Fools and their Money

It's funny how you can end up finding a great book.  For example, I found out about 'God Bless You, Mr Rosewater' thanks to a throwaway remark by Robin Ince at a gig a few weeks ago.  Boy am I glad he went off script!

'God Bless You, Mr Rosewater'
by Kurt Vonnegut
(Vintage Classics, 1992)

'God Bless You, Mr Rosewater' by Kurt Vonnegut is a satire about inheritance, class, philanthropy, greed and American society's obsession with the rich.  The Rosewater Foundation seems like the perfect tax dodge, a way to enable the Rosewater family to inherit and protect its incredible fortune and hand it, intact, to the next generation.  But there's a problem.  The current foundation president, Eliot Rosewater - alcoholic, obsessed with volunteer firemen and (worst of all) determined to help the poor - is showing signs of mental breakdown.  If declared insane, control of the Foundation's vast wealth goes to the next heir, a distant cousin eking out a living as an insurance salesman on the coast.  Led by the devious lawyer Mushari, the vultures begin to circle, and, Eliot's father, Senator Rosewater, is forced to step in to try to prevent catastrophe...

I absolutely loved this book and wanted to start reading it again almost as soon as I turned the last page.  I found the themes really interesting, but also enjoyed the vivid patchwork of characters Vonnegut created.  They tumbled forth from the narrative like coins from a piggy bank, some shiny, some dull, but all saying something about attitudes to money, class and entrepreneurship in 1960s America.

The writing style was snappy and short, which made it a great book to dip into, but I never felt short changed as it belied the depth and complexity of the themes explored.

Although Vonnegut is a name I'm aware of, I'd not read any of his works before 'God Bless You, Mr Rosewater'.  Now we've been introduced, I certainly can't wait to read more of his work.

If you're someone who likes thought-provoking satire, I think you'll find much to enjoy here.  It's a slightly unusual narrative style, more in common with a single-shot film that allows you to explore the human landscape, with characters coming and going as required, rather than a story that sticks like glue to single character's side, but it works perfectly.  Like I say, I can't wait to explore it's riches once more.

Now, what next...?