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Welcome To The Monkey ...
 
by
Kurt Vonnegut

Welcome To The Monkey House

4.09 of 5 stars 4.09  ·  rating details  ·  26,103 ratings  ·  938 reviews
This short-story collection Welcome to the Monkey House (1968) incorporates almost completely Vonnegut’s 1961 “Canary in a Cathouse,” which appeared within a few months of Slaughterhouse-Five and capitalized upon that breakthrough novel and the enormous attention it suddenly brought.

Drawn from both specialized science fiction magazines and the big-circulation general magaz...more
Mass Market Paperback, 308 pages
Published 1973 by Dell Publishing (first published 1968)
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Tracey
Previously read June 2003 (among many other times)

Like many offbeat/outcast teens, I went through a Vonnegut phase - and am glad to say I never completely recovered. I would heartily recommend Welcome to the Monkey House for anyone new to Vonnegut's body of work, as it covers basically the first two decades of his career (and IMHO, the best years)

It contains an honest-to-goodness love story - "Long Walk to Forever" that always makes me sniffle a little. Then there's the familiarly sardonic "Rep...more
Evan
This collection of early short stories, mostly from the 1950s, displays Vonnegut's versatility--of subject matter, theme, and style; and also his grasping for an identifiable, unique personal style. At this point, he already is a mature, assured writer. Except for possibly "The Manned Missiles" (which nonetheless has the same clever twist ending as many of the other stories in this collection) all of the stories in this compilation are great. Vonnegut's command of narrative and descriptive detai...more
Seak (Bryce L.)
Vonnegut does a wonderful job with a short story and while most stories were "okay" to "yeah, I liked it I guess", it's definitely worth it for the few 4 to 5 star ratings.

"Where I Live" (Venture- Traveler’s World, October 1964) - 2/5 Kinda boring and no real plot. Just meandering
"Harrison Bergeron" (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, October 1961) - 5/5 Loved this one - science fiction - Handicapping people so everything is fair and no one can take unfair advantage because of their lo...more
Dan
I could write a long review and talk about every short story in this collection, but I'm not going to do that. There are just too many good stories in this collection. My personal favorite was probably "Harrison Bergeron" but I would have to think about that. It's not necessary that I have a "favorite" per se, but my mind just works that way.

If you're a Vonnegut fan, you've probably read this. If you've never read Vonnegut, give it a shot. It's a great way to start your journey into his mind. He...more
Justin
I heard once from an old English teacher that the hardest pieces to write are short stories and short films. To develop a plot and characters in a short and constricted time frame requires no small amount of skill. There's no room to waste words and phrases; to do so would turn your short story into a novella. Poe was great at it. And I feel Vonnegut was great at it too.

Welcome to the Monkey House has been a favorite book of mine for a long time. I may have inadvertently acquired this copy from...more
David
Aseara dupa ce am intrat in posesia cartii, mi-am spus "hai sa vad cum incepe". Am citit prefata (semnata de autor) si nu m-am mai oprit pina nu am terminat primele 5 povestiri, printre care si Harrison Bergeron o scurta distopie de tip orwellian, absolut tulburatoare, de care eram interesat in mod deosebit dupa ce am vazut ecranizarea-i superba in filmul de 25 de minute, 2081.

In mare, filmul respecta povestea, dar, nu reuseste sa redea latura ironica existenta in povestire — un amanunt nesemni...more
Jil
Aug 20, 2008 Jil rated it 4 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: Science fiction & short story lovers
Recommended to Jil by: Matthew
I think Vonnegut really ought to have been a short-story writer. As much as I love some of his novels, the character of Kilgore Trout and frequent synopses of HIS short stories show me that deep down, Vonnegut just wanted to spin out wild short fiction tales.

And here he gets the opportunity, except some of these stories are not wild and just interesting and pleasant. In looking at a listing (on Wikipedia, of course) of the stories in this book, I'm surprised at how many of them make me think, "...more
Maeve
Mar 30, 2007 Maeve rated it 5 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: Everyone, especially Vonnegut virgins.
Shelves: fiction
This was the first Vonnegut book I read. I spotted on my Dad's bookshelf, said to myself "I've been meaning to read some Vonnegut" and picked it up to read without even glancing at the back cover. I loved the first chapter, then read the second and loved it too but had no idea how it connected to the first. When I got to the third and it was also completely different I finally glanced to the cover and noticed it was a collection of short stories! They are all wonderful. Some funny, often in that...more
Annalisa
Oct 13, 2007 Annalisa rated it 4 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: those who enjoy science fiction
This was a summer reading assignment for me in high school and I remember being hooked by Vonnegut's social satire. I loved his imaginative stories, humor, and slightly sci-fi plots to portray human pitfalls. The book left we pondering considerably and hungry for more Vonnegut and I soon read every one of his novels. Recently I reread the collection of short stories and it wasn't the amazing book I remember from my youth, many of his warnings about humanity are old news now. But as a youth I was...more
Stef
25 short stories originally written between 1950 and 1968. The collection was published in 1968.

Narrators are Bill Irwin, Maria Tucci, Dylan Baker, David Strathairn, and Tony Roberts - one narrator per story. Some of the narrators are better than others. All are adequate.

The stories range from slice-of-life to science fiction, and the tone ranges from gentle compassion to savage satire. Unlike a lot of Vonnegut's later work, most of the stories have what might be considered "happy endings."

Some...more
Alison Looney
I like Kurt Vonnegut's short stories. Many of his protagonists are ordinary blue collar workers, middling salesmen, or high school band directors who offer a glimpse into post war middle class Americas. They frequently end up brushing elbows with politicians, entertainers, and the fantastically wealthy, offering Vonnegut's commentary on the American dream. With hard work and a can-do spirit, you too can install storm glass for movie stars.

I think Mr. Helmholtz, a high school band director with a...more
Andrew Bach
I bought this book based on a blind recommendation from a friend. It wasn't until after I bought it that I saw every hipster and their sister reading Kurt Vonnegut books... on the subway... in coffee shops... on their tumblr pages and goodreads accounts, you get the idea. Every thick-rimmed, tattooed up, twenty-something has a Kurt Vonnegut book in their bike messenger bag. Guarantee it. I imagine it's like a status symbol in the hipster-world, how many Kurt Vonnegut books they've read. If you d...more
Ariella H
Welcome to the Monkey House is a collection of works by Kurt Vonnegut. The works are samples of work he sold to finance writing his novels. The short stories in the book all capture you and leave you compelled after each reading. The meanings and styles of each story vary widely, they can range from realistic-fiction serious stories, all the way to imaginative, fun stories.
For example, somewhere in the book there is a story of a man who goes A.W.O.L. to confess his feelings for his childhood n...more
1.1
A collection of solid short stories from the fifties and sixties – depending on who you ask, Vonnegut's strongest years. Personally I will cast judgment only after reading Man Without a Country, though my periodic readings of other Vonnegut books (including the famous blivit) tend to support the theory that he was at his most potent with earlier works. "Harrison Bergeron" is a very pointed look at egalitarianism and equality mongering from a simpler time, and it's exactly the sort of thing a dis...more
Cathi Davis
I haven't read any Vonnegut for a long time. So when this was the kindle deal of the day, I thought, why not? Glad I reread it. I knew I liked his writing style, but this just refreshed the thought. He is good. This is a collection of short stories, from various publications. Some are dated and quaint. You can't help but giggle out loud at his sense of humor, perhaps even more appealing today in the face of so much "serious" fiction.
An example from "Where I live"--
"So he went down the narrow ya...more
Jack
This was the first book I read by Kurt Vonnegut. I read it in my sophomore year in high school. I was also the first person to check the book out (it had been on the shelf for a year!). The librarian (who was in her early 20's and damned hot!) made a remark about my checking out the book and then asked me how I liked it. I mean, I was a shy 15 yr old kid and this Major Babe was talking to me about BOOKS!!!

I developed a major crush on her and she encouraged me to read (and then encouraged my writ...more
Ryan
In my mind, Kurt Vonnegut is the writerly equivalent to an eccentric, sarcastic, but kindly old uncle, the one you can always count on to take the stuffing out of your more puffed-up, less agile-minded relatives at family Christmas parties, while giving you a sly wink. In an important way, he was a voice for America in the 1950s and 60s, both a counterpoint to and a commenter on "mainstream" attitudes. He could do zaniness, anger, sorrow, and gentleness equally well.

This collection is a fine int...more
MJ Nicholls
This collection, along with Bagombo Snuff Box, collects short stories from Vonnegut’s time writing for the glossies, dailies and slicks. The pieces range from speculative fiction to standard romance fare, each only hinting at the greatness he would achieve as a novelist. He wrote these for money, no doubt about it, and although several spar with some of his Big Stuff, they lack the scathing black humour, wild absurdity and heartbreaking pathos of . . . hmm, well, start at The Sirens of Titan and...more
Tyler Jones
Although he was better known as a novelist, this collection of his early stories contains much of Vonnegut's his best work. Written between 1950 and 1968 with magazine sales in mind, they provided Vonnegut with money to help tide him over between novels. Ironically, this one volume displays a greater range of imagination than the uniformity of his novels would hint at, and these stories wound up in as varied magazines as Playboy, The Ladies Home Journal and Fantasy and Science Ficion.

Many storie...more
Elizabeth Wallace
You'd THINK that, what with Vonnegut having written one of my all-time favorite classic sci-fi novels "Sirens of Titan", not to mention "Slaughterhouse Five", you'd think I'd have remembered that he wrote "Harrison Bergeron," one of the great classic sci-fi short stories (it was even in a school textbook of mine) and the second story in this collection. Somehow I never put that together in my head, that it was a Vonnegut story, though I should've; a dystopian more-than-a-little-tongue-in-cheek s...more
Patdmac7
Welcome to the Monkey House - Kurt Vonnegut

One foot in front of the other - through leaves, over bridges. 56

A chance is a girl. You smile at her, you be friendly, you be glad she's a girl. ... If men are nice to me and make me happy, I kiss them sometimes. 87

...if folks would swallow their self-respect and pride, there wouldn't be any more divorces. 129

But I can tell you now, darling - it's awfully hard for a woman to admire a man who actually doesn't do anything. 159

That's a mistake (to think)....more
Missy
The Basics

A series of short stories (and even a couple of articles) by Kurt Vonnegut.

My Thoughts

Sad to say, the first thing I want to address is that the title story of this collection (“Welcome to the Monkey House”) is one of the most horrifically unfortunate things I’ve ever read. I want to sit here and tell myself that Vonnegut was from a different time, blah blah. I can’t justify it. And I can’t not talk about it openly and honestly. TRIGGER WARNING: the story has what is basically date rape...more
James Knox-Davies
It's short stories, I'll do 'em one at a time

WHERE I LIVE
Lovely

HARRISON BERGERON
Horrifying and disgusting. I fail to see how this relates to our society, though I do have fun trying to make the metaphor fit.

WHO AM I THIS TIME?
Didn't finish it

WELCOME TO THE MONKEY HOUSE
Ugh.

LONG WALK TO FOREVER
If you don't find some pleasure in this story, then give up. Get into Investment Banking or Corporate Law.

THE FOSTER PORTFOLIO
I was tired when I read this and I think I skipped a page. It's good enough that...more
Hilary G
This is the best book of short stories I have ever read. I first read it in the early 1970s and I remembered some of the stories for the next 40+ years.

I like listening to an audiobook when I am doing housework or filing, but I think the truism that women can multitask is an untruism, unless I am the exception that proves the rule. I often lose the plot simply by not paying attention for just a minute or two. For this reason, I usually choose audiobooks of novels and stories that I have already...more
Xxefreetxx
Surely it doesn't come as a surprise why this book of short story collection came on top.

First of all (which was the biggest reason), Kurt Vonnegut is my all-time favorite author. His witty wisdom and ideas always got me through, the satiric jokes and a peek on the window of the world. Here, he opened the window and made love to the world - receiving roses from all sides, sometimes eggnogs.

There are some stories which came out okay, but still it made me absorbed to his storytelling. My favorite...more
David
This is a collection of short stories that Vonnegut wrote between 1950 and 1968. The stories range from war-time epics to futuristic social commentaries. In the introduction, Vonnegut explains that these stories helped to keep him financially afloat while he was working on his true aspiration - novels. The stories were published in various magazines and other publications, and were corralled into Welcome to the Monkey House in 1968.

Each story is incredibly unique and forward-thinking, especially...more
wally
overall, i enjoyed these stories...save for the last one that seemed like a boorish attempt at fashionable ideology--over-population. who's to decide? hitler?

peter singer? some ethicist building a wave? crapola!

the last story sucks the big one cause the sci-fi element to it is too unbelievable...the ole willing suspension of disbelief takes a hit, big time...and like i said, fashionable ideology...same old bull-tripe you're prone to hear still today..."they said that a hundred years ago!"

there's...more
Andrew
Dec 06, 2008 Andrew rated it 5 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: all
Recommended to Andrew by: English professor at SFCC
A long remembered book from early college days read before my great awakening at the hands of the Federal Government.

As usual, Vonnegut's humanism comes through in fanciful ways with tragedy and humor. Very helpful to me, along with Slaughterhouse Five, through a barbaric period of my life.

I cannot convey my gratitude to Vonnegut for having written so much on pleasure and light amid the devastation of life.

These stories all had new depth for me as I re-read them. Some I thought somewhat trite o...more
Carissa
This book is all short stories.

My favorites so far are: "Who Am I This Time?" (about two socially inept people that fall in love through acting out plays), "The Foster Portfolio" (a guy has a lot of wealth and outwardly abhors jazz b/c his father was a jazz musician and left when he was young but once a week he plays jazz at a club under a pseudonym) and "All the King's Horses" (chess game with people). All the King's Horses would have been more original to me had I read this before seeing the f...more
Christina
Over the years, I had encountered a few of these short stories before. But I never sat down and went through the entire collection. I enjoyed at least 60% of them and a few seemed a bit like filler. My favorites are when Vonnegut tackles the absurd and really uses his wit to challenge our notions of ourselves. I Found that I enjoyed the title piece, "Welcome to the Monkey House" more this time than in the past. However, somehow "Harrison Bergeron" was less compelling to me now that I am older. A...more
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Welcome to the Monkey House (Paperback)
Welcome to the Monkey House (Mass Market Paperback)
Welcome to the Monkey House (Paperback)
Welcome to the Monkey House (Paperback)
Welcome to the Monkey House (ebook)

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Kurt Vonnegut, Junior was an American novelist, satirist, and most recently, graphic artist. He was recognized as New York State Author for 2001-2003.

He was born in Indianapolis, later the setting for many of his novels. He attended Cornell University from 1941 to 1943, where he wrote a column for the student newspaper, the Cornell Daily Sun. Vonnegut trained as a chemist and worked as a journali...more
More about Kurt Vonnegut...
Slaughterhouse-Five Cat's Cradle Breakfast of Champions The Sirens of Titan Mother Night

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