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Summary: MY INTRODUCTION TO TOM ROBBINS IS MY FAVORITE ROBBINS NOVEL
Review: I first became aware of Robbins back in the late 70's, but never actually sat down and read anything by him until this classic came along. I've since read his entire body of work with the exception of Fierce Invalids (gotta get that one soon) and of all of them this is my favorite by far. The plot is incredibly intricate, spanning some 1500 years and every single loose end is tied up at the end. It's a very spiritual book. It also is excruciatingly funny. My favorite comic passage is his description of the philospher Descartes serving in the court of Queen Chrstina of Sweeden which has been overun with fleas. I won't give any more away about that passage for anyone out there reading these reviews who is considering taking the Robbins plunge. I would hate to spoil the joke.As with all of his work, Robbins roots for individual spiritualism as opposed to organized religion. His knowledge of mythology and theology is incredible. I can picture a very funny scenario with Jehovah's Witness at his front door. In my opinion, he states his case more eloquently here than in his other novels, which by the way, are all worth the read.
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Summary: Everyone, do the bandaloop!
Review: Everyone here on Amazon seems to be raving stark naked about how fun or great this book was, but in all due respect to everyone involved(readers, Mr. Robbins, and the clergy), I think there is something greater than just fun or play going on here. On the surface is a great epic story filled from start to finish with incredibly, deftly crafted witticism woven together like a nuclear Singer sewing machine on sheets of hallucigenic fuel cells, but under the surface swims a giant spiritual whale engulfing mere mortals like Fat Albert bobbing for apples. This book has been one of the most thoroughly satisfying reads since Hesse's "Siddhartha" or Bukowski's "Pulp." Put them together in a secluded ranch in Bill Gate's backyard and you might get something half as amazing as this diamond mine that Robbins has bequeathed unto us unwitting humans. Mr. Robbins, may you live to be 1000+. That is, if you want that.
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Summary: The Best of Tom Robbins
Review: I've read all of Tom Robbins' books and in my opinion (and boy do I have one) he is awesome. The man is funny, silly, thought-provoking and spiritual. Jitterbug Perfume is my favorite of all Tom Robbins'. I love the characters, their play in time and what is time, after all. What better way to eternal life than Kudra and Al's. Perhaps my favorite part in the book, which I have read several times (I buy used copies and give them to anyone who will take one)is at the dock where the ferryman sends people one way or the other. With a heart as light as a feather, one's work here should surely be done. Keep up the good work, Tom. Your words are scenic masterpieces!
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Summary: Godlike writing
Review: Tom Robbins cannot be described as any one thing, though if they ever get around to colonizing mars he sould definatly be one of the first to go, heck, give him the penthouse suite. His themes are the reason why we are alive, and his characters emplify the way we should live. In Jitterbug you will follow a path across the continents to meet the ancient gods, find wisdom, lose it again, and maybe end up smelling a little better to boot, one things for sure, you'll end up happy. Don't send him to Mars, I'd miss him too much.
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Summary: as good as Skinny Legs
Review: I had resigned myself to the fact that no book would ever compete with the loopy fun of Skinny Legs and All - not even another by Tom Robbins. But good lord, Jitterbug Perfume does it. This one's not as far over the top as his others, but is hilarious and warm at the same time. It's fun and insightful. As with his other books, Robbins has a few things to teach us about the world. In this book we get the nature of beets, what zippers think about, we stop to ask a fox in the woods if he's seen which way our protagonists went, we follow an ancient god through the last several centuries of his life. All this and the secret of immortality to boot. And the whole shebang is written strangely enough, primarily from the olfactory sense, making sight and sound secondary. The elegant ending is implied rather than explained: we know how it ends without actually witnessing it. A pleasing decision to end a pleasing book.
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Summary: My favorite book of all time
Review: For over a decade no other book has been able to push this one from the top of my list. This would definitiely be at the top of my list of desert island books. I've re-read it 3 times and purchased copies for many a thankful friend. Don't wait: buy, read and immerse yourself in this book...it will change your life (hopefully) and make you look at (and smell) things in a whole new wonderful way.
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Summary: A Robbins Masterpiece
Review: I read this book over a month ago and am still smiling. Robbins has the ability to take me to places no author can. I wish I could write like him but at least I can go along for the ride. Definitley worth reading. No boundaries!
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Summary: Better left to your imagination.
Review: The first 2/3 of this book are enlightening, funny, life-affirming, unique, surprising and beautiful. The last 1/3 is dull, unbelievable and verbose. In the beginning, he spends a lot of time hinting at something that's grand in your imagination, but is cheapened in the end, when he feels the need to spell everything out for you. It's still good, though.
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Summary: His Best Book Ever
Review: As Tom Robbins is my favorite author, I may perhaps be a bit biased when writing this review. But I can honestly say that this book changed my life. I am a writer, and never before has someone taken the boundaries of the metaphor and ignored them completely. His writing style, while unconventional, is fabulous and engaging, and he manages to draw the reader into the story in the first couple of sentences. In an age when books are deemed good by people like Oprah, and Danielle Steel is making millions, it's nice to know that there are still some people out there with a complete mastery of language and plot. This book is a treasure, a quick read, and a tribute to anyone who ever believed that maybe they could live forever - if they just wished for it hard enough.
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Summary: Subway Gold
Review: I am a newcomer to the world of Tom Robbins. I always heard of him but I really didn't know what his style was like. One day on my way home from work there was a guy reading this book on the subway. He kept laughing to himself as he read this book, so i had no choice but to read it myself to see what all the fuss was about. I must say there were many more elements of fantasy than i figured, but what a story! Who comes up with this stuff? It's somewhere between a forth grade fairy tale and a Vonnegut masterpiece. A definite recommendation to any fans of the surreal and the fantastic. 4 1/2 Stars.
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