tom robbins

jack · Post by **jack** » Sun Dec 05, 2004 2:20 pm

anyone else like his stuff? i particularly like "skinny legs and all", which i highly recommend to anyone who hasn't read it. great book.

i've always wanted to submit a tune as Isaac and Ishmael

Phil. Redmon. · Post by **Phil. Redmon.** » Sun Dec 05, 2004 4:30 pm

I totally loved Jitterbug Perfume.

I like all of his stuff, but I can't remember which other ones I read... Still Life with Woodpecker, uh, I started Hot Invalids, but neglected it...

umm...
Oh yeah! Another Roadside Attraction! That one was Hot Shit!!! (e)

Heather. Redmon. · Post by **Heather. Redmon.** » Sun Dec 05, 2004 4:40 pm

My favorite is Jitterbug Perfume as well, but I really like Half Asleep in Frog's Pajamas, Another Roadside Attraction, and one of his more recent books Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates. I was particularly disappointed by Villa Incognito, his most recent. It was written before and then during the whole 9/11 thing and it seemed to really have affected the ending. It's like he just stopped caring and said the book was done. I think Skinny Legs and All and Even Cowgirls Get the Blues are the only two I haven't read. Thanks for the recommendation!

Eric Y. · Post by **Eric Y.** » Sun Dec 05, 2004 8:28 pm

jack (or whoever) ... can you possibly be more descriptive in your recommendation than "i highly recommend it to anyone who hasn't read it"?

(... meaning, like, explain a little bit about the book rather than just saying "you should definitely read this"?)

jack · Post by **jack** » Sun Dec 05, 2004 8:38 pm

tviyh wrote:jack (or whoever) ... can you possibly be more descriptive in your recommendation than "i highly recommend it to anyone who hasn't read it"?

(... meaning, like, explain a little bit about the book rather than just saying "you should definitely read this"?)

ok. i'd rather not give too much away. skinny legs and all is a really funny look at people, relationships, race, religion, and society. one of the main characters is a struggling waitress and artist at a cafe in new york city that is owned by 2 friends (an arab and a jew) and always seems to be closed as it always gets bomb threats (keep in mind all this was written way before 9/11). she is married to this guy, another artist, who took his airstream trailer and turned it into this giant turkey/car art thing. she's fairly refined and he's an okie bumpkin. she does refined sort of art that gets overlooked. he does pop art (like his turkeymobile) and he gets all the raves and attention of the NYC art critics and becomes this media darling for his naivete. well, you gotta just read it if you want to know more...

roymond · Post by **roymond** » Sun Dec 05, 2004 9:28 pm

I read Jitterbug Perfume, Another Roadside Attraction and Even Cowgirls Get the Blues. But then Skinny Legs and All didn't really do it for me. I find him not particularly insighful or deep, but very very entertaining. Perhaps sort of a Vonnegut light (very light?).

Jim of Seattle · Post by **Jim of Seattle** » Mon Dec 06, 2004 4:05 pm

HUGE TR fan here, though I haven't read any of his last few. Jitterbug Perfume is also my favorite, and one of my favorite books of all time, actually.

He lives about an hour north of Seattle and is commonly seen around town. I've come THIS CLOSE to meeting him on several occasions, but it's never happened. I saw him speak at Univ of Washington a few years back. I sat in the front row. He decided to let the audience pick the title for his upcoming novel, and he gave us three choices, and we chose "The Toilettes of Jezebel", though it ended up being, I think "Skinny Legs and All".

His descriptions of Seattle neighborhoods and weather and such are so alarmingly accurate, (though he tends to lean too heavily on cliches about rain and such). But his geography is absolutely flawless, and most of the local places the characters frequent are real places, so that's extra fun for me. I just drove by the Sorrento Hotel the other day, and couldn't help looking up the side and thinking "So that's where the monkey climbed up to steal the jade enema device....."

Caravan Ray · Post by **Caravan Ray** » Mon Dec 06, 2004 4:59 pm

roymond wrote:I read Jitterbug Perfume, Another Roadside Attraction and Even Cowgirls Get the Blues. But then Skinny Legs and All didn't really do it for me. I find him not particularly insighful or deep, but very very entertaining. Perhaps sort of a Vonnegut light (very light?).

Yes - I agree with Vonnegut light description. I've read (many years ago) Still Life with Woodpecker, Cowgirls, Jitterbug Perfume, Roadside Attraction - all very enjoyable at the time, but not ones that I've felt compelled to re-read (unlike Vonnegut).

Also, the Even Cowgirls Get the Blues movie was just so bloody awful - it has (unfairly, I know) put me off TR ever since. (I never thought I could not enjoy a movie with Uma Thurman in it - although Beautiful Girls really sucked too)

Jim of Seattle · Post by **Jim of Seattle** » Mon Dec 06, 2004 5:35 pm

I thought Cowgirls was his most unreadable novel. I've tried twice and couldn't get through it.

tonetripper · Post by **tonetripper** » Wed Mar 23, 2005 9:56 pm

Phil. Redmon. wrote:I totally loved Jitterbug Perfume.

I echo this sentiment. Loved Jitterbug Perfume. I loved how he infused the idea of scent and memory. Can learn a great deal from his books. And the characters are so over the top. Cowgirls is great too. I was on a TR kick once and then I had to go and read some trashy spy novel as his books tend to bounce around plot, character wise. Every year or so I get on a TR kick and check out another. Skinny Legs is great too and Still Life is one of may all time faves.