Slapstick or Lonesome No More!

'Fascists are inferior people who believe it when somebody tells them they're superior.'

We read the memoirs of the last president of the USA, now 100 years old and living on the Island of Death, Manhattan. A plague has decimated the island population. He isn't senile, but he has these hiccups.
The essence of this light novelette is not politics or the apocalypse, it is the relationship of the hero with his twin sister. Together they are genius, separated they are just average. Apart from that, they are physical monsters, diagnosed as 'neanderthaloids' when babies.

The book is a quick and amusing read. Much substance or food for thought there isn't.
Less than in some of his others.

Vonnegut is an undeniable literary genius, a titan who helped shaped satire and sci-fi. Unfortunately this book is far from his best. Perhaps due to aging senility, the work is a random, scattershot collection of half-baked ideas which are faint, recycled echoes of his original works.

While some of the jokes are entertaining and some of the ideas thought-provoking, most are reminiscent of things already written in his earlier, better books. The entire affair is a bit of a mess, a fractured and disjointed journal which lurches about in time while searching for consistency in tone or message.

The entire book is penned with an unfamiliar tone from Vonnegut’s earlier works. While other works are generally zany affairs with touches of melancholy, this one has flipped the polarity. So the major emotions are ones of nostalgia, loss and regret, which only occasionally delve into joy. Though the author would live decades beyond this book, the whole story is an often depressing look back at how good things went wrong, a semi-autobiographical tale as confessed in the author’s intro.

Perhaps newbies to the author will forgive the weak and aimless structure and find some of the ideas innovative. But then they’d also be reading one of Vonnegut’s worst novels and would have better spent their time with any of his other classics.

With Slaughterhouse-Five as my first introduction to Vonnegut, Slapstick was my second, and it did not disappoint. The time progression of this book is more linear, but the narrator repeatedly makes references to the future, so for the reader, it is a similar experience to Slaughterhouse-Five.
As I read Slapstick, as I was expecting the plot to focus on more of the main character's career and becoming the President, but instead there is a very heavy focus on his upbringing as an abhorrence to society. At first I was disappointed by the amount of focus on what seemed to be a less interesting part of the character's life, but Vonnegut was able to make very powerful points through this development, and I ended up appreciating the purpose of this portion of the novel. The latter portion of the novel seems to breeze by, as if the reader is under the effects of the same drug the narrator has succumbed to.
The novel is ultimately cynical and satirical, and Vonnegut's elegant descriptions make Slapstick a very powerful and enjoyable read. If you enjoyed Slaughterhouse-Five, you will probably also enjoy Slapstick.

Praise for this said it was satiric, which is what Vonnegut is. It may have been for 1976, but I found it quite boring--not as boring as some, but pretty boring. He didn't even end it with the words, "Hi ho." The most I got out of this book was that everything had weird middle names with numbers: Daffodil-11, Oriole-2, Chipmunk-5, Uranium-3, and so on.
Hi ho.

This is the third Vonnegut book that I have read, my first two being "Cat's Cradle" and "Slaughterhouse 5". After reading two of his most praised novels (and loving them) I was worried that I would be disappointed with his lesser known ones, such as Slapstick. Fortunately, this was not the case! I thought Slapstick was a fantastic novel, filled with classic Vonnegut wit and thought provoking themes. It was not as good as the the first two that I had mentioned, but considering that he himself gave those a rating of A+ and this a rating of a D, I think it was fantastic! If this work was a D, I can't wait to see what his Bs and Cs are like.

Such was the world Dr. Wilbur Daffodil-11 Swain tried to create as the west disintegrated around him. As the President of the United States, Swain promised relief from the isolation modern society has created--a system of family networks, randomly created, and a set of rules. No, you don't have to love them, or even like them much--but you owe them, as they do you.

But Wilbur was too late, and as he writes his memoirs he sits in an abandoned NYC, one of few survivors of two massive pandemics. The world has long ago exhausted its supply of fossil fuels, and uncontrolled scientific progress has unleased the forces of gravity that used to hold the physical world in place. Not the bomb, but just as bad. He's with his granddaughter and boyfriend, who hope soon to become the slaves of the one person who's stumbled upon the antidote to the green death.

More than thirty years ago Vonnegut offered up this view of the apocalypse, and his foresight was stunning. Some find this book funny, and it's certainly a massively entertaining read--but I found it scary. The threats Vonnegut wrote about in the mid-70's are more real than ever, and technology has only increased the noise level along with our isolation.

But even in this dark world, Vonnegut has let a little light in. His granddaughter is pregnant. And how did she make it halfway across the country in all the chaos to jopin Wilbur? By relying on her computer-generated family. No love, no passion, few expectations--help each other out is all.

Vonnegut is a master. So many of his works are perceived as sophisticated young adult sorts of books, but that certainly shouldn't scare anyone away. The plots are fantastic, the language silly, the characters far from realistic. But there are a lot of layers here, well worth your time.

Vonnegut treads on familiar turf with repeated success in SLAPSTICK. Vonnegut narrates candidly as Wilbur Swain. Wilbur and his twin sister Eliza are born horribly rich and horribly deformed. Their aristocratic parents place them in a secluded New Hampshire estate to hide them from the world and to protect them from their own idiocy. The problem is that as the children grow they hide the fact that together they can communicate and have the intellect of a super genius. Despite this they are seperated and Wilbur goes to Harvard, becomes a doctor, and eventually President of the United States while his sister languishes in a group home. She is eventually released and ends up being killed in an avalanche on a chinese colony on Mars.
The future shows the demise of the United States, the emergance of tiny chinese as the only superpower, and the mass death of humanity due to influenza and the green plague. The story ends with the narration of Wilbur as he sits as the first king of New York.
The tale is as funny as it is outlandish. Vonnegut uses his apocalyptic ordeal to jab at many of society's sacred establishments. He mocks organized religion through his depiction of the "sacred order of the kidnapped Jesus". He manages to criticize marriage, love, patriotism, and the upper class humorously and repeatedly. Even his minor shots are poignant without the hint of subtlety. (One man is not allowed to go to war because the others would not let him escape the responsibility of raising all of his illegitimate children)
Vonnegut's wit is only outmatched by his ability to tell an entertaining story. No matter how far fetched the setting, Vonnegut never loses the reader's interest. The book flys by, you can read this in a day without knowing where the time went. I did. My only complaint was that it was too short. I found myself wondering out loud what happened next? Even those who are not die hard Vonnegut fans will enjoy this book.

This book has spiked my Kurt obsession. It's been declared Kurt's poorly written book, lacking purpose and overall theme. But they must not have been paying attention, or maybe you need to read it at a time in your life when you can understand it, I was drawn to this book for no particular reason. I imagine if i read this book three years ago (age 18) I would have been utterly disappointed, I'm glad I waited, because it's been sitting on my shelf for about the amount of time. It's anti social norm, but it's impossible to not empathesize with the protagonist.
Note: Read and re-read Kurt's prologue/forward.

Common themes: love, Loneliness, a blameless life,(i know no one would probably agree with this) man vs. God (it's not nature, man, or society) science-fiction, set in future.

Tiny Spoiler alert: if you're looking for a happy-go-lucky novel this isn't for you, it's more about the lessons learned.

Vonnegut himself said he couldn't decide if this book was his worst - or his best.
I love this one and it's my favorite Vonnegut book.
In it he actually discusses his own life a good bit, and his relationship with his sister, with whom he was very close. I felt like I had a much better idea of who Vonnegut is after reading this one.
The two main characters are very engaging, and the story is classic Vonnegut -- you gotta love people despite all their faults. The story is post-Apocalyptic, as so many of his stories are, but it has a more positive feel to it than many of them, despite the poor circumstances the people are in.
The message that life goes on is a hopeful one. I found the relationship between the main characters to be very thought-provoking. I think the critics vilified this one when it was first published, and I can't say that if you like Vonnegut you'll love this one -- because even some of his fans didn't like this one so much.
But if you like the idea of 2 soulmates being better together than they are separately, and if you've a fondness for the idiosyncracies of geniuses, you might like this one as much as I did.

This book wrestles with Breakfast of Champions for the title of Best Vonnegut Book. It is the reason why there is truly nobody like him on the bookshelves, and unfortunately there probably never will be again.
The main force of the plot is the story of a freakish brother and sister team who, when they put their heads together, literally, are super-geniuses and are able to dream up the solutions to all of the world's problems. This is the main thread, but the novel is absolutely filled with the funniest, most bizarre series of narrative tangents ever put to paper. From variable gravity to the microscopic Chinese, Vonnegut takes you on the acid-trip of your life, all the while presenting the usual complete characterizations and spot-on riffs on contemporary society.
There's one section of this book that ALWAYS gets me, with the grotestque siblings pretending to be idiots to their parents and handlers, because their genius has told them this is the best way to get by in life. I dunno, I've read a lot and plan on reading plenty more, but I really do think that I will never read another book as purely good as this one. I hope I'm wrong, of course...but I don't think so.

In the prologue, Vonnegut says that he wrote this book based on a dream he had while sleeping on a plane. The book has a dreamy feel to it, kind of a Lucy-in-a-Sky-with-Diamonds quality. The main narrator, Wilbur Daffodil-11 Swain, is a tall and hideously ugly monster. Like other monsters from other books (the monster in Frankenstein, the Devil in Paradise Lost, John Garder's Grendel, Hugo's Hunchback of Notre Dame), Wilbur is rejected from society. Wilbur is fortunate to have a twin sister with whom his interaction (like Yin and Yang), influences the destinies of creatures and things. Humanity, in its apparent self-righteousness and fear, separates the two. Wilbur is still smart enough to become a pediatrician, but he is only a shadow of his potential self.

Vonnegut points out that monsters are okay as long as they don't want respect or to feel included. So, isn't it interesting that Wilbur becomes president of the United States with the campaign slogan of "Lonesome no more" and the platform of assigning each citizen to an extended family. To Vonnegut, a central course for societal improvement is the creation of artificial family groups to connect the masses and alleviate the lonely. In contrast to "individualism" and "objectivism," Vonnegut exalts the premise that life is made easier and more enjoyable when artificial family members are relied upon to provide sustenance and companionship. In Slapstick, Vonnegut proposes that our species is incapable of relationships without artificial governmental intervention. We are insular in our differences and innately callous towards each other.

Briefly after Wilbur's apotheosis to President, the gravitational conditions begin to change like the pressure systems of weather. The United States collapses into kingdoms governed by local lords and there is a civil war. Apparently, Vonnegut does not expect his extended family initiative to end war, but he proposes that war would be more humane since everyone will know they have family members on the other side. During the battle, the soldiers that are hugging newly found relatives outnumber the soldiers that are shooting each other.

As in other Vonnegut books, the ruthless pursuit of knowledge proves dangerous. The Chinese not only disrupt the steady pull of gravity into a debilitating ebb and flow, but they also make themselves smaller and smaller, becoming so small they can be inhaled. Unfortunately, an inhaled Chinese person is not good for you and a rampant new plague is created called Green Death. Eventually, "Green Death" causes the total destruction of everyone in New York City ("Sky Scraper National Park") with the exception of one extended family (Raspberry's) that developed an antidote.

If inhaled china men and sixty-nining sibling monsters does not sound funny to you, then you may want to skip this one. Vonnegut presents the question that has been asked by Mary Shelley, John Milton, John Gardner, Victor Hugo and others: Are we monsters living in an increasingly civilized society, or are we increasingly civilized men living in a monstrous society?

Vonnegut is one of the great American writers of the 20th century. Slapstick is in line with some of his other work, similar in tone to Cat's Cradle. It is a lovely meditation on loneliness in our oversized country and the last president's notion of assigning everybody to an artificially created family almost anticipates social networking. As usual the characters are somewhat grotesque and there is some unwieldy science making life dangerous and difficult. In this case the variability of gravity and the green plague eventually bring on the end of times. The main character is separated from his other half by those who are put in charge of matters because they are for some reason considered wise in a typical Vonnegut examination of absurdity. This is probably what dooms our species because if they are together they are amazingly brilliant and can solve pretty much anything. The ability of Vonnegut to send us laughing toward the apocalypse is unparalleled. I thought the ending was a little more satisfying in some other Vonnegut novels. This one hits a little too close to the truth of the American experience, that lonesome no more is accomplished only in death in our bizarre land.

Slapstick is a true Vonnegut classic. At its simplest, Slapstick is the story of a brother and sister isolated from their family due to birth defects (both mental & physical) and their life's journeys once they are seperated from each other. Of course with any Vonnegut story their are many twists, turns and sub-stories contained within the bigger story. Slapstick is also the comical tale of the end of the world as we know it and what leads us there.

The writing of Slapstick is great and very easy to read. You can read this story in only a few sittings but as with any Vonnegut book the story can get confusing to follow at times. Although I highly recommend reading this book, If you have not read any Vonnegut before I would suggest reading either 'Mother Night' or 'Slaughterhouse 5' first to get acquainted with his unique writing style.

Kurt Vonnegut Jr. is one the literary world's most important and intelligent authors to date. In this tempestuous whirlwind of dark humour and political satire, you meet a pair of horrifically deformed twins born of affluent society. They are kept a secret from their society as long as possible, until society as they know it collapses. Once they are unleashed the true nature of their persons' is exposed.

It is my solemn belief that most people that write off Vonnegut as 'boring' really have not looked deeper into the meaning behind his books. Slapstick is playful energetic, desperately hopeful and moreover quite conceptual in nature. While this is not among what I consider the best three Vonnegut books (Cat's Cradle, Slaughterhouse Five and Mother Night), it certainly is an extremely worthwhile read. If you are a true Vonnegut fan and/or a free thinker you will not be let down by Slapstick.

Kurt Vonnegut Jr. has written many great novels, but this ma y be his best. Mr. Vonnegut turns the world on it's ear and then shows us the absurdity of it all. I found Slapstick t o be both his funniest and finest novel, a work of real huma nity and humor. There were times when my stomach hurt from laghing and on the same page he managed to turn it sour. As lo, there is the style issue. He plays with the reader by s topping and starting and punchates the whole wonderful mess with word hiccups. Hi Ho. In closing, if you have ever re ad and enjoyed black humor, read it at it's best. Slapstick is the best

Slapstick is one of the four best Vonnegut books (** see below), and a "must have". Intriguingly, Vonnegut himself rated this book as inferior, but I (and many, many other fans) disagree vehemently. Vonnegut took great satisfaction is weaving complex undercurrents into his stories, and that complexity is largely absent here, which is perhaps why he disfavoured it.
Still he can have his opinion and I'll have mine. I LOVE this book. Vonnegut first paints a picture of absolutely despair, defeat and alienation, and then magically conjures up a redemption. As with many of KV's works, love and connection between people (and the consequences of its absence) is his dominant theme.
As a general comment on Vonnegut, and Slapstick in particular, Vonnegut realises that often we can best comprehend tragedy when we are laughing. Joseph Heller realised this in Catch-22, as he exposed the horror of war. Here in Slapstick, Vonnegut instead explores the "cancer of loneliness". There is grand and comical farce, but also heart-touching moments of bittersweetness. If you have never experienced loneliness then you won't truly understand this book, but then hey - lucky you.
And the redemption...? I'll let you discover that on your own. I found it truly beautiful.
(** In my opinion the three other members of the "four best Vonnegut's" are: Breakfast of Champions, Slaughterhouse 5 and Cat's Cradle.)

While Vonnegut himself criticized this book, giving it a low grade in his writing report card, I find it to be one of his two best (the other being Galapagos). Slapstick is one of the funniest books I have ever read, in addition to being a stunning example of how forced collectivism would affect the world.
Vonnegut's books often make no sense on purpose. This annoyed me about Vonnegut when reading Slaughterhouse 5 and Breakfast of Champions. However, Slapstick has an impressively coherent plot. For all those who have complained that there is not enough unity or togetherness in the world, this book is an answer. The arbitrary collectivism imposed by the main character is disastrous to the nation. Everything regresses. While Vonnegut claimed to be an advocate of socialism, this book makes a well-defined argument against it. Vonnegut's works are not often read as intensely ideological, merely as humor, but satire implies ideas. This is one of my 20 favorite books, and that is exceedingly high praise.
Vonnegut fans will enjoy the inherent satire in this book, as well as the usual cheap comic gimmicks (yes, you know the phrase involving flying donuts and the mooooooooooooon). However, those who dislike most of Vonnegut's work will find in Slapstick a thorouighly enjoyable, coherent ideological work. Even if you don't generally like Vonnegut's style, this book may very easily surprise you.

Very funny. Vonnegut just keeps on giving. Vonnegut says in the introduction that this book is a close to an autobiography than anything else he is written. If you have read a lot of his works already, knowing this makes it even funnier.

I am almost AFRAID to write this review, as "Slapstick" is my all-time favorite book, and I feel that an amateur review somehow cheapens it.
This story covers a lot of territory in a short period of time, but, as is the case with 99% of Vonnegut's work (I exclude "Timequake"), it is all tied together into one perfectly flowing storyline.
The main theme in "Slapstick" is lonliness, and the inexplicable human condition that forces each individual to search for acceptance into something bigger than just individual identity.
If you've never read a Vonnegut book, this should be your first choice, as it is one of the best examples of Kurt Vonnegut's uncanny ability to make the reader laugh out loud at tragic/sad situations.

"SLAPSTICK OR LONESOME NO MORE," by Kurt Vonnegut is a great satirical and weird story of two ugly twins named Eliza Mellon Swain and Wilbur Rockefeller Swain, who after being parted by their parents and not seeing each other in a long time, went berserk in the reunion. Ironically, neither Eliza nor Wilbur were expected to be intelligent or live more than 14 years old, but who would say that Wilbur would turn out to be the president of the U.S.A. and meet with the king of Michigan. And that Eliza would die at the age of 50 in an avalanche on the outskirts of the chinese colony on the planet Mars. This is a great story put into a bizarre way because "it's the closest thing that Vonnegut will ever come to an autobiography and the way he feels towards life."

I have mixed feelings about Kurt Vonnegut. I always admire the way he writes - his ability to propel me through a book, quickly and effortlessly. I know there will be a few good laughs, some heart-wrenching tragedy, and some wry or clever social commentary. When he is at the top of his game, he is one of the best. I really enjoyed Breakfast of Champions and I consider Slaughterhouse Five to be a masterpiece. So every couple of years, I read another Vonnegut book, hoping to recapture that magic.

But here's the thing - while I like the way Vonnegut writes, I often find myself not really liking the actual story. The plot devices are too silly, too cute, or too absurd to be taken seriously. Or worse, the jokes fall flat or the satire is uninspired.

Slapstick has all of these faults with none of the rewards. After 25 pages, I knew the book was a dud and seriously thought about putting it down. But it is just so easy to read, I kept on, hoping it would improve. But to no avail. If anything, it lost momentum about half-way through the book, when the Wilbur's twin sister, Eliza, moves out of the story. Overall, the plot is foolish and ridiculous. The funny parts aren't that funny, and the sad parts are only occasionally poignant or tragic. Finally, the satire isn't clever or insightful; rather, it feels obligatory and halfhearted.

So I kept thinking, what is the point of this book? That Kurt Vonnegut mourns the loss of his sister, the one person he wrote for? While her death is sad, Slapstick only hints at his pain, so the reader never fully appreciates the extent of his loss.

Perhaps the point is that simple human decency is desirable and the cornerstone of a functional society. Okay. But I already knew that, and this book didn't really do much to show me why I need a reminder.

I found out soon after reading Slapstick that Vonnegut considered it to be one of his worst books. If you love Vonnegut, go ahead and give it a whirl. You'll plow through it in a couple of hours. But if you are new to Vonnegut or just lukewarm on him, give this one a pass.

Hi ho.

Like most of Vonngut's work, Slapstick is a critical look at American values and culture. It's told as a memior from the point of view of the last President of the United States before the fall from a technological height and back toward barbarism...which just might be better after all. While not pinnacle Vonnegut on the level of Mother Night, Cat's Cradle, Breakfast of Champions, God Bless You Mr. Rosewater, or Slaughterhouse-5, it is better than what 99% of what is out there. Highly recommended.

Kurt Vonnegut's Slapstick or Lonesome No More! is an apocalyptic, though somehow light-hearted vision of the future of our planet and the demise of the United States. It is written as the autobiography of Dr. Wilbur Daffodil-11 Swain, former pediatrician, author, and President of the United States who is writing the story from the first floor of the Empire State Building on The Island of Death (a.k.a. Manhattan). In this amusing account, Vonnegut weaves some of his craftiest humor into a story that it strangely devoid of emotion like so many of his other novels. However, if you're expecting anything on the same level as Mother Night or Slaughterhouse-5, you'll be disappointed.
The basic fact of the matter is this: Vonnegut's best is always the most evocative of the world we live in. In this book, he discusses our future as a human race, but in doing this, he fails to show the connection between our current actions and the result in the impending future. In my opinion, that is what makes good satire, and though he manages to deliver a few nice punch lines, the purpose of the tale is murky and ambiguous.
Every once in the while, I felt that I might have finally figured out the real central theme of the novel. For example, when the main character becomes president, he splits the population into "families" so they will be "lonesome no more." However, it is difficult to tell if this is successful through his writing, so the purpose of this incident also becomes muddled under the constant onslaught of his humor. In conclusion, while Slapstick might be good for a laugh, the reader is likely to ask himself after finishing the book "What's the point?"

One-hundred year old, two meter tall Dr. Wilbur Daffodil-11 Swain, former President of the United States who won the election with the campaign slogan "Lonesome No More" sits in his home, the lobby floor of the Empire State Building, wearing a purple toga and writing about his life.
One hundred years before this day, four nippled, twelve-fingered and twelve-toed neanderthaloid twins Wilbur and his sister Eliza laid in the hospital far away from where anyone could see their horrid selves while the doctors conversed on what to do about them and determined that they would not live past 14 years of age.
Vonnegut pieces these two dates together marvelously in this bizarre but incredible novel. Not only is it a fascinating story that you will not want to put down, but it also illustrates some views that will make you really think on family, love, and society. For example, a fabulous quote from this book is "Please-a little less love, and a little more common decency."

I'm not into awarding stars to books, films, etc., but as long as it helps other people know how dear I hold a book within a particular author's bibliography, HEY, LET'S DO IT !! SLAPSTICK, though not a favourite of mine, kicks literary ass !! People from all around the World: KURT VONNEGUT Jr. is not only worth your time, his FUN, FUN, FUN !!

After reading "the second greatest story..." this was a natural progression because of the writing style of bechard (one of his greatest influences was Vonnegut). I spent 3 hours in the bookstore looking for something "worthwhile" and finally come to the "v" section in fiction. I remembered that Vonnegut was a big influence in the last book I had read and really enjoyed so I picked it up and read about 20 pages in the bookstore.
I liked it - it was extremely odd and off the wall but laugh out loud funny. Wilbur (the main character) and his sister are modern day freaks of nature. Monsters you could say.
They are geniuses when put their heads together. All of the concepts of this book are far fetched yet thought provoking and pretty damn amusing.

Kurt Vonnegut out-did himself with SLAPSTICK. All of his books are of the highest literary quality, but this one is amazing in it's scope and irreverance. It seems to take nothing seriously, but manages to keep you interested with its interesting (and amusing) twists. Freakish twin geniuses, microscopic Chinese, pyramids of garbage, fluctuating gravity, trips to Mars, and the end of civilization. What more could you ask for in a book?
ThE MiGhTy In FoRt WaYnE

This is one of my favorite vonnegut novels. It is so absurd it is incredible. His ideas in this book are wacky in a Douglas Adams sort of way. And I really think he's on to something with his ideas about loneliness being the plague of society. The miniature chinese communists are a little less realistic... currently.

The problem I have with most Vonnegut books is that they feel like they've been churned out of a random plot generator machine. I imagine Vonnegut throwing a bunch of scaps in a hat and then challenging himself to string the items together into some sort of book which will then fly off the shelves because he's VONNEGUT, for chrissakes. Sometimes the ideas hang together in interesting and fun ways. Other times they just flop around uselessly, sort of cute but really kind of gross, like a beagle without any legs. The former would be Cat's Cradle. The latter would be Slapstick.

The repetition of hi-ho, which I suppose Vonnegut's idea of being cutesy, drove me crazy by the end of the book. I've seen this sort of writerly tic in some of his other books, and I've never understood why he did it. I get the feeling that he was just looking for filler in a book that was already chock full of nothing anyway.

It was a quick read and vaguely entertaining, but definitely not a book I'd recommend to a friend.

Kurt Vonnegut and his unique style of storytelling takes us on a roller coaster of emotions that combines black comedy with a sweetness that only he can elucidate. I WILL MISS YOU BROTHER KURT as you have kept me hopeful and alive in this cockamamie existence...hi-ho.

This book follows the life of a disfigured mutant ,who becomes president, and his sister, and is as rich in ideas as it is in humor. It's a Plato's Republic for our time.
If you are interested in the world of ideas, interested in better understanding human relationships, and have a mind open to things which you don't agree with, then this book, like the rest of Vonnegut and literature in general, is something you should take a look at.

This book has a surreal element to it. Vonnegut is a master, and his minimilstic style is captivating. He has a strange sense of humor, and that only heightens the brilliance of this book. After reading this book, it's easy to see why he's one of the biggest writers of our time. Four and a half stars are not good enough for this book. And neither is five, but when giving five stars I'm giving a nod towards the perfection of craft that only Kurt can deliver.

Years after his classic 'Cat's Cradle', an apocalyptic novel with such a varied subject matter that it gives Pynchon a run for his money, Vonnegut returns to treat the 'end of the world' once more with 'Slapstick'. Though not as much of a classic as 'Cat's Cradle', 'Slapstick' is very entertaining and gets at the core of Vonnegut's philosophy.
The already-extant reviews encapsulate the plot well, so I'll keep my comments to this. One might well say that the wanna-be idiots at the novel's beginning have little to do with it's strange, Great Society (heh) ending, what comes in between is what matters. The novel will entertain, make you think, keep your brain whirring. Don't listen to the critics; by the time you make the journey and get at the fairy tale ending, you'll know it's good.

This string of lewd, offensive, scarileges classifies as pure blasphemy. It defied all of the principles of a good Christian up-bringing. I have never seen such outrignt abuse of the English language. It was the most humane novel I've read. I loved it.

Slapstick was a great novel because Kurt Vonnegut Showed all characteristics of Wilbur and Eliza and with all their adventures they went through, Kurt Vonnegut said it like if he went through it for real but we all know he would have hade to be some ugly guy for him to go through this.
Hi HO
This book is great even for those who think they had felt some lonely some through out there lives
Hi HO.

The characters were people you felt you truly knew, the plot was the most original I have ever seen, and the writer was of the greatest american writers ever to grace the page with their ink. Vonnegut deserves to be hailed for this, only one of his masterpieces.

the holy grail of vonnegut embodies the best of his ideas. and its the most far out story hes ever written, yet he keeps it closely tied in with events and feelings from his own life. If I only owned one vonnegut book (fat chance) it would be this one, enjoy it for each page is prescious