Mother Night: A Novel
by Kurt Vonnegut
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Book Reviews of Mother Night: A Novel
Book Review: "We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be."
Summary: 5 Stars
... With this simple thesis that Vonnegut lays out in the introduction to his stellar "Mother Night," we are entered into the morally complex world of Howard W. Campbell, Jr. You see, Campbell acted as a spy for the U.S. during WWII, but he was so deep under cover that even the American government has no evidence that he was actually working for them, that the broadcasts he was making on Nazi radio contained coded messages for American intelligence. There is only one man who can save Campbell from his trial, and he has no idea who he really is or how to contact him. Now, looking back on his life, Campbell begins to understand how morally suspect he is, no matter what his intentions were. In posing as a Nazi Campbell was party to some terrible atrocities that he, as well as the reader, must come to terms with and decide if he is a hero or just as bad as the villains he was ostensibly helping us fight. Is his plight tragic or deserved? Vonnegut, in top form, weaves together a compelling tale with his typical blend of dark humor and drama in what is, in my most humble opinion, his best novel ever -- and with a canon that includes "Slaughterhouse Five," "Breakfast of Champions," and "God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater," that is really saying something. An absolute must read.Book Review: Not Hero, not Anti-hero.
Summary: 5 Stars
To be bad one must somewhat be enjoying it.
Clearly Mr Campbell enjoys his life in Nazi Germany. He is a thriving screenplay writer, in a time when theater was to people what Cinema is today to us.
The Nazi elite admires his work, and to put it in his own words, they were influential people, that would protect and foster his own art.
So how does one turns against the very people that admire and grant him prosperity?
Well, Mr Campbell doesn't really. He starts to cooperate with the US army but not out of any moral ground. He doesn't hate the Nazis, he doesn't love them either. All he cares about is his writing and his wife. And that's enough for him. But his skills are demanded by both sides. The Nazis want him for the Propaganda, and the US as a spy. So he starts to work for both. And he is loyal to both.
When the war is over his world doesn't exist anymore. The only remaining thing is his secret tie with the victorious US army. This will save him from been hanged with the others and grant him freedom to to live in the US. But what life lies ahead?
This book is very entertaining, disturbing and deep at the same time. And all this while being funny and humorous. Please read it!
Book Review: Mother Night: A Though-Provoking Look at Ethics and Morality
Summary: 5 Stars
Kurt Vonnegut's novels are famous for their commentary on society, and their examination of morality, and ethics. Mother Night is no different; placing the reader into the mind of an ex-playwright turned propagandist, and a former nazi. The story is told from the point of view of Howard W. Campbell Jr., now living in seclusion in 1960 Manhattan. Campbell lived in Germany during WWII and is approached by an undercover American spy, who instructs Campbell to infiltrate the Nazis, and act as a propagandist. He is told that his broadcasts will provide the US with intelligence, depending on his enunciation, and the nuances in the speech. Campbell does as he is told, and when WWII ends, his contact disappears and he is wanted for war crimes. He flees from authorities and hides in America.
Throughout the novel, Campbell seems to be the only character who feels remorse for his actions, although he did nothing wrong. Campbell's deep-seated feelings of remorse and guilt despite his innocence increase as the novel progresses, and when his innocence is finally proved, he makes a surprising choice.
Book Review: "Vonnegut: You can't read just one!"
Summary: 5 Stars
I've been on a Vonnegut binge as of late, reading a novel a week in what has become a sort of obsession. Mother Night is by far his most compasionate novel. It's a bittersweet tale of a misunderstood American Nazi Propagandist spy (working for the U.S., only nobody can know this) named Howard W. Campbell (Jr.) After the war, he is forced to live in solitude in any place he wishes. He chooses New York City, where his hopes of being lost in the crowd go unfulfilled. He lives the rest of his days in peace and solitude. That is untill he gets a knock on the door from some old war buddies. Now, one would imagine that living with the pain and anguish of causing millions of deaths would get to a person after a while. Only this is not the case for Howard W. Campbell (Jr.). He seeks solace in a love lost. In some of the most heartbreaking scenes ever written on a piece of dead tree. Mother Night is a must read for anyone looking for insight into the human condition (as are all Vonnegut novels!).Pick up Mother Night, and prepare to become a die hard Vonnegut fan all over again.
Book Review: Vonnegut had rarely done better
Summary: 5 Stars
Howard Campell, Jr., is an american spy in Nazi Germany. To hide this fact he takes the job of broadcasting english-language nazi propaganda to american troops as "the last free american" (and uses coughs and hiccups in the antisemitic rants he broadcasts as a way to transmit secret info to american intelligence services.) The result? The most important american spy of the war is universally despised as a traitor and lives his life hiding from vengence-seeking victims of the Nazis... from soviet spies who want to prove the US "harbors nazis"... and even worse, from neo-nazi nutcases who want to crown him as a new Fuehrer. Who will catch him first? And then what?Hunted by all the wrong people for all the wrong reasons, condemned as evil for doing the right thing, Howard Campell, Jr., is in an excellent situation to reflect on the absurdity and irony of life, and on how much evil is done by those who think they are doing good. Dark, disturbing, and at the same time extremely funny, Vonnegut had rarely done better.