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dakotamurray.bsky.social · @dakotamurray.bsky.social@bridge.neodb.net

Rated Bluebeard 10/10

Bluebeard is only the second Vonnegut book I've read, immediately following Slaugherhouse 5, and reading it has convinced me to go through every last one of the author's books. <br/><br/>This book resembles Slaughterhouse 5 (S5) in its structure, except whereas s5 uses a sci-fi concept about non-linear time to jump throughout a person's life, Bluebeard instead does so through the autobiographical account of the fictional protagonist, Rabo, as he writes a memoir about his life. The book jumps back and forth through points in Rabo's life. While the structure is scattered, it maintains a sense of linearity by the careful withholding and revelation of details as the novel progresses, at times giving information seemingly at random points, and at others following story threads more sequentially though of course with many interjections. <br/><br/>But where S5's themes of trauma and PTSD lend it a more sardonic tone, Bluebeard is instead strongly optimistic. Don't get me wrong, there is still plenty of cynicism, anti-war discussion, and discussion of possible trauma, but Bluebeard offers a kind of acceptance of life. Rabo's story is tragic, and his story visits his early years as the child of poor Armenian immigrants, his years as an artist during the great depression, his time as a soldier in WWII, his rocky marriage, and his membership with the Abstract-expressionist art movement, and ultimate shortcomings within it. Throughout this, Rabo interjects with moments from the present day, where he is 71, lonely, and through luck, rich, and which serves as another source of linearity in the story as it progresses. In contrast to S5, Rabo experiences noticeable character development, and the characterizations of everyone, while not necessarily complex as Jane Austen's characters, are much more complex than the archetypes used in S5. <br/><br/>The payoff, too, is simple yet satisfying, though I won't provide any details. <br/><br/>I wasn't sure what to expect with this book, and I was a little skeptical at first. But I got way more than I thought I would, and really enjoyed the experience reading it.

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Published 2026-08-18 16:11 UTC · bridged from Atmosphere