Player Piano
A Novel
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4.2 • 130 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
“A funny, savage appraisal of a totally automated American society of the future.”—San Francisco Chronicle
Kurt Vonnegut’s first novel spins the chilling tale of engineer Paul Proteus, who must find a way to live in a world dominated by a supercomputer and run completely by machines. Paul’s rebellion is vintage Vonnegut—wildly funny, deadly serious, and terrifyingly close to reality.
Praise for Player Piano
“An exuberant, crackling style . . . Vonnegut is a black humorist, fantasist and satirist, a man disposed to deep and comic reflection on the human dilemma.”—Life
“His black logic . . . gives us something to laugh about and much to fear.”—The New York Times Book Review
Customer Reviews
Vonnegut’s First
Vonnegut’s first novel, while not as thrillingly fresh as his later novels, is a fun and entertaining read.
Player Piano by Kurt Vonnegut
Published in 1952, now 64 years later, Player Piano seems especially current with today's politics and technology. There is no longer a middle class, just "haves" and "have nots". Machines ( to us, computers) do all the work; the "haves" keep these humming while the "have nots" simply do nothing but wander, drink and exist.
The protagonist is Dr. Paul Proteus, (like our Bernie Sanders), wants society to be more equitable.
A good read by a great author who seems like a magical seer to have hit the nail on the head 64 years ago! Some of the passages are a bit plodding but you can pretty much skim through those parts.
Now on to the next Kurt !
It's his first book alright.
Everything has a beginning and beginnings can be a little awkward. Kurt Vonnegut is trapped inside this book somewhere trying to find his way out. Worth reading to see where it all began.