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Book Review Kurt Vonnegut Welcome to the Monkey House

Book cover from Goodreads

This short-story collectionWelcome to the Monkey House (1968) incorporates nearly completely Vonnegut'southward 1961 "Canary in a Cathouse," which appeared within a few months ofSlaughter-house-V and capitalized upon that quantum novel and the enormous attention it suddenly brought.

Fatigued from both specialized scientific discipline fiction magazines and the big-circulation full general magazines which Vonnegut had been one of the few science writers to sell, the drove includes some of his almost accomplished piece of work from 1950 to 1968. The title story may be his virtually famous—a diabolical government asserts control through compulsory technology removing orgasm from sex—merely Vonnegut's bitterness and wit, not in his earlier work as poisonous or unshielded equally it later became, is well demonstrated.(Goodreads)


I accept been somewhat interested in reading Kurt Vonnegut from five years ago, but I never quite get my easily around it. I was non dauntless enough to actually option any book at random or blatantly believe what the net told me almost which Vonnegut's work I should read. I just don't desire to be picking the wrong book and end up hating the author altogether. And so last twelvemonth, I asked some of my friends from this book order that I was in, which book I should buy now that I was planning to splurge my terminal remaining scholarship money on books. One of those very sweet souls recommend Welcome to the Monkey Business firm;  I thought reading Vonnegut's much shorter works might have given me a better insight, and so begins my journey into the works of Kurt Vonnegut.

That bated, I retrieve that this drove of Vonnegut'due south short stories, for lack of improve words, are amusing indeed. I have to acknowledge that the outset few brusk stories were pretty odd, to say the least, I about gave up the book thinking that perchance (simplymaybe) Vonnegut is not my cup of tea. Simply I'm glad I had kept on reading, because at the finish of the day my overall experience of this book was like a roller coaster ride; at that place was an upward, a down, a flat and a somewhat lopsided feel to it. Take for instanceWelcome to the Monkey Firm which became the championship of this book. Although I get that the betoken of the story was to be satirical and might be a fleck sinister as to how the world would become in the futurity amidst the growing number of population in major countries, I tin can't help but experience disgusted at how the story turns out.

I don't know if by explaining why I was disgusted by the story counts as being spoiling the story for those who haven't read it (and then, if past whatsoever take a chance you oasis't read the story and is planning to read it, do skip this rambling altogether for your own sake), merely here's what I think. At some part of the story in that location was a function where  a sexual intercourse were performed without the full consent of one of the party involved, and this disgust me then much. This to me feels like a kind of rape, and information technology disgust me that the perpetrator in the story feels like he is doing more adept than damage with making the woman take sex with him. To exist completely honest, what actually happens in the story is not as simple as I made information technology out to be, you need to actually read the story to sympathize what I meant, but that aside I notice it a bit sinister that 1 person is doing something to another person without their full consent thinking that it was for the other person's benefits. People should be able to decided what's best for themselves as oppose of having some other person decides for them. Simply, hey, peradventure I shouldn't accept the story too seriously.

But, not all is lost. Some of the stories that I quite enjoyed and quite redeem my awful experience withWelcome to the Monkey HouseandLong Walk to Forever(which to my surprise was actually written by Vonnegut in honouring the marriage that worked, but I notice annoying and against my belief equally a monogamists) had finally emerged in the forms ofThe Foster Portfolio, Miss Temptation, andDeer in the Works which had a surprising ending that I didn't see information technology coming simply somehow resonates the well-nigh to me. On that note, I remember near 20 and thirty something should at least give aDeer in the Works a attempt when jobs feels similar a expressionless end road.

From what I sympathise Kurt Vonnegut is a science fiction writer, amongst beingness known every bit a satirist as well, and you can encounter that within this book there are several strong contenders in science fiction genre, namelyReport on the Barnhouse Effect,The Euphio Question which begs the question about how important happiness is if everything else becomes unimportant, and my personal quirky favouriteUnready to Wear which would totally be interesting had someone is interested in adapting information technology into a movie. Only, above all, ii particular stories struck me the virtually that I shed tears when I finished reading it, let'south give a round of adulation forThe Manned MissilesandEPICAC. The erstwhile will suspension your heart into pieces, while the latter will go out you sobbing in the corner; so if yous're into heart breaking and gut wrenching brusk stories, you can always requite the 2 stories a try.

Bottom line is, if you're venturing into Kurt Vonnegut for the first fourth dimension, like I am, I suggest to requite this book a endeavor. And if you're into brusque stories, and you enjoy a diverse pick of genre in one unmarried volume, you should besides give this book a try; caput'due south upward, the whole basic theme of the stories are science fiction, merely with different twists in each story.


Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆

Championship: Welcome to the Monkey House

Writer: Kurt Vonnegut

Genre: Classics, Fiction, Humour, Science Fiction, Short Stories

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Source: https://nopagegetsleftbehind.wordpress.com/2016/05/18/book-review-welcome-to-the-monkey-house-by-kurt-vonnegut/

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