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Audible sample Sample
Galápagos MP3 CD – MP3 Audio, August 4, 2015
Galápagos takes the listener back one million years. A simple vacation cruise suddenly becomes an evolutionary journey. Thanks to an apocalypse, a small group of survivors stranded on the Galápagos Islands are about to become the progenitors of a brave, new, totally different human race.
Kurt Vonnegut, America's master satirist, looks at our world and shows us all that is sadly, madly awry—and all that is worth saving.
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherAudible Studios on Brilliance Audio
- Publication dateAugust 4, 2015
- Dimensions6.5 x 0.63 x 5.5 inches
- ISBN-101501277057
- ISBN-13978-1501277054
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Product details
- Publisher : Audible Studios on Brilliance Audio; Unabridged edition (August 4, 2015)
- Language : English
- ISBN-10 : 1501277057
- ISBN-13 : 978-1501277054
- Item Weight : 3.5 ounces
- Dimensions : 6.5 x 0.63 x 5.5 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #5,649,140 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #29,043 in Fiction Satire
- #48,734 in Books on CD
- #192,165 in Literary Fiction (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Kurt Vonnegut was a writer, lecturer and painter. He was born in Indianapolis in 1922 and studied biochemistry at Cornell University. During WWII, as a prisoner of war in Germany, he witnessed the destruction of Dresden by Allied bombers, an experience which inspired Slaughterhouse Five. First published in 1950, he went on to write fourteen novels, four plays, and three short story collections, in addition to countless works of short fiction and nonfiction. He died in 2007.
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I chose to read this one because, as a student of anthropology and biology, I am very fascinated with the Galapagos islands myself. This book was not exactly what I expected, but of all the Vonnegut books I've read, I've retained more of the plot of Galapagos than almost any other Vonnegut book (besides Slaughterhouse-Five). What I love about Vonnegut's books is that he uses absurd, farfetched storytelling to illustrate fallacies of American culture and consumerism. Being very satirical and almost lewd at time, it's also very thoughtful and poignant. For this reason, when I read a Vonnegut novel I keep a pencil in handle to underline or circle certain selections that are especially observant.
Because I feel Slaughterhouse-Five is a stronger book—even if only just—I'm rating Galapagos as four stars despite my desire to give it all five. Perhaps my biggest justification for subtracting a star so as to keep it markedly below Slaughterhouse is due to the occasionally glacial pacing of the book. In short, the book is about a group of strangers who board a cruise ship that's destined to take them on nature cruise to the Galapagos; however, the ship doesn't even depart until almost three-quarters through the book because of all the backstory for each character and their interactions as they meet. In Vonnegut's defense, most interactions have a greater purpose, either contributing to the overall story or as a way to illustrate some satirical point Vonnegut is trying to make about American culture. While I can appreciate the deliberacy of his pacing, it doesn't make Galapagos the most exciting read. However, the latter part of the book somewhat redeems the slow start by containing some of Vonnegut's trademark surreal and bizarre storytelling. I won't give anything away, but that's mostly because you really need to read the book to appreciate the strangeness.
Of all Kurt Vonnegut's novels, Galapagos is definitely one of my favorites, up there with Slaughterhouse-Five, Sirens of Titan, and Breakfast of Champions. As always, it's full of Vonnegut's impeccable humor as well as both his subtle and not-so-subtle wit. Highly recommended.
The best thing about Galapagos is how the story is told. If I can say anything about Vonnegut it’s that his writing style makes everything he creates very interesting. This book is no exception. The story is told from the perspective of a ghost, which is pretty ingenuitive because it allows for the narrator to be all-knowing. Vonnegut can introduce scenes and characters from an omniscient perspective while still keeping the story personal, like in first person perspective. In fact, it is told in first person, or should I say “first ghost.” (Haha - I just chuckled to myself with that one…)
Vonnegut gets real clever with his timelines too. It’s a part of what makes the book loosely sci-fi. That and the fact that in the book there is a worldwide pandemic that makes women infertile. But that is besides the point. The ghost is telling the story one million years in the future, which makes for interesting commentary. As asides, the narrator mocks the humans of the past...which are really the humans of today. Our “big brains” are referenced as being cause for our inevitable demise...and the comments are constant throughout the story.
Another thing I must give Vonnegut credit for is his story’s premise: the entire world has gone bankrupt. Galapagos was published in 1986, when the US economy was flourishing. At first I thought that Vonnegut might be a prophet, accurately foretelling the state of the world economies in the financial crisis of 2008...but then I did a little research. In 1982, just four years before this book was published, Mexico filed for bankruptcy. It was the beginning of the Latin American debt crisis. Countries have been going broke for centuries, apparently, but as a modern reader, and a child of the 80’s, I still give Vonnegut a whole lot of credit.
Galapagos takes place at a little, luxury hotel, on the make believe island of Santa Rosalia in the Galapagos Islands. We learn that the hotel’s guests are there for “The Nature Cruise of the Century” but that there are only five of them. The rest have cancelled their trip, due to the sudden economic downfall of the world’s economy. Country after country is going bankrupt.
We also learn which characters are going to die first. The narrator tells us and then reminds us by inserting an asterisk after the character’s name each time he/she is mentioned. The story follows the people in the hotel, on the island, and on the boat that was scheduled for the cruise.
All of those earlier compliments aside, at the end of the day, the book just didn’t grab me. I can appreciate it from a literary perspective, as a study, but I didn’t find the story entertaining. There are a lot of different philosophies on writing....I personally write to entertain, so that’s what I like to read. I also am such a fan of the author, that I really want to read everything he’s written. Being a good writer goes a long way.
So, yeah, if you want to be like me and read everything Vonnegut has written just because it was written by Vonnegut, then yes, by all means, read Galapagos. I mean, you have to.