Galapagos

By: Kurt Vonnegut

Narrated by: Jonathan Davis

Length: 8 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

Galapagos takes the listener back one million years to AD 1986. A simple vacation cruise suddenly becomes an evolutionary journey. Thanks to an apocalypse, a small group of survivors stranded on the Galapagos Islands are about to become the progenitors of a brave, new, totally different human race.

Kurt Vonnegut, America's master satirist, looks at our world and shows us all that is sadly, madly awry - and all that is worth saving.

As an added bonus, when you purchase our Audible Modern Vanguard production of Kurt Vonnegut's book, you'll also receive an exclusive Jim Atlas interview. This interview – where James Atlas interviews Gay Talese about the life and work of Kurt Vonnegut – begins as soon as the audiobook ends.

This production is part of our Audible Modern Vanguard line, a collection of important works from groundbreaking authors.

©1985 Kurt Vonnegut (P)2008 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Beautiful...provocative, arresting reading." ( USA Today)

"Vonnegut is a post-modern Mark Twain.... Galapagos is a madcap genealogical adventure." ( The New York Times Book Review)

"The best Vonnegut novel yet!" (John Irving)

Engaging and prophetic beyond explanation

Vonnegut was ahead of his time, as a novelist, and possessed a vision of bad things that would come to, pass, and have. Provided that one accepts the origin of species as fact, they will be glad to have read this.

Narrator doesn’t seem to understand satire

This narrator has a very earnest delivery and makes the whole story sound sad and serious. If he is correct in his tone, then I don’t like Vonnegut very much. If I am right in the way I read Vonnegut, then he’s my favorite author. In my head he sounds sweet and not too serious and just kind of befuddled and charmed by the world. This narrator made me want to drive off of a cliff.

Wittily Kurt V but dull storyline of human devolution

I loved Breakfast of the Champions and Slaughterhouse Five, and was lucky enough to visit the Galapagos a few years ago, so thought this would be a must-read. KV’s dry wit and sarcasm transpires, but since the plot twist happens early on in the story to a bunch of misfits, the backstories of each misfit is quite dull to work through. It’s hard to care about human characters with little intrigue. KV’s descriptions of the wildlife, natural selection and human devolution carries the story. The narrator was great with voicing all the different characters, and I appreciated the interview recording after the novel for context and on KV and peer writers’ lives.

Interesting Cast of Characters

I think this was an overall good listen. I enjoyed learning about each character, and non-linear story line was refreshing. Also, kudos to the voice actor, he did a great job at portraying both male and female characters. His voice was very nice on the ears. I haven't read or listened to much Kurt Vonnegut, but this has definitely wet my appetite for reading more.

The Last Great Vonnegut Novel

What made the experience of listening to Galapagos the most enjoyable?

I think the narrator did a superb job in letting the story unfold.He didn't get in the way of the material and read it without irony; which I think is tough to do given the material. I enjoyed every minute of it.

What other book might you compare Galapagos to and why?

I think Vonnegut is a very unique writer. He doesn't "over write" or get lost in his own exposition.Yet he takes you down roads that don't add up until the very end, making it important to pay attention. The only other book I think you can can compare this to are others he has written, and I would say Breakfast of Champions comes the closest. If you enjoyed that story and approach, you will enjoy Galapagos. Many characters return from that story as well, making it somewhat interlocking like other Vonnegut stories.

Have you listened to any of Jonathan Davis’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not but I think he did a great job. I find it such an interesting occupation being a narrator, in many ways the best ones are unnoticed because they let the story be the star. Jonathan does that with this reading, and that is a compliment. Very well done.

Who was the most memorable character of Galapagos and why?

I would say a tie between Kilgore Trout and his son. Trout looms large int eh Vonnegut universe and he takes on even more mythic proportions in this story. Fascinating use of character development.

Any additional comments?

In my opinion this is the last great Vonnegut novel.His later work is very different from his early work in tone and pace.If you are a fan of his early work, I think you will enjoy it very much. I recommend it highly. I would suggest listening to his right after Breakfast of Champions since it occupies a similar section of the Vonnegut universe. A critical book in the legacy of a great American writer. Audible gives it the production value and care it richly deserves.

Imagination,satire,Darwinism

Funny and sad at the same time. Interesting naturalist pictures of wildlife of Galápagos Islands along with and embedded in the story, that I appreciated because of my upcoming trip to Galapagos. Very good reader.

Daunting and Enlightening

Where does Galapagos rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Number two, right after The Alchemist.

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favorite character would have to be The Captain because for all his faults, vanity and ignorance he seemed the most real.

Have you listened to any of Jonathan Davis’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No. But I loved his voice and he, like Jeremy Irons, seems to embody each and every character as though they existed inside him.

Who was the most memorable character of Galapagos and why?

Most memorable character...hmmm. Ok, I'd said it is Mary. She is consistent and steadfast in her faith of humanity. Right up to the end she risks it all to save what she believes will improve the minds of future generations...but thanks to Vonnegut's wry sense of humor...I won't be a spoiler.

Any additional comments?

Vonnegut's style is both depressing and playful but more than anything he cuts through to the truth many have not and will not face.

An odd tale written by a wondefully odd man.

This is not my favorite Vonnegut title, mostly because it feels like he is still finding his voice here. He tells the story from an unusual perspective and deals in very non-linear time. If you know KV's work, you'll know that's not uncommon, but here it is a little more messy than in other books. I do really love the story, the characters and the commentary, but the way the story is told doesn't really allow me to grow terribly attached to any of it. This may very well have been the whole point, but from a personal experience perspective, it makes it a tough read. The narrator also does a very lack-luster job of telling this tale. He has a strange monotony to his speech patterns that makes me want to give up on the book... and life. His actual voice is nice, smooth and easy to listen to, but he's reading the book like a student reading an essay for an oral presentation. It's hard to properly explain. All-in-all I'm glad to have this book in my brain, but I know Vonnegut has made much better.

Always different

You've got to love him or you won't like it.

Great from start to finish

I'm in college, and had to read this for one of my classes. With the workload from my other classes, I knew I'd struggle a bit reading this, or that it'd take me longer than it should've. So I decided to give the audiobook a try, and I don't regret it. Jonathan Davis was great. I normally am picky about my performers, because I usually like to make it all in my head rather than have someone do the voices for me. But Davis was fantastic. When I found that I actually had time to sit down and read, I didn't want to, unless I was listening to Davis.

As far as the story is concerned, I don't want to say too much, but I will say this: Galapagos follows a unique cast of characters as it chronicles the evolution of the human species over a million years, to a time when the species is free from their "big brains". This was my first Vonnegut, so naturally I got a little confused. But in the end, after the story has woven through countless instances, and millions of years, Vonnegut crafted a masterwork of the tenacity of the human spirit. Written shortly after the Vietnam war, you can tell this acts as an antithesis to all the bad humans can cause, and works as a contemplative work on the greatness we inherently posses. I really loved it, and I'm looking forward to more Vonnegut, and Jonathan Davis, in the future.