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Cat's Cradle: A Novel Paperback – September 8, 1998

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Kurt Vonnegut (Author)
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Kurt Vonnegut (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars 1,082 customer reviews
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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.

From Publishers Weekly

Vonnegut's 1963 satirical science fiction novel still manages to pack a powerfully subversive punch. The new audio release offers listeners an excellent opportunity to connect—or reconnect—with a classic text whose thematic elements—nuclear terror, the complications of science, American imperialism, global capitalism and the role of religion in public life—are remarkably relevant to our 21st-century landscape. The story line centers on a young writer's quest to research the history of the atomic bomb, which leads to a bizarre political soap opera and apocalyptic showdown on the shores of a seedy banana republic in the Caribbean. Tony Roberts brings tremendous energy to his reading, projecting a sardonic tone perfectly suited to Vonnegut. His portrayals of the principal male figures sometimes take the form of interchangeable over-the-top carnival barkers, but given the essence of the material, such a unnuanced approach can be understood and appreciated. The audiobook includes a 2005 interview in which Vonnegut—who died April 11, 2007—discusses how his life shaped his literary craft. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --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: 5.2 x 0.7 x 8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1,082 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,347 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsCat's Cradle is terrific. (As it was meant to be)
By L A Spillane-Larke on May 17, 1998
Format: 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.
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5.0 out of 5 starsAmazing
By Sarah Jane on July 21, 2002
Format: Paperback
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.Read more ›
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4.0 out of 5 starsA Funny, Philosophical, Superb Romp-to-the-end.
By Brendan on November 21, 2000
Format: Paperback
Vonnegut writes the book with the question that "God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater" plays with on a different level, all the while throwing in philosophies, wit, and things to ponder on and about during the COLD WAR.
The narrator (first-person incompetent) is somewhat vacant, and being so, maneuvers the story the best way possible.
The narrator is writing a book on the atomic bomb and he travels about meeting strange people who know the creators of the bomb. The characters he meets are funny and strange (You would have to be an oddball to be toying with doomsday.). In his journey he finds the sons and daughter of the inventor of the A-bomb. He finds that these three are an eccentric and foolish trio. The daughter and sons hold with them ice-nine, a weapon that makes the a-bomb seem infantile. Ice-nine was an attempt by their father to make battlefields (mud) solidify, making battle easier on soldiers. It winds up making any moisture it touches solid and blue, but its one flaw is, once put into the atmosphere it regenerates without stopping, freezing everything in its path(including human beings).
Vonnegut throws in the element of Bokononism, a quirky, weird religion spawned by an eccentric, self-made prophet named Bokonon. This angle plays in the mind of the reader as it debases the relevancy of all religions, thus, for example, making Catholicism or Islam just as strange as Bokononism. Bokononists chant about man being born of the "mud."
Symbolically the three children holding ice-nine, a single flake of which will end mankind as we know it, stand for three world superpowers. It shows that anyone, no matter how high in power, can be foolish, and should have no access to such an element of destruction.Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 starsDark and cynical...

Don't get me wrong... It's well-written, it's good fiction. But it's not (to me, at least) an enjoyable read. Read more

Published 5 days ago by Violaine Felten
4.0 out of 5 starsFour Stars

Satire at its best.

Published 5 days ago by Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 starsI will need to read this book again after I ...

I will need to read this book again after I have had a chance to think about it a bit. Don't want to give anything away, but it really made me think and I do need to think some... Read more

Published 9 days ago by Hackamore
5.0 out of 5 starsWitty, Silly and Cynical

A thought provoking read. It starts off slow for the first few chapters. But it build a deep commentary on religion, war, nationalism, and general human nature.

Published 11 days ago by Trevor Cleak
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

classic
vonnegut

Published 16 days ago by .
5.0 out of 5 starsOne of Vonnegut's best!

I love Vonnegut and this is one of my top favorites. I have re-read it several times.

Published 19 days ago by La La in the Library
4.0 out of 5 starsFour Stars

Entertaining

Published 22 days ago by DLHs
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Great book.

Published 27 days ago by Kayla Brown
5.0 out of 5 starsKurt Vonnegut wrote about the end of the world, ...

Kurt Vonnegut wrote about the end of the world, and yet he wrote it with such compassion for those responsible for the end that I couldn't help but feel chastised for being part of... Read more

Published 27 days ago by Kawshiki Nasser
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

A fun read. I'll likely wind up reading it again soon.

Published 27 days ago by Amazon Customer

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