Mother Night
A Novel
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4.5 • 306 Ratings
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
“Vonnegut is George Orwell, Dr. Caligari and Flash Gordon compounded into one writer . . . a zany but moral mad scientist.”—Time
Mother Night is a daring challenge to our moral sense. American Howard W. Campbell, Jr., a spy during World War II, is now on trial in Israel as a Nazi war criminal. But is he really guilty? In this brilliant book rife with true gallows humor, Vonnegut turns black and white into a chilling shade of gray with a verdict that will haunt us all.
“A great artist.”—Cincinnati Enquirer
“A shaking up in the kaleidoscope of laughter . . . Reading Vonnegut is addictive!”—Commonweal
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Mother Night might be Kurt Vonnegut’s least-remembered novel—possibly because it was his first departure from science fiction—but it’s a hidden gem. Howard W. Campbell Jr. is in an Israeli prison writing his memoir as he awaits trial for war crimes as a Nazi propagandist. But there’s a catch: While Howard was celebrating the führer on the air, he was also working as a double agent for the Allies. Vonnegut’s darkly comic wit and philosophical rumination reverberate throughout this thrilling wartime espionage tale, which asks us to contemplate the morality of war and the nature of good and evil.
Customer Reviews
Poignant and peculiar
One of Vonnegut’s least-known works, Mother Night is also one of his best. A dark look through the eyes of a WW II survivor constantly deceived by life.
3.5
Not my favorite from him, but not bad at all. The 2nd half really saves it in my opinion.
Brilliant, as always.
One of Vonnegut’s best.
How much of ourselves, our literal self, are we willing to destroy for the good of others? There is no good answer, but Kurt makes a valiant attempt and comes closer than most.