book data
1671 ratings, 3.70 average rating, 66 reviews
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published
September 2nd 1999
by G.P. Putnam's Sons
binding
Hardcover, 306 pages
isbn
0224060511
(isbn13: 9780224060516)
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avg 3.70
Read in July, 2008
This book is a collection of some of Vonnegut's earliest short stories, written for weekly and monthly magazines. They're interesting as a perspective on this era, when "serious" literary authors, or at least burgeoning ones, wrote for magazines, as well as writing full-length novels. They're also an interesting look into Vonnegut's earliest writing style (although he admits in a postscript that he could not help editing the ending of many of the chapters). That being said, they're not...more
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Read in February, 2007
I picked this book up at the beginning of the year. Having read Timequake a while back, I thought it was about time I read some more of Vonneguts work, this seemed to be a good place to start. A great collection of all his early short stories which had been published in various American literary magazines over the years, it's a wonderful insight into his beginnings of a novelist. The detail of emotion and feeling which he puts into the many personalities in the book leaves you with no doubt tha...more
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Read in April, 2003
recommends it for:
Vonnegut Fans
Did you like "Slaughter House Five" and "Cat's Cradle"? Were you like me and totally blown away by the 4th wall breaking in "Breakfast Of Champions"? Well then scale back your expectations before you crack open "Bagombo Snuff Box".
These are stories written back in Vonnegut's magazine days, and as such are far more reserved than the stories he would later become a legend for.
Not to deny it's good qualities. For Vonnegut completists it's a fascinatin...more
These are stories written back in Vonnegut's magazine days, and as such are far more reserved than the stories he would later become a legend for.
Not to deny it's good qualities. For Vonnegut completists it's a fascinatin...more
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Read in August, 2008
recommends it for:
big Vonnegut fans, short story loves, and aspiring writers.
While not nearly as stunning a collection as, "Welcome to the Monkey House," "Bagombo Snuff Box," offers up something completely different an very inspiring in its own right: an author finding his voice. I think this is the book that has proved to me that good writers are not born, but rather talent, craft, and practice helps to make them. Many of these stories don't glide off of the page the way that Vonnegut's famous novels do. In fact, many of these stories are told in ...more
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Read in August, 2008
I really enjoyed these short stories. These aren't sconce fiction except for one or two stories. It demonstates Vonnegut's mastery of storytelling. He could make a rock sound intersting. I love his introductions and epilogues. It really delves into the root of all of his stories and demonstates he doesn't take himself too seriously. These are the stories he had written before and during his first major novel, player piano. Many of the characters, plots and settings are revisited in depth in his ...more
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Read in July, 2004
recommends it for:
Vonnegut fans looking to explore the breadth of his writings
I bought Bagombo Snuff Box after determining the local library didn't have it. I'm on a Vonnegut kick at the moment and was looking forward to reading something new.
Unfortunately, this collection doesn't quite compare with Welcome to the Monkey House, IMHO. Most of the stories are from earlier in his career, when he was writing short stories for magazines to support his family. It's certainly not hack writing, but the tr...more
Unfortunately, this collection doesn't quite compare with Welcome to the Monkey House, IMHO. Most of the stories are from earlier in his career, when he was writing short stories for magazines to support his family. It's certainly not hack writing, but the tr...more
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Yet another short story collection. These are just as good as the ones in Welcome To The Monkey House. Some of the stories are even extensions of his others.
This is an essential sequal to Monkey House.
This is an essential sequal to Monkey House.
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Rather than review every single book by an author, I'll just make a general overview of why I like him or her.
Mr. Vonnegut had a unique talent - his writings could be sparse; he wasn't one for inflating his stories with what is essentially useless information (I remember reading a P.D. James story once (or trying to) and thinking, Why is she spending two pages describing a fireplace and a rug?). Mr. V's stories always came from the heart and dealt with the human condition, no matter the set...more
Mr. Vonnegut had a unique talent - his writings could be sparse; he wasn't one for inflating his stories with what is essentially useless information (I remember reading a P.D. James story once (or trying to) and thinking, Why is she spending two pages describing a fireplace and a rug?). Mr. V's stories always came from the heart and dealt with the human condition, no matter the set...more
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Read in June, 2008
Certainly not the Best of Vonnegut, not even the Best of Early Vonnegut (that would be Welcome to the Monkey House). This book is good if you're interested in seeing Vonnegut as a young writer learning to write, before he became the genius of Breakfast of Champions and especially, Slaughterhouse-Five. Even Vonnegut wasn't crazy about these stories. He admits in his Afterward that he felt embarrassed enough by 3 of them to rewrite their endings before their p...more
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Read in July, 2008
This is a group of short stories by Vonnegut. The most interesting aspect of this book, in my opinion, is that the stories seem somewhat safer or maybe more mainstream than Vonnegut's great novels. Of course, these stories were written before those novels so... The stories were good and captured a lot of what was wrong with post-war culture in America, especially in the Northeastern cities. They also provide a glimpse of not so much where Vonnegut would venture with his work but a picture of ...more
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Read in June, 2008
recommends it for:
Humans
Wonderfully fun collection of Vonnegut's earliest short stories, found originally in a wide variety of 1950 and 60's periodicals. Numerous characters found in Bagombo appear later in other work by Vonnegut, both shorts and novels. While some stories are laugh out loud funny, others take dark twists that would leave any reader feeling a bit uncomfortable! Well ahead of his time, both scientifically and socially, Vonnegut's shorts offer valuable insight and a hilarious alternate perspective on ...more
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This was sitting on the table by my bed for a while because I was still too morose over Kurt Vonnegut's death to reread it. But I did finish it, and it's good - if you liked Welcome to the Monkey House, you'll like this. The earlier stories are a little gimmicky, unfortunately (too many twist endings), but they really get better as he gets into his own style, especially in the case of the two he rewrote years later.
I'm still a sucker for a Helmholtz story.
I'm still a sucker for a Helmholtz story.
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maybe i'm really not a short story person and then again maybe vonnegut's a better novelist than a short story writer but it took me months to get through this collection and there were few stories that i found myself really wanting to finish except to get on to the next one. i was consistently disappointed and found myself on an 8 hour flight where i'd rather watch something called "wildhogs" than read vonnegut. i didn't even think that was possible.
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Read in January, 2000
recommends it for:
those who find this review appealing to them.
This book, while being sort of the odds & ends of K.V.'s short stories, has a great introduction on the crafting of a great short story, which he wrote himself. It offers cool perspective on the subject for those of us who didn't study writing outside of high school, and the stories are great pre-cursors/sort of works-in-progress to some of his early novels, and many of the characters that would appear many more times over his literary career.
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Read in August, 2008
A great glimpse into pre-novel pre-full-time writer Kurt Vonnegut's view on 1950's America.
I had so much fun reading these simple but poignant stories, some of which take place in 20th Centurey America, other in a slightly-sci-fi version of the not-so-distant future. The biggest value of this book comes from Vonnegut's Introduction to the collection at the beginning, and his Coda to his career as a periodicals writer at the end.
I had so much fun reading these simple but poignant stories, some of which take place in 20th Centurey America, other in a slightly-sci-fi version of the not-so-distant future. The biggest value of this book comes from Vonnegut's Introduction to the collection at the beginning, and his Coda to his career as a periodicals writer at the end.
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Amusing and equally-satirical short stories.
"If only I hadn't wandered out here," she said. "If only I'd stayed up there!"
"One of the worst mistakes a person can make, sometimes, I guess," he said, "is to try to get away from people and think. It's a great way to lose your forward motion."
"The band is playing so softly I can hardly hear the music," she said.
-- Find Me a Dream
I have such a crush on Vonnegut's modest casanovas.
"If only I hadn't wandered out here," she said. "If only I'd stayed up there!"
"One of the worst mistakes a person can make, sometimes, I guess," he said, "is to try to get away from people and think. It's a great way to lose your forward motion."
"The band is playing so softly I can hardly hear the music," she said.
-- Find Me a Dream
I have such a crush on Vonnegut's modest casanovas.
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Read in January, 2007
This is a collection of short stories that are all kind of... well... boring except for one, which is absolutely incredible. That story is called 2BRO2B. This story is a crazy futuristic dystopian society that turns out so creepy it rocks! You could probably find this story without buying the whole book. It would be worth your time to skip the others. They are okay, but nothing special.
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Read in October, 2008
This book is a collection of Vonnegut's early writings for magazines before he got published. There were traces of how good he was going to become, but a lot of the short stories were not very refined. Since I have read most of Vonnegut's books, it was interesting to see how he progressed from these stories to where he later was.
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Good book. Solid Vonnegut. But this is a book of short stories, and halfway in, the stories become formulaic and the voice a little tiring. Not to be avoided, but I think Vonnegut's novels are better. This is like a book of ideas for novels that never took shape. Except almost all of them would result in the same novel.
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Read in July, 2007
recommends it for:
Vonnegut Fans
Kurt Vonnegut has always had a unique, simple-to-read style that makes him a favorite among many readers. This collection of short stories is full of the best of Vonnegut, including his ability to create characters full of flaws.
This book has several excellent short stories, some good ones and a few "eh" ones.
This book has several excellent short stories, some good ones and a few "eh" ones.
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quotes from this book
"Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water."
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