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Matthias's Reviews > Slaughterhouse-Five
Slaughterhouse-Five
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This reviewer is stuck in time. He is unable to escape the narrow confines of the invisible, intangible machinery mercilessly directing his life from a beginning towards an end. The walls surrounding him are dotted with windows looking out on darkened memories and foggy expectations, easing the sense of claustrophobia but offering no way out. The ceiling is crushing down on this man while he paces frantically through other people's lives and memories in hopes of shaping his own and forgetting the enormity of oblivion looming above his head. He reads book after book after book. He reads Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five. He gets immersed, he gets lost in the pages. He smiles. He wonders. He tumbles. He laughs a laugh that seems to come from somewhere deep within him, telling him that everything is beautiful. A laugh that shoots up from a dark place and illuminates the universe, bathing it in colour, showing all the hidden threads in a fraction of a second. The man is consoled, recognizing that fraction as an eternity. He closes the book and looks around him. The space got bigger, the windows show a clearer picture. He sees his situation with a new light emanating from his own eyes and, looking up, notices the oppressive ceiling is no longer there. It made way for the sky, sometimes blue, sometimes painted with stars and clouds. He ruminates on this new canvas for his thoughts as a bird flies by and calls to him.
Poo-tee-weet.
This reviewer is stuck in time. He is unable to escape the narrow confines of the invisible, intangible machinery mercilessly directing his life from a beginning towards an end. The walls surrounding him are dotted with windows looking out on darkened memories and foggy expectations, easing the sense of claustrophobia but offering no way out. The ceiling is crushing down on this man while he paces frantically through other people's lives and memories in hopes of shaping his own and forgetting the enormity of oblivion looming above his head. He reads book after book after book. He reads Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five. He gets immersed, he gets lost in the pages. He smiles. He wonders. He tumbles. He laughs a laugh that seems to come from somewhere deep within him, telling him that everything is beautiful. A laugh that shoots up from a dark place and illuminates the universe, bathing it in colour, showing all the hidden threads in a fraction of a second. The man is consoled, recognizing that fraction as an eternity. He closes the book and looks around him. The space got bigger, the windows show a clearer picture. He sees his situation with a new light emanating from his own eyes and, looking up, notices the oppressive ceiling is no longer there. It made way for the sky, sometimes blue, sometimes painted with stars and clouds. He ruminates on this new canvas for his thoughts as a bird flies by and calls to him.
Poo-tee-weet.
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Reading Progress
August 5, 2014
– Shelved as:
to-read
August 5, 2014
– Shelved
August 13, 2016
–
Started Reading
August 13, 2016
–
23.72%
""He didn't look like a soldier at all. He looked like a filthy flamingo."
Loving the tone and loving where this book is going already."
page
51
Loving the tone and loving where this book is going already."
August 15, 2016
–
62.79%
""He said that everything there was to know about life was in The Brothers Karamazov, by Feodor Dostoevsky."
Duly noted!
Some of the best book recommendations: When a great book tells you of another book that's great."
page
135
Duly noted!
Some of the best book recommendations: When a great book tells you of another book that's great."
August 19, 2016
– Shelved as:
favorites
August 19, 2016
–
Finished Reading
August 20, 2016
– Shelved as:
my-reviews
August 21, 2016
– Shelved as:
out-of-the-box-reviews
Comments Showing 1-31 of 31 (31 new)
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by
Rabbit Queen
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rated it 5 stars
Aug 13, 2016 05:38PM
I remember reading this line and laughing out loud in class! Love this book.
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hahha yes, I get giddy when books recommend other books :D
Masha wrote: "I remember reading this line and laughing out loud in class! Love this book."I almost never laugh out loud when reading, I'm reserved like that. Doesn't mean I don't find it funny, but I usually just smirk or snicker. But that flamingo line got to me as well. This book has managed to make me laugh out loud three times, which is huge! Especially considering the rather heavy topic it deals with.
Sushi wrote: "hahha yes, I get giddy when books recommend other books :D"Right? And also when they mention a piece of music, I go to check it out :-D Or places. Authors have quite a big influence on my choices if the book in which the recommendations are embedded is good.
Jean-Paul wrote: "A wonderful piece of creative writing - as ever - Matthias. I physically experienced each word you wrote and was delighted to feel exhilaration at the end and follow the bird's flight into an endle..."Thank you Jean-Paul :-) Your kind comments continue to be a great source of motivation to keep on trying something a tad more lyrical and your own thoughts on freedom fit very well within the atmosphere in which the book has so generously put me. It was a fantastic read. Featherly light as a poo-tee-weet and as enormous as the universe.
A creative review, brings the reader, the author, and the object d'art cleverly together! This made my day.
A very entertaining riff on the power of books to change our lives!
Ned wrote: "A creative review, brings the reader, the author, and the object d'art cleverly together! This made my day."Glad to hear it Ned! Hope this day will also get made in some other way :-) Thank you for your nice compliments.
Fionnuala wrote: "A very entertaining riff on the power of books to change our lives!"Nice take-away Fionnuala! Thanks :-D
I'm really looking forward to reading that book, especially now after reading your words. *wants to get lost, to smile, to make an oppressive ceiling disappear*Marvelous review, Matthias. :)
Florencia wrote: "I'm really looking forward to reading that book, especially now after reading your words. *wants to get lost, to smile, to make an oppressive ceiling disappear*Marvelous review, Matthias. :)"
Thank you Florencia! Very curious to see your own review on this, many people seem to be taking many different things away from this fantastic novel. Whether it's the humor, the anti-war message or the vision on time, or some completely different thing. I hope you'll like it! :-)
Neat review. The only thing it lacks is spoons.;)
Cecily wrote: "Neat review. The only thing it lacks is spoons.;)"
Hahaha :-D Cecily, didn't you watch The Matrix?
"Do not try and find the spoon, that's impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth: There is no spoon."
Ha! Yes, I have watched it, a couple of times, but probably neither were around when I read this. Neat connection.
Matthias wrote: "Cecily wrote: "Neat review. The only thing it lacks is spoons.;)"
Hahaha :-D Cecily, didn't you watch The Matrix?
"Do not try and find the spoon, that's impossible. Instead, only try to realize t..."
bend the spoon. ;-) Do you like Inception as well? Two movies I've watched enough times that my friends and I enjoy saying the lines before the actors.
No idea why I typed "find", guess I got carried away by current context :-D I did watch Inception, but only once. Delivering precise quotes on that one will be even more difficult.
Yes, Inception is brilliant, too. Though I've not watched either often enough to know the script by heart.
Such vivid imagery, and such an ardent reaction. And if you don't mind, I'd like to co-opt a phrase. Instead of the now common LOL, I'd like certain of my laughs to be of a type THEIBTCSUFADPAITUBIICSATHTIAFOAS (based on your own sort "telling him everything is beautiful, that can shoot up from a dark place and illuminate the universe, bathing it in colour, showing all the hidden threads in a fraction of a second").
If you can make that catch on, Steve, I'll... be very impressed.Another alternative to LOL is ALA (Actually Laughed Aloud). How about that?
ALA! Yes, I think that stands a much better chance, Cecily.
Even though I didn't ALA at your comment because I'm at work, I ERLTMNWHASOMF'd* like crazy at your efforts of acronymisation.* Exhaled Rather Loudly Through My Nose While Having A Smile On My Face
Thanks!
Cecily wrote: "If you can make that catch on, Steve, I'll... be very impressed.Another alternative to LOL is ALA (Actually Laughed Aloud). How about that?"
Good alternative and a necessary one by the way! LOLs seem to have lost all their value in expressing laughter because of the many times it was used "figuratively" speaking.
This book had me ALA three times by the way. I love the written word but it's rare that it makes me ALA. More points for Vonnegut, for putting the laughter in slaughterhouse!
Terrific parallel, Matthias! Brava! Only a creative work (and a little insane too!) can inspire another! :)
Seemita wrote: "Terrific parallel, Matthias! Brava! Only a creative work (and a little insane too!) can inspire another! :)"Thanks Seemita! Glad this little taste of insanity was to your liking :-D
A review of Slaughterhouse-Five without using the words "so it goes" is remarkable and admirable.Is the edition with the yellow skull on the cover the one you've read?
Look here:
https://www.goodreads.com/photo/user/...
Jessaka wrote: "Very creative review."Thanks Jessaka!
Matt wrote: "A review of Slaughterhouse-Five without using the words "so it goes" is remarkable and admirable.Is the edition with the yellow skull on the cover the one you've read?
Look here:
https://www.goodr..."
Yes, that's the one! I was very happy with it, I like these smaller-sized books.
No review has ever compelled me to read a book as much as this review has. Bravo!
Ahmed wrote: "No review has ever compelled me to read a book as much as this review has. Bravo!"I'm very glad it had that effect Ahmed! Thank you for your kind words and I'm confident you'll love this book.
Haha! This is the best review I've read yet!
