Cat's Cradle: A Novel (Paperback)

by Kurt Vonnegut (Author) "CALL ME JONAH..." (more)
Key Phrases: vox humana, San Lorenzo, Julian Castle, Miss Faust (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Cat's Cradle, one of Vonnegut's most entertaining novels, is filled with scientists and G-men and even ordinary folks caught up in the game. These assorted characters chase each other around in search of the world's most important and dangerous substance, a new form of ice that freezes at room temperature. At one time, this novel could probably be found on the bookshelf of every college kid in America; it's still a fabulous read and a great place to start if you're young enough to have missed the first Vonnegut craze. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
"A free-wheeling vehicle....  An unforgettable ride!" -- The New  York Times.

"Vonnegut's most  accomplished novel." -- Books And  Bookman -- Review --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Dell Publishing (September 8, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 038533348X
• ISBN-13: 978-0385333481
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (383 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,175 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

192 of 201 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cat's Cradle is terrific. (As it was meant to be), May 17, 1998

By	L A Spillane-Larke (Orlando, FL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cat's Cradle (Mass Market Paperback)

Cat's Cradle is by far the best Vonnegut novel that I have yet read. Blending his patented wry humor with acute social insight presented in an absurd fantasy world, Vonnegut has written an exceptional novel of love, lies, and the self destruction of mankind. The story centers around the narrator, Jonah, who is called by name once in the entire book. We are told in the beginning that he is writing a book on the events of the day the first atomic bomb was dropped on Japan. His research leads him to a correspondence with Newt Hoenikker, the midget son of Doctor Felix Hoenikker, father of the atomic bomb. After meeting with Newt, destiny leads our protagonist to the impoverished island republic of San Lorenzo, where among other adventures, he finds religion, falls in love, and becomes president. All of this by itself would make for a very entertaining book, but it is not in the story line that Vonnegut's genius lies. Cat's Cradle is rife with painfully accurate insights into the institutions that our society holds so dear, such as, religion, politics, and science. Vonnegut invents for the inhabitants of San Lorenzo a brand new religion based completely and admittedly on "foma", or lies. This wouldn't be so shocking, except for the fact that this "bokonism" seems to make perfect sense. Other Vonnegut ironies pervade the book and are too elaborate to go into. Kurt Vonnegut is my favorite author of all time. Cat's Cradle is one of his funniest, most absurd, and frightening novels. This book truly causes one to stop and think about the things that one holds as unquestionably true. All of the incredible people, places, things, and ideas in Cat's Cradle are intricately woven into a perfect tapestry that sums up and spells out many of mankind's self-created problems in 191 pages.

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing, July 21, 2002

By	"rowsbette" (Glasgow United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

I don't like sci-fi, but I loved this. This is the first Vonnegut I've read (I took a chance after reading so much praise for it) and it definitely won't be the last. It's one of those rare and wonderful books in the same vein as Animal Farm: simple prose, easy to read, yet with ironic tinges and thought-provoking depths; a novel that can be read and enjoyed at many different levels.

Cat's Cradle is narrated through Jonah, an author who aims to write a book on the single day the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. On investigating the atomic bomb's main founding father (and his three children) he is told about a *non-existant* substance with the capacity to provide all water on earth with a different molecular structure, turning it into Ice 9 (ie, a substance that could bring about the end of the world) A different assignment takes Jonah to the small island of San Lorenzo where he encounters Felix Hoenikker's three children and a society where the religion of choice (a religion that everyone knows is based on lies, yet still has utter faith in) is punishable by death, for the simple fact that it adds excitement to the dull lives of the inhabitants. I won't go any further...

The thing that delighted me most about this book was the way in which it was written. A lot of great and influential books are ones that (on the whole) you enjoy, but take a while to get into, and at times you feel like giving up on: you know the book in question is good literature, but the style and plot make finishing it seem a chore.
Similarly, a lot of fast-paced books hold little impact, don't challenge the mind and are forgotten the instant you read them.
Kurt Vonnegut has managed to write a powerful and memorable novel in a short, snappy style: this book has everything that makes a compelling, challenging read. Vonnegut lets you get a feel for the characters without going into lengthy descriptions, he manages to make sharp, subtle criticisms of religion, human nature and society without rambling or whining, his plot is exciting yet not unrealistic, he creates a hellish world that plays on everyone's fear of obliteration in precious few words. I thought the ending was too abrupt, but it fitted well with the rest of the story (and it would have been even more disappointing if he'd created a satisfying, everything-tied-up-nicely ending)

I found this impossible to put down, and highly recommend it to any fan of literature.

53 of 64 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As good as Slaughterhouse Five!, May 1, 2001

By	Joanna Daneman (Middletown, DE USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

Slaughterhouse Five makes it to many top 100 novel lists. This novel by Vonnegut is almost, if not equally as good.

Slaughterhouse Five portrays the horrors of war against an indifferent, even amused set of "powers that be." In Cat's Cradle, we see the potential for man's destruction after Hiroshima fictionalized as "Ice-Nine", a crystal of water organized so that it converts all water on the planet to a permanent, diamond-like solid.

The fun parts of Cat's Cradle include a Rastafarian-like religion on the island of San Lorenzo, founded by Bokanon and his goddess-like daughter Mona, who enchants her followers while playing her xylophone. Bokanonism introduces us to the concept of the "karas", a group of people you are inextricable linked to by fate, and a "granfalloon" , which is a group of people linked by no true commonality, like the Shriners or a golf club. (My dad once remarked in passing that he used to play bridge in Indianapolis with some guy named Vonnegut, thus illustrating perfectly the concept of the granfalloon.) Bokononism (better known as the Church of God The Utterly Indifferent) is a religion parody, but somehow contains some truths. The concepts of the karas, dupras (karas of only two people, sometimes married who usually die within minutes of each other) and the granfalloon are amazing comments on human society.

The threat of Ice-Nine is a brilliant parody of the Cold War and nuclear proliferation. This is one of Vonnegut's best and should be on your must-read list.