Descriptions, Reviews, etc.
Description:
Previously published: Delacorte Press, 2012.
Review Quotes: "Splendidly assembled . . . familiar, funny, cranky . . . chronicling [Vonnegut's] life in real time."--Kurt Andersen, The New York Times Book Review
"[This collection is] by turns hilarious, heartbreaking and mundane. . . . Vonnegut himself is a near-perfect example of the same flawed, wonderful humanity that he loved and despaired over his entire life."--NPR
"Congenial, whimsical and often insightful missives . . . one of [Vonnegut's] very best."--Newsday
"Letters' greatest gift is the gift of all such anthologies: It humanizes an icon. . . . The fallibility and kindness of the real person shine through clearer in his more personal writing, separating the author from the oeuvre in a way that makes both richer."--The A.V. Club
"There are authors we admire or envy, but there are just a few we really, really love, and Vonnegut is one of them."
--The Washington Post "These letters display all the hallmarks of Vonnegut's fiction--smart, hilarious and heartbreaking."
--The New York Times Book Review "Smart, funny, and very compassionate. Reading this is a must for fans of the author."
--The Christian Science Monitor "Old correspondence from even famous writers can be a bore, but not Vonnegut's. He was always at his best when adopting an intimate, down-to-earth tone, and the same animating force that made him a brilliant storyteller is evident again and again in these letters. . . . This is a frank and funny book, offering rich insights into Vonnegut's character and career."
--The Dallas Morning News "This miraculous volume of selected letters provides a moving and revelatory portrait of the famed author of
Slaughterhouse-Five and
Cat's Cradle. . . . Fans will find the collection as spellbinding as Vonnegut's best novels, and casual readers will discover letters as splendid in their own way as those of Keats."
--Publishers Weekly (starred review) "A literary treasure . . . this collection of letters--many of which have never been published--rightly can be viewed as the autobiography Vonnegut never wrote."
--The Oklahoman "[An] intimate, far-ranging monologue by one of the 20th century's funniest, sharpest, darkest minds . . . it's difficult not to marvel at Vonnegut's depth, warmth and wit. . . . Together, [the letters] give a comprehensive sketch of his personality. They show who he was and who he became."
--The Kansas City Star "[Reveals] Vonnegut's passions, annoyances, loves, losses, mind and heart . . . The letters stand alone--and stand tall, indeed. . . . Vonnegut's most human of hearts beats on every page."
--Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "Bearing all the canny observations and sardonic witticisms that distinguished his most famous works [the letters reveal] fascinating insights into Vonnegut's private thoughts and inspirations. . . . This is a volume fans will treasure."
--Booklist "As these remarkable letters reveal, [Vonnegut] mixes hard-edged ideas with the buoyancy of imagination and humor. His best work makes us both gasp and laugh--wishing the fire from the Roman
candle would never end."
--The Plain Dealer "
Letters mirrors some of Vonnegut's best fiction . . . wry, witty, and eminently quotable. Perhaps more importantly, his letters reflect a genuineness and humanity that always lived just beneath the surface of Vonnegut's fiction."
--The Financialist "Wit, aphorism, charm, wisdom and joshery abound here. . . . Vonnegut's voice was as unique as his art. It is ominpresent here."
--Buffalo News "Everything that's familiar in [Vonnegut's] fiction is in the letters--he's funny, caustic, sentimental, profound, melancholy, angry, and always himself."
--The Oregonian "Tirelessly compiling letters and manuscripts from over seven decades of correspondence with his mentors, publishers, and even a school board director who banned his works, Wakefield finally gives the reader a sense of Vonnegut's life without time travel or aliens to mystify and universalize his emotions. . . . Vonnegut is stripped of any possible self-promotion and his true affection and unselfishness shows. . . . a deep and true portrayal."
--The Daily Californian "At last: the Vonnegut book readers of the late modern master have been waiting for. . . . It's his voice again, live as ever, clear and unvarnished, with the pop and crackle of a hardwood fire on an Autumn night. . . . For those of us that miss Kurt Vonnegut, it makes this collection a gift. Pick up this book, it's like having him by your side."
--NUVO
