I am very far behind when it comes to reviews. I finished Breakfast of Champions around April. I love Kurt Vonnegut and chose to read Breakfast of Champions for a few reasons. First, I wanted more KV in my life. Second, I was looking to mix up my audiobook listening with some fiction. Third and last, Stanley Tucci narrated the book.
Breakfast of Champions is all Vonnegut in all of his beautiful, almost zany, goodness. The story follows Kilgore Trout, famed science fiction writer from previous KV books, as he journeys to a festival where his only fan will be. In BoC, KV skews the fourth wall over an over again by talking about his own mother’s suicide and his opinions on dozens of things happening in the 1970s. He goes so far as to insert himself as a character.
Vonnegut wrote Breakfast of Champions as gift to himself. It’s so dripping with satire that I think it’s a big middle finger to a myriad of people, especially critics. Vonnegut goes way over the top to describe characters unnecessarily, but tongue in cheek as if it’s in response to previous criticism. He describes the measurements of women and the length and girth of penises for nearly every character, including himself. It’s that subtle but absurd humor that really makes the book. The plot is completely irrelevant, this book is about the characters.
I’d recommend this book to anyone who has ever tried writing and to anyone who liked KV and hasn’t tried it. It is after all, the Breakfast of Champions.