Deadeye Dick
by Kurt Vonnegut
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Read in December, 2007
recommends it for:
Vonneguters
This, of all of Vonnegut's work, seems the most accessible to and definitely belongs on that part of the shelf with his less-sci/fi-ish works like Bluebeard and Breakfast of Champions. Still, Deadeye is full of Vonnegut's incredible insight into the human condition and rewards the reader in the end (one might wonder half way through the book about where he's going with the story.)
But, in a bit over 200 pages Vonnegut manages to weave together a compelling tale of class differences, social pa...more
But, in a bit over 200 pages Vonnegut manages to weave together a compelling tale of class differences, social pa...more
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Read in November, 2007
Yeah, okay so it has a funny title haha, and no that's not what the book is about. The book is basically a life story, and a very strange one, told from the eyes of someone who has just sort passed through life unnoticed. The story begins with his insane father who could have prevented world war 2 had he not given a young, homeless, and penniless Hitler money to buy food with so that he would not starve. When he is still just a kid the main character, Rudy Waltz accidentally kills two people wit...more
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Read in May, 2008
Vonnegut is charming as usual; although, I feel like this novel is more insular than many of his later ones. The Vonnegut universe has not yet been sketched out, and in this text he seems content with that, content to limit his story to one place and person for the most part. There is more of a sense of tragedy in this book than in Cats Cradle which is apocalyptic but uplifting. The destruction here is smaller, but more personal. This book also reminds me that Vonnegut is the master of ...more
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My first Vonnegut book - maybe that's why I'm not as particular about his more recent stuff; I read one of his weaker books first and got hooked on him through that, so maybe I have a soft-spot in my heart for his his lesser quality books because of that; even still I wouldn't recommend this, Jailbird, or Slapstick to anyone but the most fanatical Vonnegut fans - Hocus Pocus and Timequake are a little better, so I'd probably recommend them to anyone who is a little interested in what Vonnegut ha...more
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in November, 2005
recommends it for:
Sad sacks like me
A really sad book that made me question my ability to react to society and social pressures. It's not the best Vonnegut and I would lean towards giving it 3.5 stars but it makes you wonder how/why we react to others the way we do and how we function in society/what the hell is wrong with us.
As dysfunctional as the main character is, there are a lot of moments where you can understand why he acts the way he does and you wonder if you don't have similar problems in your relationships. After read...more
As dysfunctional as the main character is, there are a lot of moments where you can understand why he acts the way he does and you wonder if you don't have similar problems in your relationships. After read...more
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When i first picked up this book, i didn't know what to expect, considering i never read any of Vonnegut's more famous works, such as Slaugtherhouse Five. The reading at first was a little hard to get used to becuase of his writing style, but after a while it was fine. The overall story was pretty good- i mean who doesn't love a humorous book about murder. I thought there were some bigger ideas in there, but since i wasn't reading it for english class, i didn't have to pay much attention to it (...more
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Read in June, 2003
recommends it for:
Vonnegut fans, people who like to read
I've read so many books that again I can't really remember this one (I just moved and all the books I have with me are still in boxes and half of or more of the books I own are still at my parents' house). I remeber that a child has a gun, his father's perhaps, and that he fancies himself a sharpshooter of some sort and ends up killing someone just to see if he could make the shot. I did enjoy the book and would certianly recommend it to anyone who enjoys thinking about what they're reading.
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This is a middle-of-the-road Vonnegut book. One of the coolest things about this one is that it ties into two or three other books that he's written (Can't remember which ones, though). I spent half my time trying to remember which characters were from which books.
This one is full of typical Vonnegut themes: Undeserved privilege, tragic events, art and social class in America, etc.
This one is full of typical Vonnegut themes: Undeserved privilege, tragic events, art and social class in America, etc.
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Read in May, 2008
I always (and still) wonder if this is where the band who sang "New Age Girl" got there name. I read a bunch of KV books in a 2-3 month period and I started mentally dividing them into Including Nazis/Nazi References and Not Including Nazi/Nazi References. There are further subcategories, this one falling into Including Nazi/Nazi References (Sympathetizers). It is probably a 3 star among KV books for me, but compared to all other books, its a 4.
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Read in November, 1992
recommends it for:
Joy riders
In the sixth grade this was one of the first "real" books I ever read cover to cover. While the rest of the "book-it" crowd was reading "Sounder," I was reading Vonnegut. I was sort of a late bloomer when it came to reading, but this was a great place to start. I earned my free pizza the fun way, with a story filled with mischief, hijinx, suspense and hilarity. All the classic Vonnegut ingredients. This is one of his more overlooked gems.
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Read in May, 2008
recommended to Jil by:
Jordonrecommends it for: those opposed to meth addiction and household weapons rooms
"I wanted to get into my bed and pull the covers over my head. That was my plan. That is still pretty much my plan."
Vonnegut's books are strange to me because the characters are not particularly likable and they're not Sedaris-funny, but they are easy and wonderful to read and say some of the truest things I've ever read. They are somehow all the same and all different and right now I want nothing else.
Vonnegut's books are strange to me because the characters are not particularly likable and they're not Sedaris-funny, but they are easy and wonderful to read and say some of the truest things I've ever read. They are somehow all the same and all different and right now I want nothing else.
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Read in June, 2008
This was the second time I read Deadeye Dick, and I liked it better this time. Although not his best, it's another wonderful blend of tragedy, humor, satire, and Vonnegatian irony that one can only expect from one of greatest American writers of the 20th century.
According to Vonnegut's rating system, I give it a B-minus.
According to Vonnegut's rating system, I give it a B-minus.
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I love Vonnegut. So ballsy so empathetic. The oneliners are great. But this book, I just couldn't hang. It was effecting, it evoked a response in me but I finished it solely out of a completest instinct in me that makes me want to finish things. there was no part of this book that I enjoyed. Somebody that loves this thing come rap at me because I couldn't find anything to hold onto.
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Read in August, 2008
recommended to Adam by:
a bookstorerecommends it for: Vonnegut readers
I learned to watch out for life.
One of Vonnegut's minor books, I grabbed it used for a song because I'm a fan. It's still loaded with juicy one liners and the sweet swing of cynical comedic poetry, but it never really took off the ground for me. Not one damn likable person in all of Midland City - by the end you are glad it had been leveled by a neutron bomb.
One of Vonnegut's minor books, I grabbed it used for a song because I'm a fan. It's still loaded with juicy one liners and the sweet swing of cynical comedic poetry, but it never really took off the ground for me. Not one damn likable person in all of Midland City - by the end you are glad it had been leveled by a neutron bomb.
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God I love Vonnegut. His most minor books are worth more then most authors main statements.
With both him and Thompson dead I have almost no hope for the future.
I love Breakfast of Champions and this is kind of a bizarre mirror version of it. It'd be hard to argue that this is one of his best, but it's still very worthwhile.
With both him and Thompson dead I have almost no hope for the future.
I love Breakfast of Champions and this is kind of a bizarre mirror version of it. It'd be hard to argue that this is one of his best, but it's still very worthwhile.
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I read this in Puerto Vallarta with my parents in maybe 8th grade? My first Kurt, and maybe one of the first contemporary semi-grown-up books I read? It was a library book my parents had taken out and both read on the trip and I think I finished Tom Sawyer or some shit real quick and they hooked me up with it.
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I just started reading Vonnegut this year because so many of my students are reading him. In his off-the-wallness lie absolute truths. I love reading him--also because there are so many logical stopping points that I can fall asleep over it and not feel I need to reread pages to pick up the thread.
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Read in February, 2008
recommends it for:
Vonnegut fans
Probably my least favorite Vonnegut book to date. Which still makes it a very good read. Maybe it needs time to settle into my brain before I rate it because I am still mulling over the last sentence in my head looking for greatness. Would recommend to any Vonnegut fan.
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Read in April, 2008
You'd think that I'd get tired of reading about the random intertwining stories of Dwayne Hoover, Rabo Karabekian, and Midland City, but I don't. Overall, the book was pretty good for Vonnegut standards. Fortunately, a pretty good Vonnegut is an excellent anyone else.
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Read in June, 2008
I have never read Vonnegut before, and I have tried and tried to watch "Slaughterhouse Five" but get restless and turn it off.
This novel is an easy read with interesting characters and pretty rich detail. I really enjoyed this book. It was a surprise for me.
This novel is an easy read with interesting characters and pretty rich detail. I really enjoyed this book. It was a surprise for me.
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book data (includes all editions)
avg rating (all editions): 3.72 (2694 ratings) avg rating (this edition): 3.72 (2614 ratings) number of reviews: 76popular shelves
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quote
"That is my principal objection to life, I think: It's too easy, when alive, to make perfectly horrible mistakes."
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