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Summary: My favorite book--ever!
Review: "In Watermelon Sugar" was the first Brautigan I read, and is still my favorite. In fact, it is my all-time favorite novel in any genre! The language is poetic and lulling, the characters are almost heartwrenchingly real, and the story is subtle and bizarre. I (forcibly) lend this book to everyone I know, and they invariably thank me after having read it.And that's just one story... Trout Fishing in America is abstract, disjointed, and witty. Excellent excellent stuff, although in a vastly different form than In Watermelon Sugar. And even if you don't like reading poetry, The Pill versus the Springhill Mine Disaster will make you a fan. It's such simple, elegant, writing and it grabs the reader so effectively that you can't not like it. Any of these three books are easily worth the price of the collection. All of them together is a treasure.
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Summary: inimitable
Review: Brautigan creates a bizarre landscape in lyric prose and weaves in dream-like imagery of utopia and nonsense. His experimental themes are provocative, beautiful. His world of Zen fishermen, tigers with beautiful voices, and commune shined on by a multicolour sun is one that can only be experienced by buying this book RIGHT NOW.
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Summary: Reissue of an old favorite
Review: Brautigan's life ended, at his own hand, in 1984, but his memory lingers on. He has become known as the Mark Twain of the 60s, the New Thoreau, and the Zen Trickster. His voice, ebullient, sad, and comic, is pure American. Brautigan's writing straddles the line between prose and poetry as he follows a guy named (trust me here) Trout Fishing In America across his native land in search of Zen enlightenment. The 'chapters' are anecdotes that read as fables and continue to delight after multiple re-readings. If you missed this book the first time around, perhaps because you were into other stuff during the 60s, now's your chance.
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Summary: partially in response to previous reviews
Review: I admit I don't exactly get the "themes" here but I appreciated to no end a feeling of mental connection with the writer. often people say things like "condiments" without thinking about WHAT they're saying. stop and notice the blurred images that "napkin" evokes...mr. brautigan does and so has mastered the art of meaning without a reason, the arbitrary meanings we have etched in the head. why we think the way we think and why it's irrational. It is not a discussion on these topics but manipulates them.
Rating: 
Summary: In watermelon sugar
Review: I didn't really get this book, it still held my interest, don't get me wrong, but the book, for the most part, seems like random thoughs, included to take up space. I've heard the book is suppose to be some masterpieace of poetry, but this masterpieace I don't see. Not to say that there are not any poetic passages in the book, there are lots, and they show you many themes into the book. A good example of a poetic passage is in the "my name" chapter, where the author shows you that you don't need a name to fit into society. But a good example of wasted space in the book is the multiple chapters that they speak of the bat under the plank press. So if you like very abstract poetry, you should try this book, but if your not the type that can get poety, you should probly stear away from this book.
Rating: 
Summary: still not good
Review: I read him when he was first published and I just read him again.
I don't think he's any good. Especially, when he was first released, you have to keep in mind that at that time, if it didn't make much sense if was always considered good. Not to say that that didn't work some times. I just don't feel that it worked here.
His writing, especially his poetry is so one dimentional that if there is any interest generated it doesn,t stay with you and soon you wonder why you ever liked it in the first place. Kind of like most "pop" rock. It's catchy and you might like it for a few listens but then it's time to find something with more guts.
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Summary: What is this about?
Review: I'm sorry to put a sour 2-star review to this book, which seems to be well liked by many people based on reading the Amazon reviews. I think the problem is that I don't GET this book. There were some good lines and poetry that really cracked me up, but in general, I don't understand the point of his writing. I almost think that there is NO POINT AT ALL; hence, reading this book is a waste of time. Or, maybe there is something important going on which I'm completely missing due to my thick head. If it is the latter, would someone please enlighten me (and please try to do that without insulting my intelligence). I need some guiding hands in understanding this book. Then, I will try to read it again. If it is the case that "some books are for you, and some books aren't," then this book wasn't for me and it's hard to explain why. The ideas in this book seem so scattered that my concentration completely dissipated. I see that the people who bought this book liked Kerouac, Vonnegut, and Bukowski, all of whose work I admire a lot...
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Summary: My sister-in-law would not understand this book.
Review: My sister-in-law doesn't get the Peter Sellers' movie "Being There" and she would not appreciate Brautigan either. If you don't normally enjoy abstract and funny material, then you should not buy this book. I started reading it and said to myself "what the hell is this?" After picking "Trout Fishing" back up and starting over it makes perfect sense. I really wish that Brautigan had not commited suicide in 1984, because had he lived he would see that an entirely new fan base caught up to him and his style of literature. I am amazed at how he thought up some of this stuff, because it is both so unusual and at the same time so dead on the money that it really makes you laugh and shake your head.
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Summary: Mapletrout
Review: The genious of this book's two short stories, "Trout Fishing" and "Watermelon Sugar" lie in the author's ability to create organipomorphic imagery. That is, he is brilliantly able to attribute live qualities to dead stuff. This is neatly captured in the cover photo of the book itself, as the author poses next to a statue of Benjamin Franklin that has been given reverential status in the opening chapter of the book, "speaking" to welcome the reader. But if you think this book is about animatronics appreciation, the following quote will give you more of an idea of Brautigan's idea of literary metamorphism: "...books that become virgins again through the organic process of music, [wearing] their ancient copyrights like new maidenheads." The two short stories complement each other. All of the dialogue in Watermelon Sugar is written in a salt-of-the-earth, homily fashion--short of how trouts would converse with each other, assuming that trouts don't talk about race cars, briefcases or flak vests. There is very little intrusion of the modern world's hustle and violence. What saves these stories from being too folksy is the incongruous imagery, like the glass coffins at the bottom of rivers that glow at night or huge statues of vegetables. There is a real sweetness underneath it all, but an interesting, fresh sweetness. It's not canned trout, it's the sweetest fresh trout sushi.
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Summary: A Counterculture Classic!
Review: The late, great Richard Brautigan was one of America's most talented and original writers. An icon of the 1960's counterculture, Brautigan was more than just another hippie writer, he was the Mark Twain of the 60's! A brilliant satirist with the soul of a poet, Brautigan's works were way ahead of their time, and this volume collects three of his best. "Trout Fishing In America", his most celebrated novel, chronicles the life and times of a fellow named, well, Trout Fishing In America, as he wanders across a bizarre landscape in search of enlightenment, a Zen fisherman, so to speak. "The Pill Versus The Springhill Mine Disaster" is a collection of poetry that mixes lyricism with smarmy humor. "In Watermelon Sugar" is a beautiful, lyrical novel about a group of people living in a commune, supporting themselves by making things out of watermelon sugar in a factory they call the Watermelon Works. That's just an abstract description of the plot - you have to read the book thoroughly to enjoy the unique structure of the narrative. Brautigan was indeed a writer far ahead of his time, combining brilliant Vonnegutesque satire with the homey charm of Mark Twain. Treat yourself to a great read and buy this book!
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