Breakfast of Champions

Kurt Vonnegut's 7th novel and followed his most and popular. How did he go? Not too bad at all in this reader's opinion.

Free will is as ever to the front and centre of his work, with mental illness a major theme in this novel. It was initially hard to tell the direction this novel would take, as it began as a satire on what he may have thought of the life of US citizens at the time of writing. Some may say nothing has changed, some may not. What do I know? Nothing, as I have never lived there. As the story took shape it was certainly very funny at times, and with all Vonnegut's writing so far more ideas driven with absurdist plot than some literary attempt at fine writing. Vonnegut is not subtle, he just bangs the reader around the head.

The story reached a climax in that an unknown Sci Fi writer meets a spiralling into madness used car salesman who read the writer's meaning of life novel and goes on a rampage as he interprets the book, called Now It Can Be Told, I laughed out loud at that, as a truth that we are all robots and lack free will. Is this a comment about some of mankind's absolute faith in religious dogma as fact? I think so.

I did enjoy the crappy little line drawings on the way through. They kind of made the satire more satirical.

Recommended to the Vonnegut reader as they will get a lot out of this one.



My review of number 1 Player Piano.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6205354368
My review of number 2 The Sirens Of Titan here. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6267103559
My review of number 3 Mother Night here.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6287961968
My review of number 4 Cats Cradle here.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/231371451
My review of number 5 God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater here
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/231371734
My review of number 6 Slaughter House Five
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/231370983