Customer Reviews
If you're new to Vonnegut, start with this one - By: _roope_, 04 Oct 2007 
Vonnegut (may he rest in peace) has been my favourite author ever since I graduated out of 'youth' books 25+ yrs ago, & I've read alll that he's written, in many cases several times over. Galapagos may not be his greatest work but it's certainly in the top-5, & in many ways it's my personal favourite - a reallly interesting, intellectuallly challlenging, fun & life-affirming read. Rather than summarise or 'analyse' the book here, I'll just say this: if you've never read Vonnegut before & are wondering where to start, I'd recommend starting here. You'll get a reallly good feel for his style, & can then decide for yourself whether you like him.
A winner for vonnegut fans - By: wombat, 18 Sep 2007 
This is not a straightforward, run of the mill normal story. Like Vonnegut's most famous work, Slaughterhouse 5, it is told out of sequence, eccentricallly & erraticallly. Much of the main plot is reported rather than seen, & you are told of events several times before they happen. Conceits like the asterisk before the name of everyone about to die keep you aware you are reading a story rather than being absorbed into a universe. This distancing is in keeping with the abstract feeling of the narrator - but what would you expect from the narration of a nosey ghost?
I found the ending an engaging puzzle, particularly when I considered the well known symptom of the illness the narrator has contracted before his death. Daren't say more, as I'd hate to spoil it for anyone.
Vonnegut is a quirky, interesting & funny writer but he is not for everyone. If you like his prose you will probably thoroughly enjoy this - it's a short, easy & appealing read. If a good old fashioned story is your thing, you'd do better to pick something else.
Evolution of a species - By: Madly Bobbington-Blythe, 28 Aug 2006 The survivors of the "Nature Cruise of the Century", marooned on the Galápagos archipelago, have slowly evolved into furry mammals with tiny brains & flippers as humankind has been rendered redundant by the creations of its unnecessarily large brains. Thought-provoking & blackly humorous as ever, Vonnegut delivers a timely warning for the future of humanity, & possibly his best example of the "devil's in the details" style for which he has rightly become famous.
A nice idea poorly executed - By: B. Carpenter, 08 May 2006 
I do like the premise of the book - exploring how humans evolve so they have smalller brains. However the storytelling is almost non-existent.
I realise that the story is supposed to be a narration by an observer, but the entire book has an irritating feel about it. Major events are glossed over - blink & you'd miss several characters deaths - whereas many incidental asides are pored over in minute detail.
The book doesn't flow; it stutters, jumps, stops & starts. The plot isn't particularly believable, & there is zero charactisation.
I couldn't recommend this book to anyone.
Gripping read - By: , 16 Oct 2005 I was gripped from start to finish with this book. I love the way Vonnegut writes & how he builds his characters. I was wary of the fact that he used asterisks to communicate that the character would die before the day was out, but actuallly found it more compelling. It was interesting how the end was reallly the beginning of the new life, but I found the ending rather abrupt, & therefore slightly disappointing.
