The Golf Shop
Add Prime to get Fast, Free delivery
Amazon prime logo
Buy new:
-40% $16.19
FREE delivery Wednesday, January 8 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Ships from: Amazon.com
Sold by: Amazon.com
$16.19 with 40 percent savings
List Price: $27.00
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Wednesday, January 8 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or Prime members get FREE delivery Tomorrow, January 4. Order within 6 hrs 46 mins.
In Stock
$$16.19 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$16.19
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
30-day refund/replacement
30-day refund/replacement
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$15.36
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
A readable copy. All pages are intact and the cover is intact. Dust jacket may be missing. Pages can include considerable highlighting markings writing but cannot obscure the text. May be an Ex-lib. copy and have standard library stamps and or stickers. May NOT include discs or access code or other supplemental material. Ships directly from Amazon and is eligible for Prime or super saver FREE shipping. A readable copy. All pages are intact and the cover is intact. Dust jacket may be missing. Pages can include considerable highlighting markings writing but cannot obscure the text. May be an Ex-lib. copy and have standard library stamps and or stickers. May NOT include discs or access code or other supplemental material. Ships directly from Amazon and is eligible for Prime or super saver FREE shipping. See less
FREE delivery January 19 - 31 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or fastest delivery January 18 - 28
$$16.19 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$16.19
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Slaughterhouse-Five: A Novel; 50th anniversary edition Hardcover – February 1, 1994

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 35,798 ratings

{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$16.19","priceAmount":16.19,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"16","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"19","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"8rWvg78JOsuKwVRixKt4uFR8aUvqnGnzpCjORZtv8yEFNu2VmVwRiVULOIYm3q4jTlbx3GtYZXnxSqSvvkDU99D25y2qba4Ok7L0my7OUo%2FLsSeOjWhlnZRgGm8dSd%2FgSsJHFg6On68%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$15.36","priceAmount":15.36,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"15","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"36","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"8rWvg78JOsuKwVRixKt4uFR8aUvqnGnzkPUU4EXgQRofh1wBOLYtE%2FKQAd5noh%2BPDZ%2Fk9HZ83bT8zjLst%2BZUAvlSRWX198%2BO68yO0TGdQhv7T1aVj6AtPFxoCg9L%2BODLV9ZRFqAiQYCntPo7nAsatjIi2GXs6s1PzxozjYh%2B%2BG1%2B3MGWOnM4auydb01E2DCy","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

A special fiftieth anniversary edition of Kurt Vonnegut’s masterpiece, “a desperate, painfully honest attempt to confront the monstrous crimes of the twentieth century” (Time), featuring a new introduction by Kevin Powers, author of the National Book Award finalist The Yellow Birds
 
Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best novels of all time
 
Slaughterhouse-Five, an American classic, is one of the world’s great antiwar books. Centering on the infamous World War II firebombing of Dresden, the novel is the result of what Kurt Vonnegut described as a twenty-three-year struggle to write a book about what he had witnessed as an American prisoner of war. It combines historical fiction, science fiction, autobiography, and satire in an account of the life of Billy Pilgrim, a barber’s son turned draftee turned optometrist turned alien abductee. As Vonnegut had, Billy experiences the destruction of Dresden as a POW. Unlike Vonnegut, he experiences time travel, or coming “unstuck in time.”

An instant bestseller,
Slaughterhouse-Five made Kurt Vonnegut a cult hero in American literature, a reputation that only strengthened over time, despite his being banned and censored by some libraries and schools for content and language. But it was precisely those elements of Vonnegut’s writing—the political edginess, the genre-bending inventiveness, the frank violence, the transgressive wit—that have inspired generations of readers not just to look differently at the world around them but to find the confidence to say something about it. Authors as wide-ranging as Norman Mailer, John Irving, Michael Crichton, Tim O’Brien, Margaret Atwood, Elizabeth Strout, David Sedaris, Jennifer Egan, and J. K. Rowling have all found inspiration in Vonnegut’s words. Jonathan Safran Foer has described Vonnegut as “the kind of writer who made people—young people especially—want to write.” George Saunders has declared Vonnegut to be “the great, urgent, passionate American writer of our century, who offers us . . . a model of the kind of compassionate thinking that might yet save us from ourselves.”

More than fifty years after its initial publication at the height of the Vietnam War, Vonnegut’s portrayal of political disillusionment, PTSD, and postwar anxiety feels as relevant, darkly humorous, and profoundly affecting as ever, an enduring beacon through our own era’s uncertainties.
"All the Little Raindrops: A Novel" by Mia Sheridan for $10.39
The chilling story of the abduction of two teenagers, their escape, and the dark secrets that, years later, bring them back to the scene of the crime. | Learn more

Frequently bought together

This item: Slaughterhouse-Five: A Novel; 50th anniversary edition
$16.19
Get it as soon as Wednesday, Jan 8
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
$17.29
Get it as soon as Wednesday, Jan 8
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
$17.23
Get it as soon as Wednesday, Jan 8
Only 8 left in stock - order soon.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Total price: $00
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
spCSRF_Treatment
Some of these items ship sooner than the others.
Choose items to buy together.
Popular Highlights in this book

From the Publisher

All this happened, more or less.

Like so many Americans, she was trying to construct a life that made sense…

I have this disease late at night sometimes, involving alcohol and the telephone.

So it goes

The New York Times says, “Very tough and very funny … very Vonnegut.”

Life says, “A funny book at which you are not permitted to laugh, a sad book without tears.”

Los Angeles Times says, “Funny, satirical, compelling, outrageous, fanciful, mordant, fecund.”

Explore more of Kurt Vonnegut’s Library
Cat's cradle Breakfast of champions Sirens of Titan Mother Night God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater Welcome to the monkey house
Cat’s Cradle Breakfast of Champions The Sirens of Titan Mother Night God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater Welcome to the Monkey House
Customer Reviews
4.4 out of 5 stars
11,853
4.3 out of 5 stars
6,782
4.4 out of 5 stars
7,991
4.5 out of 5 stars
4,656
4.3 out of 5 stars
2,964
4.5 out of 5 stars
2,133
Price $11.39 $13.19 $13.13 $16.09 $13.69 $12.39
“A free-wheeling vehicle . . . an unforgettable ride!”—The New York Times “Marvelous . . . [Vonnegut] wheels out all the complaints about America and makes them seem fresh, funny, outrageous, hateful and lovable.”—The New York Times “[Kurt Vonnegut’s] best book . . . He dares not only ask the ultimate question about the meaning of life, but to answer it.”—Esquire “Vonnegut is George Orwell, Dr. Caligari and Flash Gordon compounded into one writer . . . a zany but moral mad scientist.”—Time “[Vonnegut] at his wildest best.”—The New York Times Book Review A collection of Kurt Vonnegut’s shorter works. “There are twenty-five stories here, and each hits a nerve ending.”—The Charlotte Observer

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Poignant and hilarious, threaded with compassion and, behind everything, the cataract of a thundering moral statement.”The Boston Globe

“Very tough and very funny . . . sad and delightful . . . very Vonnegut.”The New York Times

“Splendid . . . a funny book at which you are not permitted to laugh, a sad book without tears.”Life

“Funny, satirical, compelling, outrageous, fanciful, mordant, fecund . . .  ‘It’s too good to be science fiction,’ [the critics] would say. But Vonnegut doesn’t care, and you won’t care, either, because this is a writer who leaps over genres.”
—Los Angeles Times

From the Inside Flap

"Slaughterhous-Five is one of the world's great anti-war books. Centering on the infamous fire-bombing of Dresden, Billy Pilgrim's odyssey through time reflects the mythic journey of our own fractured lives as we search for meaning in what we are afraid to know.

"From the Paperback edition.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Modern Library; 50th Anniversary ed. edition (February 1, 1994)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0385312083
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0385312080
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 850L
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.46 x 0.94 x 8.33 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 35,798 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Kurt Vonnegut
Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Kurt Vonnegut was a writer, lecturer and painter. He was born in Indianapolis in 1922 and studied biochemistry at Cornell University. During WWII, as a prisoner of war in Germany, he witnessed the destruction of Dresden by Allied bombers, an experience which inspired Slaughterhouse Five. First published in 1950, he went on to write fourteen novels, four plays, and three short story collections, in addition to countless works of short fiction and nonfiction. He died in 2007.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
35,798 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers

Customers say

Customers find the book well-written and thought-provoking. They describe it as a humorous tale with good comic relief. The book is described as an anti-war novel that touches on the horrors of war. Readers appreciate the whimsical, unusual style and quirky illustrations. They also mention the interesting time travel elements.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

1,274 customers mention "Readability"1,108 positive166 negative

Customers find the book enjoyable and well-written. They appreciate the brilliant writing style and clear storytelling. The book is described as a classic novel that should be read by all.

"...How to describe it? Silly, empathetic, philosophical, observant, whimsical, searing, unapologetic...." Read more

"...Worth a read ... just to say you did. Also interested in his "Mother Night " (Campbell referenced here) and the movie with Nick Nolte...." Read more

"...Slaughterhouse-Five was not laden with ancient language terms or obscure references - so I was able to leave the thesaurus closed and enjoy the..." Read more

"...Yet, somehow, I kept missing what is no doubt one of his greatest books, SLAUGHTERHOUSE FIVE...." Read more

288 customers mention "Thought provoking"260 positive28 negative

Customers find the book thought-provoking and engaging. They appreciate the philosophical content, subtle commentary on scripture, and poignant observations about the human condition. The book covers a range of concepts from war to science fiction and constantly surprises the reader with its creative writing style.

"...How to describe it? Silly, empathetic, philosophical, observant, whimsical, searing, unapologetic...." Read more

"...this story is told in Vonnegut’s characteristic style of simple declarative sentences. A breeze to read...." Read more

"...It is an important achievement by any standard, the most significant of Kurt Vonnegut's work...." Read more

"...In S5, there are over 100 references to death and each one is accompanied by "So it goes."..." Read more

233 customers mention "Humor"210 positive23 negative

Customers enjoy the humor in the book. They find the characters amusing and the writing style humorous. The book is described as a thoughtful tale of dark reflective humor with a unique writing style.

"...Part war story, part science fiction, and part bizarro, observational comedy, I couldn't explain it concisely if I tried...." Read more

"...unstuck in time, and you will too as you read this thoughtful tale of dark reflective humor...." Read more

"...forever living with that memory and hence this rather comical piece of a science fiction novel came as a result of this historic event...." Read more

"...: it conveys it's painfully serious message through absurd and hilarious means--a text-book technique in the world of satire and a more basic tenant..." Read more

198 customers mention "Anti-war novel"181 positive17 negative

Customers find the book an anti-war novel and science fiction. They say it's a brilliant revelation of the absurdity of war, very relevant today. The book touches on the horrors of war, with an inventive look into war and its consequences. It gives you a full understanding of war without being explicit. The author looks at war and indecencies of war from a fresh perspective, showing the destructive power of war reversed.

"...What a weird and quirky novel. Part war story, part science fiction, and part bizarro, observational comedy, I couldn't explain it concisely if I..." Read more

"...There is much made of this being an anti-war book, and certainly there is that aspect within the pages...." Read more

"...In Vonnegut's story telling he interweaves science fiction...." Read more

"...classes, Slaughterhouse Five is considered by many to be the ultimate anti-war satire, a story that scolds the meaning of all war..." Read more

154 customers mention "Style"134 positive20 negative

Customers appreciate the book's style. They find it whimsical, concentrated, and unusual. The illustrations are simple, hand-drawn images of objects that add a colorful dynamic to the story.

"...How to describe it? Silly, empathetic, philosophical, observant, whimsical, searing, unapologetic...." Read more

"...piece of illustrated literature I'd read, but all the quirky illustrations were simple, hand-drawn images of objects I never expected to be depicted..." Read more

"...Dresden was a beautiful city, the very cultural center of Germany on the river Elbe, and had absolutely no military value...." Read more

"...that it became a classic in the meantime, one is struck with a kaleidoscope of images that make up Billy’s life...." Read more

106 customers mention "Time travel"95 positive11 negative

Customers enjoy the time travel in the book. They find the concept interesting, describing it as a science fiction/psychological crossbreed about time travel, aliens, philosophy, and war. The idea of time being cyclical and happening all at once is appreciated. Readers appreciate the tightly knit timelines as the story progresses.

"...From a science fiction perspective, the book has some neat passages about time travel, the fourth dimension and how life would be if time was..." Read more

"...But, as the book progressed, the timelines became more closely knitted; the book became more understandable and therefore more readable...." Read more

"A challenging book with dark themes and connections to history. It’s sad and tense...." Read more

"...These aliens see all time in a single moment...." Read more

89 customers mention "Sadness"74 positive15 negative

Customers find the book heart-wrenching and humorous. They describe it as a classic that evokes a full range of emotions from horror to tragedy. The book is described as profound, revealing a rare glimpse behind emotional damage and coping skills. Readers describe it as simple yet complex, challenging with dark themes and connections to history.

"A challenging book with dark themes and connections to history. It’s sad and tense...." Read more

"...of Vonnegut - moralistic yet nihilistic, pointless yet poignant, heartbreaking, uproarious, and deeply human while at the same time bizarre and alien..." Read more

"...It has a symmetry and repetition that is endearing and captivating rather than annoying...." Read more

"This is a combination of a lot of different things. It's funny, yet sad, and quick, but deep...." Read more

238 customers mention "Plot"81 positive157 negative

Customers have different views on the plot. Some find it intriguing and complex, while others feel it lacks a compelling narrative. The story is described as bizarre, ambiguous, and complex.

"...The disparate plot (what little there is) tells the strange life of Billy Pilgrim, a WWII veteran who lived through the bombing of Dresden, one of..." Read more

"...a holocaust novel (it's not), allow it to be smart, silly, funny and weird and an enjoyable adventure." Read more

"...is that the story Vonnegut tells resembles war itself: a kaleidoscope of insanity, a series of Cubist paintings set in motion, with little apparent..." Read more

"...The story as a whole to me, feels just a bit disjointed, and feels like the author had to work very hard to get an entire book out of it...." Read more

Moldy and annotated
3 out of 5 stars
Moldy and annotated
Moldy and annotated. Barely acceptable condition
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2021
    I read this novel as a young man and again later in my 30s. I thought I'd give it another read to see if it's as strange as I'd remembered. What a weird and quirky novel. Part war story, part science fiction, and part bizarro, observational comedy, I couldn't explain it concisely if I tried. The disparate plot (what little there is) tells the strange life of Billy Pilgrim, a WWII veteran who lived through the bombing of Dresden, one of the most horrific events of WWII. But he soon becomes "unstuck in time" and we careen back and forth throughout his life: his time as an optometrist, his time in WWII, the time he was abducted by aliens called Tralfamadorians, who see the entirety of time all at once. Strange story. Is Billy’s unstuck state an analogy for insanity? Could be. Vonnegut (he is the narrator of the novel and appears in the Dresden part of the story) tells this strange story with an empathetic lilt as he retells many of the disturbing events that Billy and the other characters endure, punctuating any mention of death with his well-known phrase, "So it goes."

    Since the Tralfamadorians see time as a whole and not in a linear fashion, I imagine that’s how Vonnegut approached this story. Told in sections that are out of order (literally and figuratively), the one thing that is a constant is Vonnegut’s narrative voice. How to describe it? Silly, empathetic, philosophical, observant, whimsical, searing, unapologetic. A hilariously observant passage finds Billy Pilgrim in a train car filled with war prisoners during WWII. He’s sitting next to a hobo who is not a prisoner; he’s just on the train for the ride. The train car is filthy, despondent, cold, and the prisoners are hungry, tired, dejected. The hobo tells Billy, “This ain’t bad. This ain’t nothing at all.” It’s all in your perspective, Vonnegut seems to offer the reader. So it goes.

    I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and I highly recommend it. I would give this novel 5 stars.
    9 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2024
    Jumps around a lot (with the time travel, of course). Not a lot of tactical details about the fire-bombing of Dresden, but plenty on the aftermath.
    Reminiscent of Forrest Gump, with jumps to different events in his life, anchored by a soul-crushing family life.
    Worth a read ... just to say you did. Also interested in his "Mother Night " (Campbell referenced here) and the movie with Nick Nolte.
    Would love to find Sci-Fi books by Kilgore Trout ... if he weren't "madey-uppy" by Vonnegut. ;)
  • Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2024
    This was a straight-forward and "fun" book to read, and it kept me entertained from start to finish.

    Slaughterhouse-Five was not laden with ancient language terms or obscure references - so I was able to leave the thesaurus closed and enjoy the novel as I would imagine the author intended.

    Thank You
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2018
    Way, way back, I barely knew the name of Kurt Vonnegut. He was not part of the science fiction “ghetto” - some SF fans will no doubt know what I’m talking about – so how could he be worth knowing? Then I grew up, read some of his work, admitted my mistake, and became one of his biggest fans.

    Yet, somehow, I kept missing what is no doubt one of his greatest books, SLAUGHTERHOUSE FIVE. Surely everybody now knows Vonnegut’s take on the fire-bombing of Dresden in World War II while Vonnegut was a prisoner of war.

    The genius is that the story Vonnegut tells resembles war itself: a kaleidoscope of insanity, a series of Cubist paintings set in motion, with little apparent rhyme or reason. Vonnegut seems to have written himself into the story, though the main character, Billy Pilgrim, is presumably made up. One would assume this of Billy’s adventures: Randomly slipping in and out of time, visiting with an extraterrestrial race from the planet Tralfmadore that kept him in a zoo where he mated with a young starlet, and so on.

    Billy is, truth be told, like most of us: Nondescript, mainly ineffectual, stumbling through a series of random events swirling around us in confusing ways. Much of the book consists of events during World War II – leading up to the firebombing of Dresden and its aftermath, though they mingle with Billy’s life before and after the war.

    Vonnegut does offer a few observations, though they can be depressing. One of my favorites is: “…there would always be wars, that they were as easy to stop as glaciers. I believe that, too.” In a similar vein, but less depressing: “The nicest veterans … I thought, the kindest and funniest ones, the ones who hated war the most, were the ones who’d really fought.”

    One of the things I like about Vonnegut is how he often provides a philosophy that sounds as if it should be true. In this book it is the teachings of the extraterrestrials. Billy says at one point: “The most important thing I learned on Tralfamadore was that when a person dies he only appears to die. He is still very much alive in the past, so it is very silly for people to cry at his funeral. All moments, past, present, and future, always have existed, always will exist… It is just an illusion we have here on Earth that one moment follows another one, like beads on a string, and that once a moment is gone it is gone forever. When a Tralfamadorian sees a corpse, all he thinks is that the dead person is in bad condition in that particular moment, but that the same person is just fine in plenty of other moments. Now, when I myself hear that somebody is dead, I simply shrug and say what the Tralfamadorians say about dead people, which is ‘So it goes.’”

    I haven’t decided yet if that passage is depressing or not.

    And there is this piece of Tralfamadoran advice: “That’s one thing Earthlings might learn to do, if they tried hard enough: Ignore the awful times, and concentrate on the good ones.”

    Actually, that might indeed be pretty good advice.

    SLAUGHTERHOUSE FIVE is full of such moments.

    Or, as Vonnegut might say, “So it goes.”
    33 people found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
  • Israel Mar Martinez
    5.0 out of 5 stars Recommended
    Reviewed in Mexico on October 13, 2024
    It was an awesome book, I enjoyed it a lot.
  • Sertan
    2.0 out of 5 stars Hasarlı ürün.
    Reviewed in Turkey on November 29, 2024
    Kitabın basımı, sayfaların rengi, font gerçekten hoş lakin ürünüm hasarlı geldi, arka tarafı ezilmiş neredeyse yırtılmış bir kondisyondaydı. Ancak gelmesini heyecanla beklediğim için geri iade etmek ya da değişim sürecini beklemek istemiyorum o nedenle buruk bir şekilde okuyorum.
  • Jens Roedler
    5.0 out of 5 stars O tempora o mores
    Reviewed in Germany on October 15, 2024
    Nobody writes like Vonnegut or Henry Miller anymore. Deeply satisfying read and perfect description of the warped human mind.
  • RGM
    5.0 out of 5 stars A simple, elegant classic
    Reviewed in Canada on August 8, 2021
    I hadn't read SL5 for 40 years, originally as an undergrad. It is as good or better than I remembered it, with the short, vignette-like episodes that make it almost impossible to put down (much like Cat's Cradle, Vonnegut's other great novel). There is a plain-spoken, everyday humour that somehow makes a book about something as heart-rending as the massacre of an entire city remarkably humane and even funny. Structurally, the book takes the events of one man's life and shuffles them like a deck of playing cards; it is tribute to KV's genius that the result is brilliantly coherent and logical, and easy to follow. It stands as the best and most empathic novel about trauma I have ever read, and KV was well ahead of his time in crafting the interplay between trauma, dissociation, re-experiencing and emotional distancing the are now recognized as part of PTSD. Vonnegut is one of the great American novelists of the 20th century; it is important that his work is not lost in the passage of time. I highly recommend SL5.
  • Binding is not upto the mark. Pages are almost coming out as I read.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Book binding
    Reviewed in India on May 16, 2024
    Binding is not upto the mark. Pages are coming
    out as I read.