Even Cowgirls Get the Blues

Rating:
Summary: hated it
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.