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Summary: Tom Robbins, my hero
Review: Tom has done it again. He really is a master of blending popular culture with the grass roots culture, and throwing in some just plain weird stuff to produce something that is so much like your life that you cannot believe it. I am not going to throw too much of the book at you here, but basically it is the story of an agent in a "secret" agency sort of group who gets into trouble. Tom's style of writing is comparable to that of no one. I really can not even try to describe it. If you liked the hitch hiker guide books, you will love this. (It is very different from that series though). In the end, it is one of the better books in his arsenal of great reads. Well Done Tom. Sorry it took me so long to get a review up.
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Summary: Madman Released, Pens Novel
Review: Tom Robbins is a one-man word-hurricane, a licensed lunatic, a veteran of one too many "closing times", and a maniac of a great writer. If you've read any of his previous (Frog Pajamas is my fave), you know Robbins is a gifted, quirky novelist who can change speeds and directions at any moment. I could try to tell you what Fierce Invalids is about, but better you should try it for yourself. I'd have an easier time telling you what it's not about. Robbins is the most inventive author this side of Asher Brauner, both with a gift for word play and a sense of the precise location of the funny bone in the skeleton of every sentence.
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Summary: another great yarn
Review: I thought "Half Asleep In Frog Pajamas" was terrible. But this book completely restored my faith in Robbins' ability to come up with the wildest, most inventive and lusty prose out there =)
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Summary: Great use of language, but gave me déja vu
Review: Tom Robbins is one of the only authors whose use of language delights me. I find myself reading choice sentences to anyone within earshot. While his books can be rambling and inconsistent, the language alone is enough to make me rush out and buy.This book reminded me a lot of "Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas," however with its mysterious, world-traveled, pithy male character with a medical/psychological flaw and connections with mystical primitive societies. It's as if he used the same outline to write two different books. I still enjoyed them a lot, but I expected someone as creative as Robbins to go a bit farther afield.
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Summary: peeple of zee wurl, relax!
Review: Robbins' latest novel is another winner. His use of language is, by turns, humorous and artful. As always, his emphasis on enjoying life is powerfully depicted in the characters of this book. Indeed, plot is only a framework for wordplay and character development with Robbins. If you can relax and not take life too seriously, or need to do so, then this is the book for you.
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Summary: Another Rambunctious Attraction
Review: The "Humbert Humbert" side of Switters made me frown.I cannot begin to understand why Ol'Tom gave such a questionable trait to this novel's central persona.But,leaving that aside,the style of the book is superb,the zany (and sometimes cruel) turns of events recall Douglas Adams ("People of Ze Wurl Relax! is very near to Hitch-Hiker's "Don't Panic!"),and the eerie humour of Tom Robbins is always pleasant (except when Switters goes on and on and on whit its tirades...a sin almost par whit midteens proclivity).Anyway,Tom Robbins new novel is "something completely different" than his previous novels.In fact,Tom is the most eclectic novelist I've ever read,any novel of his is a different point of view of the world,expressing the same sex-liberationist,libertarian wisdom.
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Summary: Vivid, well-written, philosophical comedy
Review: Being a fan of Christopher Moore, Kurt Vonnegut and the like, a friend told me to give Robbins a try. I couldn't have been more pleased. If you like your stories "a little out there" and your writing a bit, if not a tad, on the philosophical side, then Robbins' storytelling will certainly captivate you. The story of the witty, partying, pedophilic CIA agent, Switters, and the missions that he embarks on seem to just be a catalyst for Robbins to inject his philosophy and abstract views. And inject he does. From religion to government to sex, Robbins' tale puts an interesting twist on the way things are perceived. I usually get bored when an author verbosely describes things in his/her work, but Robbins' skill of the language and writing makes for a very descriptive and thought-provoking read. Although a thesaurus might be handy to interpret some of his words, it's not needed to enjoy this book. Just start reading and get absorbed in the uniqueness of the journey. To describe this book in a word... VIVID!
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Summary: Attention English Teachers
Review: Save yourself time and money. Read the summary above for the so-called story. Switters is an uninteresting, alcoholic pedophile with a fascination for run-on sentences and strings of useless adverbs and adjectives. A high school English teacher will recognize the style, (or lack of it). Imagine a 5,000 word essay assignment. The child is stuck at 4,000. He then uses the built in Thesaurus on his word processor, and strings as many adverbs and adjectives together to get to 5,000. This tedious story rambles along with a character we don't care about doing things that are so contrived that only a drugged out dullard would consider. This book was a true waste of time.
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Summary: Fierce Invalid's Home From Hot Climates
Review: It is difficult to put into words what a wonderful read this book is. No author that I am aware of can turn a phrase,can do such amazing things with language. As with all of his novels, I simply don't want to finish it because I don't want the joy of reading it to be over. Switters is a great character one that you can quickly become intrigued with and want to follow through the twists and turns of the story. You need a good online dictionary to find the definition of a word such as phrontifugic (the obscure word vocabulary building is just an added plus). I can only hope that a new Robbins novel will be on the horizon soon. While I wait I will reread Still Life With Woodpecker for the fifth time.
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Summary: Suzy is Hot
Review: This book starts off great, but doesn't get any better. Switter's journey in South America is engaging and hilarious. When he comes home and wants to bang Suzy, that's entertaining as hell too. But then the book loses steam. By the time he's in the convent, the book kind of drags. But this book is worth reading nonetheless. It's steeped in humor, philosophy and adventure. I highly recommend it.
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