Sucker's Portfolio: A Collection of Previously Unpublished Writing

I’m still making my way through these stories but of course, it’s Kurt Vonnegut so even if it isn’t his best work, it’s still leaps and bounds above most other authors. The first story (Between Timid And Timbuktu) is one of my new favorites. Husband has already finished this book and likes all but the last sorry. We were pleased to discover this bc I believe we have read all of his other works. If you love Kurt Vonnegut and/or short stories, this one is for you.

...from previously Rejected Stories.

The stories flow in a mix of narrative and conversation. I enjoyed them all and could relate to the human perspective as well as the pessimistic views. Enjoyed reading and will consider reading other Vonnegut books.

Whom I much admire, so this is an eye-opener. My favorite quote is the one about" Babies, welcome to Earth. It's hot and round and wet....The only rule is, Goddamit , you've got to be kind." A poster hung on my clinic wall.

This is a collection of 6 fiction stories and 1 non-fiction essay that Amazon published in serial format under its "Amazon Serials" imprint. The appendix includes an unfinished science fiction story. It's complete now, so buying it gets you a finished book. Shorter than Vonnegut's other story collections, but as of this writing it's still $3 for 154 pages, so it's a good deal.I've rated each story in the section below, but overall I'd say there's enough strong material to be worth the asking price. Two out of eight things I really loved, another four I liked, and just two clunkers.Stories contained:Between Timid and Timbuktu - Okay, I guess. It was a fast enough read. It seems clear enough to me why it would make it this long without being published, it's a little rough and not quite fully formed. C-Rome - Enjoyable story. Vonnegut manages to use concise writing to make each of the characters interesting in a short amount of time. Some good laugh lines. B+Eden by the River - Shorter than the other two. A very sweet tale about a boy and a girl. A lot of good writing about feelings, and an ending that made me immediately go back to reread the beginning. ASucker's Portfolio - The title story of the collection is another good one. Fascinating story told from the perspective of stock portfolio manager, which is not the kind of story you get all of the time. The mystery elements are good, but the ending is a little sloppy. BMiss Snow, You're Fired - This one's a miss for me. Plot by the numbers, characters that don't get the depth they did in the previous stories, and serious "of-the-time" sexism that just don't add up to something worth your time in 2012. DParis, France - An interesting story about three couples of different generations that meet on a train to (and from) Paris. Interesting turns for everyone involved and a very sweet ending. B+The Last Tasmanian - This non-fiction essay is worth the cost of admission for the entire collection. Vonnegut moves through a series of topics as if he's just writing as it comes into his head, but it is fantastic, smart, and relevant. It's mostly about Native Americans and Germans and Columbus and garbage day. All seen through the prism of Vonnegut's amazing voice. A+Robotville and Mr. Caslow - I'm torn about this one. I'm extremely happy that I got to read even some of this tale. I'm equally sad, though, because it is such a fantastic story that is cut off literally in the middle of a sentence, at what seems to be the key point in the narrative. The second person doesn't do as much harm as you'd think, and even in the short contents the world-building is so detailed and fascinating. B+

Great read for Vonnegut completists, and while I take issue with some of his points, his political/social commentary from 1992 is still entirely relevant in 2022.

Very pleased

This book contains seven of Vonnegut's unpublished short stories. At the end, there is the beginning of an unfinished SciFi novel.Episode One: Between Timid and TimbuktuThis is the story of a man who has become convinced that near death experiences are the secret to time travel.Episode Two: RomeA community theater group puts on a play casting a naive young girl as a streetwalker. Her father is a notorious criminal. Will the show go on?Episode Three: Eden by the RiverA boy and girl, alone in the forest, struggle to share their feelings with each other.Episode Four: Sucker's PortfolioA financial adviser tries to keep a young man from wasting his inheritance. What is he spending his money on?Episode Five: Miss Snow, You're FiredEddie's new secretary is the most beautiful girl at the General Forge and Foundry factory. So why does he fire her?Episode Six: Paris, FranceThree couples have very different experiences on a trip to Paris.Episode Seven: The Last TasmanianA stream of consciousness essay written on the occasion of the five hundredth anniversary of Columbus's 1492 voyage of discovery. Vonnegut meanders through history, ecology, religion, race, the treatment of indigenous peoples, slavery, television, and philosophy.Appendix: Robotville and Mr. CaslowThe beginning to what would have been a very interesting SciFi story.I really enjoyed this book. Every story was a unique gem of creativity. Surprise endings and irony lurked in every tale. For me, the book was an interesting read that was finished way too soon.

As these have been published for the first time, one could reasonably assume them to be much rougher diamonds than the work the author sought to polish to publication perfection; however one cannot speak of a low quality Vonnegut here at all. This - a collection of six fiction short stories, the author's non-fiction 'anthropology' essay and an unfinished science fiction story - gives you all the author's wit and powers observation in a more bite sized format.I personally did not find the title piece the strongest, that title in my opinion going to the non-fiction essay, where he reflects on the profession he studied for but did not enter into - anthropology.In the end, if you are a fan of the author, I can only recommend the book. It has the qualities of his other works (even if one certainly cannot call it one of his best), and is probably the last of his works to be made available. If Vonnegut is not your thing, the book is unlikely to change your mind, either. In spite of the bite sized format, I would still probably recommend one of his other books for a first taste of the author for those completely new to him.

I love Kurt’s work and was looking forward to reading this book but I found it disappointing. He has always gotten his message over through his stories but this gets political and openly leftist socialist and treats minorities as victims of crimes that happened before any of their grandparents were born.

A very mixed bag. I'm glad I read it but I doubt I would recommend this to non fans of Vonnegut. Honestly the best part is the non fiction at the end.

Not the best that Vonnegut has had to offer, but bad Vonnegut is still good. Reading the last essay made me sad he isn't here now to point out how nonsensical the world is at the moment in his own special way.

a collection of short stories by the genius of prose-these may be not his best works but they are written in the same humorous kafkaeaque,absurbist critique of modern life. essential reading