Slaughterhouse 5

Kurt Vonnegut

Vintage, 1991 - Fiction - 157 pages

The novel from the author of A SCENT OF LAVENDER and ONE SUMMER AT DEER'S LEAP follows the secrets and passions of the Sutton family as Britain tries to find its way following the end of World War 2.

The war is over, but the battle for happiness has just begun …

After six long years the Second World War is finally finished. Rationing may remain, but hopes and dreams are in good supply.

At Rowangarth, deep in the Yorkshire countryside, there is more good news for the Sutton family and wedding preparations are underway. Lyndis Carmichael has finally won the heart of Drew Sutton, the man she has secretly cherished for years. Still, Lyndis has doubts. Haunted by the memory of Drew's fiancée Kitty – killed during the Blitz – she wonders if she can ever take her place in Drew's heart, and if she truly belongs in the close-knit Sutton clan.

And other ghosts still linger. Keth Purvis, back from France after a high-risk mission, is compelled to return overseas to search for the young girl who saved his life, Drew's mother has yet to reveal the shocking truth of his father's identity, and Tatiana wonders if she will ever meet her long-lost half-sister.

With the country struggling to get back on its feet, can the Sutton family make peace with its past?

What people are saying

LibraryThing Review

User Review  - booklove2 - LibraryThing

What can I say about this classic that already hasn't been said? Equal parts hilarious and miserable. Just count how many times he says "So it goes". I love that Vonnegut plants himself in a meta way ...

LibraryThing Review

User Review  - nosborm - LibraryThing

Not what I expected at first but this book really grew on me. I always thought of Vonnegut (perhaps mistakenly) as a science fiction writer (and I suppose he is) but I didn't realize he was a satirist ...

About the author

Kurt Vonnegut was born in Indianapolis in 1922 and studied biochemistry at Cornell University. An army intelligence scout during the Second World War, he was captured by the Germans and witnessed the destruction of Dresden by Allied bombers, an experience which inspired his classic novel Slaughterhouse-Five. After the war he worked as a police reporter, an advertising copywriter and a public relations man for General Electric. His first novel Player Piano (1952) achieved underground success. Cat's Cradle (1963) was hailed by Graham Greene as 'one of the best novels of the year by one of the ablest living authors'. His eighth book, Slaughterhouse-Five was published in 1969 and was a literary and commercial success, and was made into a film in 1972. Vonnegut is the author of thirteen other novels, three collections of stories and five non-fiction books. Kurt Vonnegut died in 2007.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Slaughterhouse 5; A Vintage Book; Volume 20 of Vintage Classics; Vintage fiction
• Author: Kurt Vonnegut
• Edition: illustrated, reprint
• Publisher: Vintage, 1991
• ISBN: 0099800209, 9780099800200
• Length: 157 pages
• Subjects: Fiction / General