Breakfast of Champions in Around the World in 80 Books

Aug 01, 2007 Jackie Wayment rated it liked it

A great novel, however, not his best.

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Mar 09, 2013 Oblomov rated it it was amazing

Well this was a reread and I had forgot just how bleak this book was; dark, desperate, angry and funny. Basically the story of a breakdown of a successful car salesman and local entrepreneur, a man whose reality is falling apart following the suicide of his wife. The story culminates with his encounter with Kilgore Trout, a failed Science Fiction writer and alter ego of the author Kurt Vonnegut (who also makes an appearance in the story) and a story told by Trout, which convinces Hoover (the sal ...more

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Apr 03, 2010 Patty rated it really liked it

amazingly contemporary, given that it was written 40 years ago. the depiction of nyc is dated, and i think we are little less inclined to let chemical dumping go unchecked, but the rest of the description of american places and attitudes is perfectly now. Favorite passage:

"Americans are always afraid of coming home," said Karabekian, "with good reason, may I say."
"They used to have good reason," said Beatrice, "but not anymore. The past has been rendered harmless. I would tell any wandering Amer ...more

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Mar 03, 2008 Jen rated it liked it

Shelves: twisted, midwestern, zz2008-read, lit-major, fiction

This is less a novel than an extended musing by Vonnegut. I enjoyed most of his break downs of American culture, but overall I've liked other Vonnegut books better: Slaughterhouse-Five, Jailbird, Galapagos. I'm sure it was much more radical and thought-provoking in the 1970's when it was published, but reading the book now, it's just somewhat amusing. ...more

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