago by R. Stewart
5.0 out of 5 stars
My Introduction to Vonnegut
Many people argue which is the best Vonnegut. For me it has to be 'Galapagos,' because it's the first one of his I ever read. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Jason
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 17
books:
See all 17 books this book cites
- Natural Selection (Phoenix 60p paperbacks) by Charles Darwin on page 14, page 34, and page 81
- Voyage of the Beagle (National Geographic Adventure Classics) by Charles Darwin on page 13, and page 46
- Palm Sunday: An Autobiographical Collage by Kurt Vonnegut in Front Matter
- Deadeye Dick: A Novel by Kurt Vonnegut in Front Matter
- God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater: A Novel by Kurt Vonnegut in Front Matter
See all 17 books this book cites
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