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Slaughterhouse Five Hardcover – March 28, 2019

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 36,208 ratings

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50th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL EDITION

As a young man and a prisoner of war, Kurt Vonnegut witnessed the 1945 US fire-bombing of Dresden in Germany, which reduced the once proudly beautiful city to rubble and claimed the lives of thousands of its citizens.

For many years, Kurt tried to write about Dresden but the words would not come. When he did write about it, he combined his trademark humour, unfettered imagination, boundless humanity and keen sense of irony to create one of the most powerful anti-war books every written, and an enduring American classic.

This special edition is published with notes of appreciation from some of the book''s ardent fans (Kate Atkinson, Richard Herring, Robin Ince) as well as fascinating extra material from Vonnegut''s archive which casts light on the genesis, reception and enduring influence of an iconic American classic.

Design © DIEGO BECAS

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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Vintage Classics (March 28, 2019)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 178487485X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1784874858
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.07 x 1.02 x 5.71 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 36,208 ratings

About the author

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Kurt Vonnegut
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Kurt Vonnegut was a writer, lecturer and painter. He was born in Indianapolis in 1922 and studied biochemistry at Cornell University. During WWII, as a prisoner of war in Germany, he witnessed the destruction of Dresden by Allied bombers, an experience which inspired Slaughterhouse Five. First published in 1950, he went on to write fourteen novels, four plays, and three short story collections, in addition to countless works of short fiction and nonfiction. He died in 2007.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
36,208 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book engaging and thought-provoking. They describe it as a classic with a humorous tone that provides good comic relief. The story is described as an anti-war novel that touches on the horrors of war. Readers appreciate the creative, whimsical, and unusual writing style. They also mention that the time travel aspect is interesting.

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1,280 customers mention "Readability"1,114 positive166 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and engaging. They appreciate the brilliant storytelling and clear writing style. The author's point of view is described as phenomenal. Readers describe the book as a classic with beautiful writing and no fluff.

"...It's fine. It does some clever stuff. It's a decent attempt to make a movie out of a book that wants very badly to stay a book...." Read more

"...glad I finished this gym—what a quirky, confusing, inspiring, and memorable story." Read more

"Great book enjoyed reading a classic." Read more

"Great book and a fantastic layout" Read more

298 customers mention "Thought provoking"270 positive28 negative

Customers find the book thought-provoking and engaging. They appreciate the philosophical content, subtle commentary on scripture, and poignant observations about the human condition. The book covers a range of concepts from war to science fiction and constantly surprises the reader with its creative writing style.

"...It's fine. It does some clever stuff. It's a decent attempt to make a movie out of a book that wants very badly to stay a book...." Read more

"...I’m glad I finished this gym—what a quirky, confusing, inspiring, and memorable story." Read more

"...Interesting in the approach from the perspective of an American POW trapped there during the bombing...." Read more

"...How to describe it? Silly, empathetic, philosophical, observant, whimsical, searing, unapologetic...." Read more

232 customers mention "Humor"210 positive22 negative

Customers enjoy the humor in the book. They find the characters amusing and the writing style humorous. The book is described as a thoughtful tale of dark reflective humor with a unique writing style.

"...Part war story, part science fiction, and part bizarro, observational comedy, I couldn't explain it concisely if I tried...." Read more

"...unstuck in time, and you will too as you read this thoughtful tale of dark reflective humor...." Read more

"...forever living with that memory and hence this rather comical piece of a science fiction novel came as a result of this historic event...." Read more

"...: it conveys it's painfully serious message through absurd and hilarious means--a text-book technique in the world of satire and a more basic tenant..." Read more

197 customers mention "Anti-war story"180 positive17 negative

Customers find the book an insightful look into war and its consequences. They describe it as an anti-war novel that explores the absurdity of warfare and its consequences. The book is described as an essential part of 20th century fiction, revealing the destructive power of war in a different way.

"...What a weird and quirky novel. Part war story, part science fiction, and part bizarro, observational comedy, I couldn't explain it concisely if I..." Read more

"...There is much made of this being an anti-war book, and certainly there is that aspect within the pages...." Read more

"...In Vonnegut's story telling he interweaves science fiction...." Read more

"...classes, Slaughterhouse Five is considered by many to be the ultimate anti-war satire, a story that scolds the meaning of all war..." Read more

153 customers mention "Creativity"133 positive20 negative

Customers find the book creative. They describe it as a concentrated work of art with whimsical and unusual writing style. The illustrations are simple, hand-drawn images of objects. Readers appreciate the unique and original style.

"...How to describe it? Silly, empathetic, philosophical, observant, whimsical, searing, unapologetic...." Read more

"...piece of illustrated literature I'd read, but all the quirky illustrations were simple, hand-drawn images of objects I never expected to be depicted..." Read more

"...Dresden was a beautiful city, the very cultural center of Germany on the river Elbe, and had absolutely no military value...." Read more

"...Not a sentence is wasted. No fluff. Nothing flowery or uninteresting. Nothing overly complex...." Read more

106 customers mention "Time travel"94 positive12 negative

Customers enjoy the time travel in the book. They find the concept interesting, describing it as a science fiction/psychological crossbreed about time travel, aliens, philosophy, and war. The idea of time being cyclical and happening all at once is appreciated. Readers appreciate the tightly knit timelines as the story progresses.

"...From a science fiction perspective, the book has some neat passages about time travel, the fourth dimension and how life would be if time was..." Read more

"...But, as the book progressed, the timelines became more closely knitted; the book became more understandable and therefore more readable...." Read more

"...- but on a much larger level it is a twisted science fiction/psychological cross breed about time travel, aliens, philosophy, war, perspective, life..." Read more

"...this author's attempt to (if even for a moment) alter the reader's perception of time thorough a story that feels both fiction, non-fiction, meta,..." Read more

90 customers mention "Sadness"75 positive15 negative

Customers find the book heart-wrenching and humorous. They describe it as a classic that evokes a full range of emotions from horror to tragedy. The book is described as profound, revealing a rare glimpse behind emotional damage and coping skills. Readers describe it as simple yet complex, challenging with dark themes and connections to history.

"...I’m glad I finished this gym—what a quirky, confusing, inspiring, and memorable story." Read more

"...of Vonnegut - moralistic yet nihilistic, pointless yet poignant, heartbreaking, uproarious, and deeply human while at the same time bizarre and alien..." Read more

"A challenging book with dark themes and connections to history. It’s sad and tense...." Read more

"...It has a symmetry and repetition that is endearing and captivating rather than annoying...." Read more

235 customers mention "Plot"76 positive159 negative

Customers have different views on the plot. Some find it intriguing and complex, while others feel it lacks a compelling narrative. The story is described as bizarre, ambiguous, and complex.

"...It's ultimately pretty forgettable, even to people who remember George Roy Hill's better movies...." Read more

"...I’m glad I finished this gym—what a quirky, confusing, inspiring, and memorable story." Read more

"...The disparate plot (what little there is) tells the strange life of Billy Pilgrim, a WWII veteran who lived through the bombing of Dresden, one of..." Read more

"...is that the story Vonnegut tells resembles war itself: a kaleidoscope of insanity, a series of Cubist paintings set in motion, with little apparent..." Read more

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3 out of 5 stars
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Moldy and annotated. Barely acceptable condition
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2025
    This is one of the best books of the 20th century and is widely recognized as such. But here's the beginning of the product description here:

    "Adapted for a magnificent George Roy Hill film three years later (perhaps the only film adaptation of a masterpiece which exceeds its source)"

    I was so intrigued by this weird description of a beloved classic as somehow inferior to a movie I didn't know existed by a forgotten director that I tracked down a copy of that George Roy Hill film. It's fine. It does some clever stuff. It's a decent attempt to make a movie out of a book that wants very badly to stay a book. It's ultimately pretty forgettable, even to people who remember George Roy Hill's better movies. It doesn't show any aliens or really even any bombing, so there's nothing to recommend it over the book. Congratulations to George Roy Hill's son or whoever wrote that description in getting to me to pick up a copy of the movie, though.
    6 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2025
    The book was interesting at first, but I lost interest for a while. I forced myself to finish it, mainly because of its popularity and the fact that I hate quitting things. The story became more complicated and confusing, yet interesting. I’m glad I finished this gym—what a quirky, confusing, inspiring, and memorable story.
  • Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2025
    Great book enjoyed reading a classic.
  • Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2025
    Great book and a fantastic layout
  • Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2025
    Interesting memoir of the WW II bombing of Dresden by the English. Interesting in the approach from the perspective of an American POW trapped there during the bombing. Yet the story loses historical significance by bouncing around with stories within a story about the "hero" being a time-traveling optometrist from upstate NY, who claims to have been kidnapped by aliens from a fictional planet named Trafalmadore. The reader has trouble following which decade or state of mind he's in, as do his family members and contemporaries. Odd to the point where any point the author was attempting to make is as obscure as the purpose of including Trafalmadorians as a species worth knowing anything about.
  • Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2021
    I read this novel as a young man and again later in my 30s. I thought I'd give it another read to see if it's as strange as I'd remembered. What a weird and quirky novel. Part war story, part science fiction, and part bizarro, observational comedy, I couldn't explain it concisely if I tried. The disparate plot (what little there is) tells the strange life of Billy Pilgrim, a WWII veteran who lived through the bombing of Dresden, one of the most horrific events of WWII. But he soon becomes "unstuck in time" and we careen back and forth throughout his life: his time as an optometrist, his time in WWII, the time he was abducted by aliens called Tralfamadorians, who see the entirety of time all at once. Strange story. Is Billy’s unstuck state an analogy for insanity? Could be. Vonnegut (he is the narrator of the novel and appears in the Dresden part of the story) tells this strange story with an empathetic lilt as he retells many of the disturbing events that Billy and the other characters endure, punctuating any mention of death with his well-known phrase, "So it goes."

    Since the Tralfamadorians see time as a whole and not in a linear fashion, I imagine that’s how Vonnegut approached this story. Told in sections that are out of order (literally and figuratively), the one thing that is a constant is Vonnegut’s narrative voice. How to describe it? Silly, empathetic, philosophical, observant, whimsical, searing, unapologetic. A hilariously observant passage finds Billy Pilgrim in a train car filled with war prisoners during WWII. He’s sitting next to a hobo who is not a prisoner; he’s just on the train for the ride. The train car is filthy, despondent, cold, and the prisoners are hungry, tired, dejected. The hobo tells Billy, “This ain’t bad. This ain’t nothing at all.” It’s all in your perspective, Vonnegut seems to offer the reader. So it goes.

    I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and I highly recommend it. I would give this novel 5 stars.
    10 people found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

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  • A. Therrien
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book
    Reviewed in Canada on January 8, 2025
    This is a good read, would recommend.
  • Israel Mar Martinez
    5.0 out of 5 stars Recommended
    Reviewed in Mexico on October 13, 2024
    It was an awesome book, I enjoyed it a lot.
  • Sertan
    2.0 out of 5 stars Hasarlı ürün.
    Reviewed in Turkey on November 29, 2024
    Kitabın basımı, sayfaların rengi, font gerçekten hoş lakin ürünüm hasarlı geldi, arka tarafı ezilmiş neredeyse yırtılmış bir kondisyondaydı. Ancak gelmesini heyecanla beklediğim için geri iade etmek ya da değişim sürecini beklemek istemiyorum o nedenle buruk bir şekilde okuyorum.
  • Binding is not upto the mark. Pages are almost coming out as I read.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Book binding
    Reviewed in India on May 16, 2024
    Binding is not upto the mark. Pages are coming
    out as I read.
  • Raquel
    5.0 out of 5 stars Muy bueno
    Reviewed in Spain on May 2, 2024
    Me gusta mucho esta autor. Recomendado 100%. Buena edición.