Feels like a last pressing after the grapes have lost their flavour
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This must now be the last collection of "new" stories which will be published by the legendary and unique Kurt Vonnegut. So, fans like me are going to buy it despite the lukewarm reviews (which sadly include this one).
Some of the stories read as if they've been kicking around as drafts since Kurt started off his career submitting magazine stories in the fifties, and I'm afraid it becomes pretty obvious why they were not published during his lifetime.
There are some treats for aficionados though: son Mark, the subject of much comment throughout his Father's works, gets his say with an affectionate but unsentimental introduction; there is a reproduction of Kurt's letter home to his family from his time as a POW (how we've benefited from that experience over the years); and there are strains of vintage Vonnegut in the title story.
Ultimately, though, this feels like a last pressing long after the grapes have lost their flavour. Fans will feel his powers faintly showing through, but this would be no collection for anyone new to his work.
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