We Are What We Pretend to Be
Kurt Vonnegut
book reviews:
· general fiction
· chick lit/romance
· sci-fi/fantasy
· graphic novels
· nonfiction
· audio books

Click here for the curledup.com RSS Feed

· author interviews
· children's books @
   curledupkids.com
· DVD reviews @
   curledupdvd.com

newsletter
win books
buy online
links

home

for authors
& publishers


for reviewers

click here to learn more




Buy *We Are What We Pretend to Be: The First and Last Works* by Kurt Vonnegut online

We Are What We Pretend to Be: The First and Last Works
Kurt Vonnegut
Vanguard Press
Paperback
176 pages
October 2013
rated 4 of 5 possible stars

buy this book now or browse millions of other great products at amazon.com
previous reviewnext review

Kurt Vonnegut coined the phrase “We are what we pretend to be,” and it is a fitting title for this book that pulls together his first and last written works. Both were unpublished until now and include his first novella –“Basic Training”– and a novel in progress at the time of his death–If God Were Alive Today.

While the stories are competent, the concept of putting them together in one volume is more compelling. Between these two stories exists a long and celebrated literary career. These are the two stories that connect all the dots.

“Basic Training” is a basic story that provides a vague glimpse of the writer Vonnegut would become. At the other end, If God Were Alive Today is characteristic of the author’s style and charms but lacks the sharp edge of his best work.

Don’t consider that a slight. Hardly anything compares to his best works.

Vonnegut scholars will likely find the volume more valuable than a casual fan would. What makes this an interesting read is being able to see the development of a writer. In the beginning, he was straightforward and concise. “Basic Training” is a serviceable short story pulled from his experience working on a farm as a teenager. It features a few interesting characters and an enjoyable payoff.

Alternately, If God Were Alive Today is much less idealistic and linear. Even looking at the main characters of the two stories draws a striking difference and reflects completely on the young man Vonnegut was versus what he would become later in life.

One is a young artist sent to work on a farm. The other is an aging comedian struggling with life, death and divorce. Neither are Vonnegut’s best characters, but they are important steps in the life of an author and man, pretending to be something.



Originally published on Curled Up With A Good Book at www.curledup.com. © Zane Ewton, 2014

Also by Kurt Vonnegut:

buy *We Are What We Pretend to Be: The First and Last Works* online
click here for more info
Click here to learn more about this month's sponsor!


fiction · sf/f · comic books · nonfiction · audio
newsletter · free book contest · buy books online
review index · links · · authors & publishers
reviewers

site by ELBO Computing Resources, Inc.