I know it is supposed to be a literary classic, etc., but I didn't like it. But then, I didn't expect to. I'm not a fan of gritty, black humor as a vehicle for saying "War and any other form of killing people is dirty and ugly and wrong, and it will scar you for life." I already know that. It's possible that whatever about it that is supposed to be so "funny" must have gone over my head, but I'm pretty sure I saw all the jokes and didn't appreciate them. I understand the structure and the reasoning behind it—but I think sometimes people are in too much of a hurry to say something is good or genius just because it's edgy, irreverent, and shocking. There isn't any particular merit in doing something no one has ever done before if what you're doing isn't ever going to do anything to contribute to anyone's happiness. I don't say this out of dislike for Vonnegut—I've read one of his short stories and loved it. However, I do think that if you're going to get credit for writing something groundbreaking, it shouldn't always be for something depressing and vulgar.
I'm certain that any hard-core librarians out there would throw rotten fruit at me for calling a book vulgar, but what else is there to call it? I obviously don't believe in "banning" books—and by that, I mean taking them off the shelves of public libraries—unless they are actually illegal. But if I were a parent I would object to my child being assigned to read the book, and I would probably protest it as age-inappropriate in a school library below high school level.
I suppose one of the best things about going to a book club is that if you are wholeheartedly involved, you are forced to read things you normally wouldn't, so it makes your rating system a little more "real". I don't often finish books that I only give one star.
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