SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE Or, the Children’s Crusade, A Duty Dance with Death

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. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2009]