Slaughterhouse-Five

Here it is in all its glory: the book that has baffled high schoolers for two generations. From Dresden to Tralfamadore and all the places in between, Vonnegut tells a story that's impossible to put down. To make matters even better, the book gets star treatment from narrator Ethan Hawke, who immerses us in the author's words. Hawke almost whispers his way through the text as if letting us in on a big secret, and he is marvelously effective. He uses impeccable diction and effective pauses to create an atmospheric world that gives the book an authentic otherworldly feel. By the end, Hawke has taken us on a journey that both illuminates the author's words and reflects our understanding of them. R.I.G. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine

Ethan Hawke's intimate reading of SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE breathes new life into this bravely constructed time-traveling tale. There's so much interesting stuff going on here--vivid characters, big ideas, absurdity, antiwar sentiment, pathos, and a whiff of existentialism--and it's all given narrative drive by Hawke's calming cadence and cozy tone. Whether you've read the book before or are just now discovering it, this audiobook is a wonderful introduction to Vonnegut and to a world where the joys of life may be buried on a distant planet. The production also includes an interview with Vonnegut and a selection of the late author reading a mesmerizing sequence. So it goes. R.W.S. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

The story of Billy Pilgrim, the time-traveling optometrist, is framed by Vonnegut's experiences as a prisoner of war in WWII. James Franco is an inspired choice as narrator for this anti-war classic. While still young, he still manages to sound world-weary--as if the weight of bombing, prison, and the general destruction of war are pulling him down. Although too sensitive to be an ideal soldier, Pilgrim remains self-possessed despite his capture by Germans and his eventual life in Slaughterhouse Five, a prisoner of war camp in Dresden, a city the Americans firebomb. Franco does a convincing job voicing the accents of the German, Russian, and American soldiers. Pilgrim survives the war and eventually returns to America. There the young ex-soldier studies optometry and marries. On a trip with fellow doctors, Pilgrim's plane crashes, leaving him the only survivor. By this time, Billy is an accomplished time traveler, having been taught how to move through time when he was abducted by aliens and exhibited in a zoo on the planet Tralfamadore. Pilgrim's adventurous life is well worth revisiting. He moves from past to present to future, reliving his imprisonment, his professional life as an optometrist, and his period as the sexual partner of a porn queen on the planet. Franco has fun with the offbeat characters and Vonnegut's quirky text but keeps the overall tone thoughtful. The famous refrain "and so it goes" woven throughout the story is a reminder of the ironies and passages of life, and despite its crazy premise, the tale seems almost believable. Franco's reading gives the 1960s classic a freshness that will appeal to both new listeners and Vonnegut's many fans. C.P.S. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine