Mother Night

By: Kurt Vonnegut

Narrated by: Victor Bevine

Length: 5 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

American Howard W. Campbell, Jr., a spy during World War II, is now on trial in Israel as a Nazi war criminal. But is he really guilty? In this brilliant book rife with true gallows humor, Kurt Vonnegut turns black and white into a chilling shade of grey with a verdict that will haunt us all. Mother Night is a daring challenge to our moral sense.

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.

©1966 Kurt Vonnegut (P)2008 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Vonnegut is George Orwell, Dr. Caligari and Flash Gordon compounded into one writer...a zany but moral mad scientist." ( Time)

Slightly drier Vonnegut, but still a classic.

Vonnegut is his usual sharp self, always plumbing the depth of the duality of human nature and our concepts of good and evil. The characters are engaging and fleshed out as well as any of his other novels. Great story, easy to follow, with the focus being on the characters' individual anguish resulting from past actions and the increasingly hazy recollections of WWII. Not as humorous as his other novels like Cat's Cradle or Slaughterhouse Five (yes, even that was funnier). Still, one of the top Vonnegut books, pleasing to his his fans and any casual reader.

The narrator was good, pleasing to the ear, and nondescript. Perhaps that is good about a narrator--the he or she does not stick out beyond the material. He did a good job of jumping between voices and did not over-act any part of it.

Great to find another outstanding Vonnegut book

This book is a poignant and engrossing listen, full of unexpected twists and turns throughout. Kudos to the narrator for using restraint with voices and letting the listeners reach their own judgments and conclusions about the intentions and motivations of the main characters, which are complex. The reader/listener is left with that feeling that on one is ever completely good or bad, but an ever changing mixture of both.

He said, I said

Vonnegut is always a good listen/read but the emphasis on "he said, I said" in the performance is a quite annoying.

Essential reading (or listening)

One of my favorite Vonnegut books. Heart wrenching and masterfully written. Obviously not as whimsical as some of his other works but it makes incredible points regarding human nature, war and the things that drive those involved. Scary, poignant and gripping throughout.

Forgot how good Vonnegut wrote.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, excellent read. Definitely Vonnegut's best even though probably his darkest.

What did you like best about this story?

Unlocking subconscious rationale for things people do in life.

What does Victor Bevine bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

A proper emotional level.

Who was the most memorable character of Mother Night and why?

The hero.

Any additional comments?

Dark times in history, overwhelming at points.

Vonnegut at his best, read beautifully.

What more can one ask? Be careful of who you pretend to be, as we become that which we pretend.

Strangely relevant anew

Kurt Vonnegut's darkest novel finds new relevance in the age of Lyin' Donald Trump. Riveting listening.

Vonnegut’s Masterpiece

Better than Slaughterhouse 5 and Cat’s Cradle. This magnificent work captures the humanity and insanity of World War 2.

Vonnegut strange to listen to

The same compact sentence structure that makes the story so easy to read and removes obstacles from understanding the characters makes it hard to listen to. The cadence of "he said" being about half the words of many sentences is jarring. Would much rather read this. Not the narrator's fault.

An Unrecognized Masterpiece

I read Mother Night probably a decade ago, in middle school, and Vonnegut's writing style has me hooked ever since. This novel, centered around a fictional Nazi war criminal named Howard W. Campbell Jr., explores many deeper issues of allegiance, belonging, identity, community, and morality. Vonnegut's style does not always translate ideally to the audiobook genre (his chapters are short and the narrative skips around a bit in a nonlinear fashion), but I still thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend.

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