Cat's Cradle: A Novel

This apocalyptic novel is an interesting view of what the end of the world may be like. The hero, John (Johah, as he calls himself), begins work on a book about the bombing of Hiroshima, and ends up getting mixed up in the lives of the A-bomb's principal inventor's children. Interestingly enough, the man who was most responsible for the atomic bomb is also largely to blame for the final...more

This apocalyptic novel is an interesting view of what the end of the world may be like. The hero, John (Johah, as he calls himself), begins work on a book about the bombing of Hiroshima, and ends up getting mixed up in the lives of the A-bomb's principal inventor's children. Interestingly enough, the man who was most responsible for the atomic bomb is also largely to blame for the final destruction of human life. Vonnegut may be a fatalist, and he certainly is a pessimist. His bleak view of mankind, of science, of religion (as exemplified by the outrageous theology he creates) is nothing short of a wake-up call. Vonnegut is immensely entertaining, Dark and enjoyable.   hide

I didn't ever want to put this book down, it was incredibly intriguing and interesting but the ending was rather curious. I absolutely loved the book until the last 5 pages then when I read the ending and closed the cover all I could think was well...hmmmm. I know it's how Vonnegut wanted it to end, it's a thought-provoking book. Not my favorite book, but very, very good none-the-less.

From this novel alone, Vonnegut earns his status as a true master of modern American letters. I especially enjoyed the comical, but thoroughly intriguing, poems scattered throughout the story. "Cat's Cradle" (1963) is, indeed, a work of art that I believe will stand the test of time for many more years to come - highly ... recommended as an introductory piece for aspiring Vonnegut-philes.

my FAVORITE vonnegut book. i was in stitches nearly the entire time. i found vonnegut's way of mocking without mockery causing me to release fully loud belly laughs on a cross country jet. the idea of the lilliputian love affair and the island with its own little religion and the addled, absent father all are part of a tangled web of interest. the surreal and poignant conclusion remind us...more

my FAVORITE vonnegut book. i was in stitches nearly the entire time. i found vonnegut's way of mocking without mockery causing me to release fully loud belly laughs on a cross country jet. the idea of the lilliputian love affair and the island with its own little religion and the addled, absent father all are part of a tangled web of interest. the surreal and poignant conclusion remind us that the absurdity of deadly weaponry and war and conformity from fear are really terribly sad things, and WOW what an ending!!! i whole heartedly recommend this book to anyone looking for a relatively quick read that will keep you laughing and interested (all six hours or so).   hide

For me, Kurt Vonnegut's CAT'S CRADLE is best appreciated as a product of a specific milieu. I think the novel preys on a specific kind of anxiety: humanity's annihilation through weapons of mass destruction, a fear that was very, very real throughout the Cold War, but in spite of (and perhaps because of) the financial crisis and the Gulf oil spill, now seems quite distant. Still, Vonnegut's tale...more

For me, Kurt Vonnegut's CAT'S CRADLE is best appreciated as a product of a specific milieu. I think the novel preys on a specific kind of anxiety: humanity's annihilation through weapons of mass destruction, a fear that was very, very real throughout the Cold War, but in spite of (and perhaps because of) the financial crisis and the Gulf oil spill, now seems quite distant. Still, Vonnegut's tale about mankind's shortsightedness is thought-provoking, though personally, I was more drawn to his take on the falsehood (and necessity) of religion, as well as his rather caricaturish take on US foreign policy towards third world (and in this case dictatorial Latin American) countries. I haven't quite decided yet if current American policy towards Middle Eastern nations is an excellent echo, but if it was, then Bokonon would have been vindicated: "History! Read it and weep!"   hide

I think I came into this book with the wrong ideas about it. I had heard of Vonnegut being this monolithic science fiction writer and since I've always liked science fiction I thought I would love this. In reality very little of this book seems like science fiction to me, it reads like a regular fiction novel in which the only thing science about this fiction is the invention of ice 9 a kind...more

I think I came into this book with the wrong ideas about it. I had heard of Vonnegut being this monolithic science fiction writer and since I've always liked science fiction I thought I would love this. In reality very little of this book seems like science fiction to me, it reads like a regular fiction novel in which the only thing science about this fiction is the invention of ice 9 a kind of ice that can freeze the entire planet. Cat's Cradle is meant to be a satire and I think that maybe that is why I don't care for it. All it does is hit you over and over again on the head with this sort of "if we don't stop acting like idiots this is what will happen" type message which gets rather repetitive. None of the characters were particularly interesting to me as it seemed that we don't really get to know the inner mind of any of the characters. Alright, but I don't think I'll bother with another Vonnegut book.   hide

A fabulous insight about the dark side of human nature. Vonnegut does a wonderful job of weaving light hearted humor with heart wrenching truth. Vonnegut is a wizard with words and weaves an intriguing plot about a nobody author, together with a lonely midget, his miserable sister, and a motley crew of other assorted cast members. They are thrust into a plot device that could very well lead to...more

A fabulous insight about the dark side of human nature. Vonnegut does a wonderful job of weaving light hearted humor with heart wrenching truth. Vonnegut is a wizard with words and weaves an intriguing plot about a nobody author, together with a lonely midget, his miserable sister, and a motley crew of other assorted cast members. They are thrust into a plot device that could very well lead to Armageddon. Vonnegut baffles your mind with ideas and concepts of science and human morals that leave you wondering for hours. Nothing is safe from Vonnegut’s statistical humor as he also finds time to poke fun at religion, creating his own ideology, Bokononism, finds just about every way to make every religion and aspect of human nature seem futile and in some cases humorous. Cat’s cradle is a remarkable work of art that anyone who wants a wild ride that will warp and twist your ideals, challenge your morals, and have your mind spinning on its heels all the way until it’s over.   hide

The delight of life is in the details - and the details are missing in this doomsday novel. It is clever and dark - but not entirely truthful. People are not as plastic as they sometimes seem to be on the surface - and this novel rarely gets below that surface. Boko (the founder of Bokononism, a new religion) says that we need to lie to ourselves in order to be happy. I'm not convinced that...more

The delight of life is in the details - and the details are missing in this doomsday novel. It is clever and dark - but not entirely truthful. People are not as plastic as they sometimes seem to be on the surface - and this novel rarely gets below that surface. Boko (the founder of Bokononism, a new religion) says that we need to lie to ourselves in order to be happy. I'm not convinced that life is so bleak - nor do I think Vonnegut really did either, at least not completely. My favorite Vonnegut quote is not from one of his novels, but from an article he wrote towards the end of his life:    hide

As a scientist I really love the thoughts on science and how to apply it. It has a cynical foundation and that is cool as well. However, I somehow do not share the absolute enthusiasm for this book that Vonnegut and many critics had, I somehow did not care for any of the characters when the earth froze. I had a friend who was working on different ice geometries for his PhD, jokes about ice9 were...more

As a scientist I really love the thoughts on science and how to apply it. It has a cynical foundation and that is cool as well. However, I somehow do not share the absolute enthusiasm for this book that Vonnegut and many critics had, I somehow did not care for any of the characters when the earth froze. I had a friend who was working on different ice geometries for his PhD, jokes about ice9 were a constant feature in the lab. Very amusing, worth reading but I like Breakfast for champions more.   hide