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Title: Vonnegut at his most likeable
Review: Vonnegut is one of those writers whom everybody either loves or hates--there's very little middle ground. He's like vanilla Coke."Mother Night" is situated right on that narrow little line. It's a book that just about anyone can enjoy, even the most ardent foes of Indiana's favorite son. It was his third novel and, as such, represents the sort of pre-caricature phase that ended with the breakaway success of "Cat's Cradle" two years later. Here you see Vonnegut at his most human and, in some ways, his most vulnerable as he switches off the bombastic humor and lets his reader see the man behind the curtain.Of course, the characteristic Vonnegut still shines through, but it's muted by a disarming candor about love lost and the stagnation it breeds. If you don't know anything about Vonnegut, this is a great place to start. If you love him, this book will make you melt. If you hate him, well, it might at least give you pause.
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