Rating: 
Summary: A gem...
Review: Damn, if Tom Robbins' "Jitterbug Perfume" isn't one of the most original, beautifully written books I've ever discovered! It is a novel that manages to be classical, comical, and comtemporary at the same time. To say that the plot involves a century-hoping effort to bottle and market the spirit of youth is like saying "Being John Malcovich" is the story of an actor's life.Part of what makes this book irresistable is its clever and lyrical language. Robbins describes a character getting out of a spring this way: "when he surfaced, spewing and sputtering, dead leaves and the addresses of a dozen hibernating frogs strewn throughout his beard...". He describes one character's internal experience this way: "... inside her swelling head... a music was rising, a happiness was rising; her dumpy old heart was rising, made buoyant and girlish again, a lost beach ball blown miles across a levee, illuminated by heat lightening." The book is amazing, really. I'm not sure I've ever seen a more unusual plot handled so deftly, or read a book with as full a canvas of unusual characters and locations. Most of all, the language will keep you hooked from sentence to sentence. There could be no plot at all and you would still keep reading.
Rating: 
Summary: flower power
Review: This book fills a genre one might call "hippie lit." As such, it's filled with nostalgia for the 60s (which he arbitrarily compares to ancient Egypt, Persia, the Greece golden age, and the Renaissance), free love, a trip to India, some drug use, and a one-man-jam-band demigod. There is also a pervasive, didactic tone which tells the reader to live in a semi-hedonistic, semi-"spiritual" mode, among many other things. This is all done in a style that combines corny humor and smug, ineffective wit. As the author bio suggests, this book is a self-conscious attempt to be "sagacious" by an author who seems to self-consciously think of himself as a "maverick" or "rock-star" writer.
There is no subtly here - by the end of the book he's practically spelled out his horrendously confused themes to the reader. In fact, if "show not tell" is the #1 rule of being a writer, then Mr. Robbins isn't much of a writer at all. The philosophical underpinning of this book is poorly conceived and awkwardly expressed, a sort of "religion's greatest hits" in which the world's philosophies are oversimplified and mixed with a new-age pseudo science to an irritating effect.
If this weren't bad enough - and believe me, it is - his characters are largely one-dimensional stereotypes, including an irishman who talks like the Luckycharms leprechaun and a child who speaks like Mary-Kate Olson in her Full House days. And they have oh-so-cute names (Wiggs Dannyboy, Bingo Pajama). Also, when he talks about sex, which is quite often, he seems, at least to me, as sleazy and a bit sexist as well.
Unfortunately, the qualities of his writing listed above, from the pretentious and didactic tone, to the cute and corny humor, to the pseudo-wisdom, are exactly what so many adore about Robbins' writing. I guess I'm just not a fan of beets.
Rating: 
Summary: Much ado about nothing
Review: The author bio in the back of Jitterbug Perfume for author Tom Robbins reads:
"TOM ROBBINGS, maverick author of eight juicy, daring, and sagacious novels, is one of those rare writers who approach rock-star status, attracting SRO crowds at his personal appearances in Europe and Australia as well as in the United States..."
This tells you from the beginning that the author is one of those truly intriguing individuals who is bold, unique, and completely and totally full of it. For some reason, I forced myself through this book--probably because it was a gift from a friend, and one of those novels that seems to be popular and loved for no particular or tangible reason, so I felt I had to attempt to understand it.
That said, the book itself is rambly, annoying, and contains such egregious passages as "her nose [was] a busted hymen through which sperm of a thousand colors swam a hootchy-kootchy stroke into her cerebral lagoon." And the entire book was rife with this stuff, very often to the point that it interfered with understanding the literal meaning of what was going on. I forced myself through this because of some interesting passages regarding immortality, religion, death, and things of this sort, but ultimately, I didn't find anything original or revealing said about these subjects either--just contemplative.
Ultimately, I can tell that this writer has great potential which he has--quite intentionally, it seems--squashed and shat upon in favor of exploring the writing style he has developed for himself, which you can tell he is hopelessly in love with. But if you, the reader, do not fall in love with it by the first two pages, I suggest you put this book down and save yourself the time.
Rating: 
Summary: Very good
Review: I've got to imagine that Tom Robbins is one of those authors that you either love or you don't. If you don't, you can probably skip most of his works; though you owe it to yourself to at least struggle through one. Me, I love Tom Robbins. His writing is quick, witty, and engaging. I found myself unable to stop turning the pages of this book (after I'd read them of course). The basic premise of the book is odd and the books takes odd twists and turns, but ultimately I felt like all was as it should be. In parts I felt like I wasn't getting the whole story, though; I wanted to get to know the non-primary characters a little better. Towards the end the book feels a little rushed and Robbins seems to take a 'Ayn Rand' approach to finishing the book by just telling you the philosophy of the book rather than leaving it up to the reader to come to the conclusion themselves. All in all, though I found this book very enjoyable and would heartily recommend it to anyone who doesn't mind a little sex every now and again.
Rating:
Summary: A lot of beeting about
Review: Jitterbug Perfume is all about beets. Tom Robbins gives an unappreciated vegetable center stage in a saga that spans centuries, and weaves his colorful characters into a powerful story of love, lust and life.
The characters, with seemingly nothing in common save for a love of fragrance and appearances of unexplained beets, keep the plot humming to an intricate rhythm, and when it all comes together, it makes a mighty sweet boof.
Priscilla is a spinster from Seattle. She's a lousy waitress, and an even worse housekeeper, but she has a passion to create that one special perfume that will make her famous.
Madame Lily Devalier and V'lu Jackson are from New Orleans, where Madame runs a parfumerie, assisted by V'lu, and frequent doses of "hurricane drops".
Claude and Marcel Le Fever run a perfume business in Paris, the former dealing with finance, the latter using his famous bloodhound nose to make scents out of ....you get the picture.
Alobar is from a different time and a different place, one of the central characters in this story, and facing a life or death situation or two. Fortunately for this book, he chooses life, and just never stops doing so. A student of the Bandaloop and the god Pan, he anchors the entire tale.
Kudra is Alobar's better half for the better half of the book, and he's better off when she's around.
Wiggs Dannyboy is looking for eternal life.
Bingo Pajama is a mysterious Jamaican with bees in his bonnet.
Pan is the stinky stud-god that inspires the creation of the finest perfume in the world.
An extremely imaginative work, with all the clever wordplay you have come to expect from Tom Robbins.
Amanda Richards, September 18, 2004
Rating:
Summary: Amazing
Review: This is one of those books that, when you're through reading it, you want to immediately start at the beginning and read through it again just to relive the experience. I have to admit, Robbins isn't for everyone; this book is intelligent, well-written and wildly funny, but you have to pay attention. I'm a huge fan. If you're looking for a literary adventure, I would definitely recommend this book!
Rating:
Summary: Beautifully written; affecting
Review: JITTERBUG PERFUME is among Tom Robbins' top three novels--and that's saying a lot, considering that, as far as I'm concerned, Tom Robbins is the best.
In JP, Robbins takes us from Ancient Bohemia to Paris, sometime tonight, starting off with five apparently unrelated stories that are told so intricately that before even noticw, they've become one.
If you're looking for a thoroughly compelling cast, a fascinating plot and some interesting discourses on the part of the author, then you shouldn't give it a second thought. Buy this book, and be glad that you did.
Rating:
Summary: orgasmic!
Review: one of the best books of the century. anyone able to read should read jitterbug perfume before they die. t'is a piece of heaven, an orgasmic thrill cloaked with words!
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Weekend Read
Review: I thought that this book was a wonderful 'weekend at the lake; kind of book. Tom Robbin's writing is funny and filled with nuances that are rare in these these type of books. Normally, this kind of read doesn't exctie me, but I am a Robbin's fan now, and will certainly read some of his other books. The characters are spectacular, and the backround histories that appear throughout the book are almost reminiscant of Douglas Adams. Excellent book; I would suggest it to anyone- even though I prefer fantasy novels, this was an enlightening and fun read.
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