Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five/Mpc/Cd-Rom (Multimedia Experience) [Hardcover]

Kurt Vonnegut (Author), Time Warner Electronic Publishing (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1995

Slaughterhouse-Five is one of  the world's great anti-war books. Centering on the  infamous fire-bombing of Dresden, Billy Pilgrim's odyssey through time reflects the mythic journey  of our own fractured lives as we search for meaning  in what we are afraid to know.

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Kurt Vonnegut's absurdist classic Slaughterhouse-Five introduces us to Billy Pilgrim, a man who becomes unstuck in time after he is abducted by aliens from the planet Tralfamadore. In a plot-scrambling display of virtuosity, we follow Pilgrim simultaneously through all phases of his life, concentrating on his (and Vonnegut's) shattering experience as an American prisoner of war who witnesses the firebombing of Dresden.

Don't let the ease of reading fool you--Vonnegut's isn't a conventional, or simple, novel. He writes, "There are almost no characters in this story, and almost no dramatic confrontations, because most of the people in it are so sick, and so much the listless playthings of enormous forces. One of the main effects of war, after all, is that people are discouraged from being characters..." Slaughterhouse-Five (taken from the name of the building where the POWs were held) is not only Vonnegut's most powerful book, it is as important as any written since 1945. Like Catch- 22, it fashions the author's experiences in the Second World War into an eloquent and deeply funny plea against butchery in the service of authority. Slaughterhouse-Five boasts the same imagination, humanity, and gleeful appreciation of the absurd found in Vonnegut's other works, but the book's basis in rock-hard, tragic fact gives it a unique poignancy--and humor. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

From Publishers Weekly

"Listen: Billy Pilgrim has become unstuck in time." So begins Vonnegut's absurdist 1969 classic. Hawke rises to the occasion of performing this sliced-and-diced narrative, which is part sci-fi and partially based on Vonnegut's experience as a American prisoner of war in Dresden, Germany during the firebombing of 1945 that killed thousands of civilians. Billy travels in time and space, stopping here and there throughout his life, including his long visit to the planet Tralfamador, where he is mated with a porn star. Hawke adopts a confidential, whisper-like tone for his reading. Listening to him is like listening to someone tell you a story in the back of a bus—the perfect pitch for this book. After the novel ends, Vonnegut himself speaks for a short while about his survival of the Dresden firestorm and describes and names the man who inspired this story. Tacked on to the very end of this audio smorgasbord is music, a dance single that uses a vintage recording of Vonnegut reading from the book. Though Hawke's reading is excellent, one cannot help but wish Vonnegut himself had read the entire text.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Warner Books Multimedia Software (April 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572510714
• ISBN-13: 978-1572510715
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,151,514 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Anti-war book different from any other anti war book, January 10, 2002

By 

Gabriela Schwarz (São Paulo, Brazil) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five/Mpc/Cd-Rom (Multimedia Experience) (Hardcover)

This book is deep, as expected. Some of the reviewers claim it to be a bad book, but they don't explain why they believe this book to be bad, they only mention that it was confusing. Like anyother good quality book, theater, music, or painting, this one is complicated. If it was obvious and simple, than it would not be brilliant, but common. It is ok for people not to enjoy this book, as long as they have understood it entirely and are able to explain their criticism. For those who hate it for the simple fact that it is confusing, I recommend these people to re-read it and be focused. This is no Judy Blume book. This is more like a book by Kafka, where you have to sit back and take the story to another level and not just look at it superficially.
What I most found amazing about Vonnegart is that he is able to write an anti-war book like no other man has. For instance, if you get JOHNNY GOT HIS GUN which I particularly enjoyed, the book has a a morbid, enraged, and sad tone and mood. Vonnegart does the contrary. Instead of describing a sad, violent, and unfair event with the obvious emotions that he felt, he chooses to describe the bombing of Dresden with sarcasm and humour. Interestingly enough, his humour has a much bigger effect on the reader. When he talks about being unstuck in time, he is basically saying that the events that occurred during the war still lives in his mind. The Tralfolmadorians are really one of the best things Vonnegart has added to his book. The symbolism is great. I will not say my interpretation of them because that might interfere and ruin it for others. That is all I have to say, this is an amazing book and everyone should read it. If you have not understood it, read it again. It is worthwhile.
What is there to say about a massacre but "Pooteeweet?"...Vonnegart is simply brilliant.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great and unique anti-war classic, January 8, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five/Mpc/Cd-Rom (Multimedia Experience) (Hardcover)

Kurt Vonnegut's book Slaughterhouse Five is a unique and interesting anti-war book.There has never been a book written quite like this one. The story doesn't unfold like most other stories. It takes place in a series of different times and places. The places are Dresden, Iliam New York, and an alien planet to mention a few. The main theme of the book is very clear even if the time and places that it takes place in isn't. That theme is war is pointless and so is life sometimes. The constant changing of time and place give the reader a very exciting and adventurous ride through the life of Billy Pilgrim. The story is told in a new way giving it a fresh life. If you ever find the time to read a Kurt Vonnegut book this should be the one. It is truly original and creative with a dark sense of humor that appeals to almost anyone.