Rating: 
Summary: Prepare to be Surprised and Amazed
Review: Calling "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues" an interesting book wouldn't do Tom Robbins justice. It is strange, unique, surprising, poetic, philosophical, and lots of fun. The star of Robbins' production is Sissy Hankshaw, a woman born with over-sized thumbs. Sissy turns her "deformity" into a tool that gives her live meaning, i.e. through hitchhiking. After living a life of constant motion, she is introduced to Julian Gitche, a man crazy in love with her who wants her to settle down and give up her extraordinary gift of hitchhiking. But she soon finds out that she is not destined to live an ordinary life. The descriptions Robbins uses are quite amazing and original. He also goes into great depth about philosophical issues that one might think are completely irrelevant to the plot of this novel. Sissy is on a quest to find the meaning and purpose of life, and I think that by pondering on different issues Robbins is allowing us to be a part of her quest. He says some fascinating things (e.g. one of his characters, interestingly called "Dr. Robbins," calls in well at work... how brilliant! Someday I should call in well!), and even though I am far from philosophical Robbins has made me re-think some ideas I had about many things. There are some sex scenes in the book, including lesbian ones, which may offend some people. I don't think that they are inappropriate or offensive - I think that they focus more on the joy and freedom of human interaction. While I prefer the plot of "Skinny Legs and All," "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues" is a must-read just for its bizarre descriptions, interesting takes on life, and just for having fun.
Rating: 
Summary: Enough analogies to make your head explode
Review: Of Robbins' work, I have only read "Skinny Legs and All" and "Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates," in addition to this book, and I must say that this is my least favorite of his books so far. What I like about Robbins is that his plots are unusual, and this is no exception: a girl is born with thumbs the size of cucumbers, and uses them to spend the majority of her life hitchhiking. However, this (I think) is one of his earlier works, and it definitely shows in the style. The writing has no subtlety at all; he has a message, but rather than hint at it with storyline (as usually happens in great literature), or even put things into the mouths of his characters (as Ayn Rand loves to do), he simply writes for pages as a person talking to you.Sometimes, it seems like he thought of too many clever things to cram into one book, but decided he would cram them in anyway; it can be daunting to get through all of these things to get at what is actually happening in the story. He also likes to say things which run contrary to popular belief and opinion; the problem is that, while he probably does have the sources to back it up, he doesn't print anything like a bibliography. Hell, I'd even like a bibliography so I could read more about the things he introduces, because it's some pretty cool stuff. As you might expect, there's also lots of sex. It gets pretty racey, on par with most erotica in terms of being explicit, which I feel to be a bit unnecessary. I feel somehow obligated to say some good things about the book. After all, I had to have *some* reason for giving it 3 stars. Well, the book is usually entertaining to read, and Robbins has some good things to say about love, religion, and "getting back to your roots," providing a very good explanation/defense for the current neo-paganism trend. Really, though, I'd suggest you go read, uh, some other book by him. Like "Skinny Legs and All."
Rating:
Summary: Peaches and Dreams
Review: This is a book that travels well. It moves from rural Nowhere to New York City to the wide open spaces of the Dakotas. It has the gemmy shine of a South American diamond, the sweetness of a Georgia peach, and the sauciness of a Louisiana chef. Robbins has written many fantastic books, some better than others. This is absolutely one of the best. What sets "Cowgirls" apart--though some will not agree with me--is its irreverent delight in the human being. The key humans in this case are Sissy Hankshaw (Gitch), a woman born to ride the open roads--literally, and Bonanza Jellybean, a cowgirl so wild and free she makes tumbleweeds nervous. A host of other characters pepper this wonderful tale of how Sissy follows her destiny to find her place in the arms of a New York milquetoast, the bed of a prairie wildman, and the heart of the cowgirls at the Rubber Rose Ranch. No matter which person we are with as a reader, though, we want these people in our lives. We love them, sometimes because we hate them, because they are the extremes of humans just being. "Cowgirls" is a wild work of fiction. It is highly unprobable. It is sinfully decadent. Oh, and the author writes a version of himself into the story while simultaneously carrying on conversations with his reader. It breaks all the rules of storytelling. But So What? The charm and style of this novel make its fanciful tangents all the more delectible. If this novel is a Georgia peach, may the world never leave the hedonic Eden of Tom Robbins' delightful brain.
Rating: 
Summary: a rather self-indulgent mess....
Review: After reading 'Even Cowgirls...' I am convinced Tom Robbins is a brilliant, funny guy (..the type who would make a great dinner companion) but a lousy writer. I was hoping for better after reading his 'Still Life with Woodpecker', a book with some interesting elements but a disappointment overall. Unfortunately 'Even Cowgirls...' was very similar, and decidely worse. 'Even Cowgirls...' is the story of a beautiful girl (Sissy) with enormous thumbs. Making maximum use of her assets, Sissy literally becomes a hitchhiking American wonder. Along the road of life she hooks up with a rich benefactor (Countess), who has made his reputation by selling feminine deodorant, a Japanese-American sage/hermit ('the Chink') living in the Black Hills of South Dakota, and a bunch of 'ladies' working on a ranch. The story is all very silly, with humorous and touching moments sprinkled about. It certainly isn't a believable story, but this wasn't the author's intention. However by far the worst aspect of 'Even Cowgirls...' is the author's incessant personal monologues he interjects on seemingly every other page. He pontificates life, love, the universe, etc. He is clever and insightful, yet often childish and obnoxious. I especially don't like his views of women. Oh, Mr. Robbins certainly loves women. But what is the point of referring to the female sexual organ as a 'vertical smile and then showing us drawings of this 'smile' at several locations in the book? Very immature. In truth 'Even Cowgirls...' starts off rather good. But then halfway through it I knew it was going downhill when the author (Tom Robbins) introduces us to Sissy's psychiatrist, a Mr. Robbins! This must clearly be the sign of an author who simply wants to fill pages with self-glorifying tripe. Bottom line: despite some humorous and well-observed moments this book is a bomb. Best avoided.
Rating:
Summary: Go cowgirl!
Review: Quirky characters plus comedy? What's not to like? Sissy's a strong willed gal whose adventures will leave you laughing AND thinking. Probably not for everyone, but definitely for those who enjoy stories a little out of the mainstream.
And for those who do, you may also like "No One's Even Bleeding" & "Delano".
Rating: 
Summary: Couldn't get through it
Review: I loved "Jitterbug Perfume" and thought I'd enjoy "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues" as well. I couldn't even get through half of it. Robbins is WAY too wordy and relies too much on the gag that Sissy's huge thumbs make her an excellent hitchhiker. The characters are one dimensional and the storyline was SO boring I couldn't stand it. I can only assume that Robbins had already become famous by this point and thus refused any help from his editors to spice up his syntax and trim out the fat.
Rating:
Summary: YUCK
Review: I did not know what to expect from this book, but it was just enough to get through this book. It was terrible! This book was far fetched, weird and just plain FREAKY!
Rating:
Summary: Life on the Ranch
Review: If you have ever read Tom Robbins, and enjoyed him,
you owe yourself a favor to read this book. It is
typical of his style in that it takes a while to
get acclimated and comfortable with what is trying
to say and do, and how he approaches it, but just
then, he kicks it in gear and whisks you away to a
world of magical characters where Robbin's strange
laws of metaphysics hold true. If you haven't read
Robbins yet, dive right in; you will be surprised.
If you have read Robbins before and did not find
him to be enjoyable, this book will not change your mind.
Rating:
Summary: funniest book i have ever read...
Review: tom robbins is a little quirky but a literary genious nonetheless. this book features tons of rediculous jokes and robbins' asides where he delves into writing technique and his own opinions are as entertaining as the storyline itself. it's a love it or hate it book, for certain, but it's the only one i'll ever read more than once.
Rating:
Summary: "I believe in everything, nothing is sacred....
Review: ...I believe in nothing, everything is sacred." This quote from the book was my senior quote from my high school yearbook.. oh, only about 16 years ago.. but it demonstrates Tom Robbins uncanny skill at wordsmithing and his timeless ability to remain an icon for progressive thinkers everywhere. His use of metaphors still astounds me.. completely unconventional, risque to the extreme, spiritually and religiosly spread out like an acid inspired patchwork quilt, and finally he is able to smash through your preconceptions with the aid of his wonderful sense of humor. Out of all his books this is his most awe inspiring and memorable. Long live Tom Robbins.
|
