Bluebeard: A Novel

by Kurt Vonnegut

“Ranks with Vonnegut’s best and goes one step beyond . . . joyous, soaring fiction.”—The Atlanta Journal and Constitution

Broad humor and bitter irony collide in this fictional autobiography of Rabo Karabekian, who, at age seventy-one, wants to be left alone on his Long Island estate with the secret he has locked inside his potato barn. But then a voluptuous young widow badgers Rabo into telling his life story—and Vonnegut in turn tells us the plain, heart-hammering truth about man’s careless fancy to create or destroy what he loves.

Praise for Bluebeard

“Vonnegut is at his edifying best.”—The Philadelphia Inquirer

“The quicksilver mind of Vonnegut is at it again. . . . He displays all his talents—satire, irony, ridicule, slapstick, and even a shaggy dog story of epic proportions.”—The Cincinnati Post
 
“[Kurt Vonnegut is] a voice you can trust to keep poking holes in the social fabric.”—San Francisco Chronicle
 
“It has the qualities of classic Bosch and Slaughterhouse Vonnegut. . . . Bluebeard is uncommonly feisty.”—USA Today
 
“Is Bluebeard good? Yes! . . . This is vintage Vonnegut—good wine from his best grapes.”—The Detroit News
 
“A joyride . . . Vonnegut is more fascinated and puzzled than angered by the human stupidities and contradictions he discerns so keenly. So hop in his rumble seat. As you whiz along, what you observe may provide some new perspectives.”—Kansas City Star

• ISBN10: 038533351X
• ISBN13: 9780385333511
• Publish Date: 8 September 1998 (first published 28 April 1988)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 336
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780385333511

Reviews

[clementine]

I LOVED this book. Slaugherhouse-Five was my first exposure to Vonnegut, and I loved it. I had much more mixed feelings about Cat's Cradle, which is probably his second best known book. I'm quite confused as to why Bluebeard isn't more popular; I adored it and thought it was stronger than Cat's Cradle.

The most impressive thing about this book to me is the fact that not much actually happens. Certainly, there are the over-the-top, barely believeable elements that I would expect from Vonnegut, but in terms of plot it's fairly tame. The writing is so incredibly engrossing, however; it strikes such a fine balance between conversational and formal.

It seems very straightforward at first, but there are so many layers to it. The language is quite simple, which can be misleading - there's a lot going on, and it demands to be read many times over. The ending (the reveal of what is in the potato barn) was perfect in so many ways.

This might actually be my favourite of Vonnegut's books so far. I did love Slaughterhouse-Five, but this book is really spectacular too.