Kurt Vonnegut: Letters - Softcover

"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

Sixty years of Vonnegut's life seen through his brilliant, entertaining letters