Mother Night: A Novel
by Kurt Vonnegut
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Book Reviews of Mother Night: A Novel
Book Review: His best?..
Summary: 5 Stars
Simply brilliant.
Howard W. Campbell writes this story from an Israeli prison where he is about to be tried for war crimes,- being a collaborator broadcasting propaganda from Berlin during the Second World War. From the beginning Campbell admits that he is guilty of what he is being charged with.
The book is full of Vonnegut humour and killer satire and it has a moral:
We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.
This is more accessible than Slaughterhouse 5 I feel and I would suggest that if you haven't read "5" yet, you read this and then move on to "5".
What this book really made me do was wonder,would Vonnegut have been able to write these wonderful books if he hadn't been through the physical and mental hell that he endured in Dresden.
Book Review: A witty and satirical book.
Summary: 4 Stars
This book is about a man named George W. Campbell, Jr. who is an American by birth and German by heart. He is telling his story from a jail cell in Russia. Campbell tells of his life before moving to Germany, the great love between him and his wife, Helga, his experience of neing a spy for the United States in World War II as a radio broadcaster, and how he was hunted afterwards for being accused of being a traitor to humanity. There are many strange events that take place that will either make you think or giggle. In the end, Campbell's love for his Helga is his only inspiration to go on. I think this book will provide much humor to you as does many of Vonnegut's works do. It also mentions many incidences and ideas that happened in World War II. I recommend this book, especially to readers who enjoy historical fiction.Book Review: Another Excellent Book
Summary: 4 Stars
Vonnegut starts out this book with a warning : "We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be." This story follows the life of an American playwright, Howard W. Campbell Jr., who happens to live in Germany during the Nazi regime. He is confronted by the Americans to work as a spy, sending secret messages through a radio broadcast. He agrees to this but at the same time his broadcasts are filled with propaganda, all in favor of Hitler and his actions. True to Vonnegut's style, the plot gets more and more twisted as the story goes on, ending with Campbell in an Israeli prison. This was a wonderfully well written novel with action and intrigue that made it hard to put down! Each time I finish one of Vonnegut's novels, I find myself longing to head back to the library to find another one.Book Review: An underrated Vonnegut
Summary: 5 Stars
When you hear about the best works of Vonnegut, Mother Night rarely makes the list. But really, I think it's actually one of his best books. I've read Cat's Cradle, Slaughterhouse-5, and Breakfast of Champions, and of the four, this is definitely the most "conventional" novel. By "conventional," I mean that it doesn't employ the extremely experimental storytelling techniques of Slaughterhouse-5, yet it still retains the dark humor that Vonnegut is famous for. It is also the only book of Vonnegut's that I have finished and felt that I completely understood--there is a very clear moral.
If you haven't read any Vonnegut before, most people would suggest that you read Slaughterhouse-5. But in my opinion, Mother Night is a better starting point. It is an extremely entertaining read.
Book Review: Great
Summary: 5 Stars
Mother Night is one of Vonnegut's best and especially after reading Breakfast of Champions, this one surprised me. Vonnegut has best range of a writer that I have ever seen( or read in this case). In Breakfast Of Champions, he throws you into the modern day world and doesn't expect you to really take any of this seriously. In Mother Night he takes you on the journey of Howard W. Cambell Jr., through his time as a playwrite and author before the war, through his happy times with his wife,Helga, through his recruit ment by a dissapearing american soldier,and so on.Anyway I thought it was going to be hard to take this into heart, but I ended up beleiving every word. Mother Night is not only a great Vonnegut book, but a great read in itself, pick it up you won't be dissapointed.Hiho.