I recently finished Cat’s Cradle (second Vonnegut book after Breakfast of Champions) and I found it quite bad. All the characters were one dimensional cardboard cutouts Vonnegut uses to expound his views in a condescending and arrogant manner. This book just beats shallow nihilism over the reader’s head the entire time while ignorantly bashing on those with different views. Honestly, I’m shocked that this book is acclaimed. Its ideas and writing make it seem like it was written by an edgy high school student.
i like his speech/essay/article collection Palm Sunday much more than I expected to after reading vast swathes of his fiction. the fiction doesn’t appeal to me either. in his straight pieces he dispenses with most of that overdone whimsy and gets to the point. that’s much more to my personal taste.
I also found his fiction to be overpoweringly American. there’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s another point of disconnection for me.
brace yourself 😋. people hate it when you criticize Vonnegut. some of his most serious disciples can’t deal with the idea at all.