I thought this was a novel or, at most, a book of short stories. It is neither. Instead, it is a collection of the author's various published nonfiction works, from travel articles to celebrity tributes to who knows what else. While I might enjoy these short pieces if they appeared in a magazine somewhere (where I'd be pleasantly surprised to find the name Tom Robbins on the masthead), a whole book of them made me weary.

If nothing else, at least it cured me of the notion of publishing my own short nonfiction pieces, which will probably bore my readers to tears as much as this book bored me.

disagree with his mystical tendencies or his sweet horndogginess if you must, but no one can dispute that tom robbins loves language and language loves him right back. whether he is writing about the weather, redheads/waitresses, the state of modern art, vaginas, or what-have-you, he does it with aplomb, running his sentences on joyfully, drawing absurd-yet-spot-on comparisons, redefining words in such a way that one forgets they were never used that way before, and generally turning the world (which, according to terrence mckenna, is apparently made of language, after all) upside down in the best, best way possible. through the prism of his perspective, the world is again an amazing place full of possibility and hilarity and lightness. his take on life is 'joy in spite of everything', and unlike the rest of us, this attitude actually informs his comportment and thought (whereas i, and most people, probably, hold these ideas and attitudes to be true yet can't quite hold on to them even 10% of the time), and therefore his writing as well. to read robbins is to be forced to reconsider your ideas about the world while giggling like a fool, and if that doesn't make a book worth reading, well, nothing does.

A master at language.

Tom Robbins knows how to
reach into some hobo's flannel
dirty little pocket and
pull out words like bug spray.

Δεν ήταν ανυπόφορο (πλην της ποίησης) αλλά δεν ήταν και κάτι εξαιρετικό. 2,5 αστέρια.

Mostly riveting

Having read everything that Tom Robbins has written, this collection of stories, poems and miscellaneous writings highlights his considerable talent in using language. He is truly an artist.

I liked some of these, I didn’t like others. I could see myself liking them more if reading them in a magazine, but a whole book of them had me feeling tired of Tom Robbins. It was fine!

I enjoyed the short pieces-- both prose & poetry-- such fun to read before I nod off each night. A fey sense of humor sometimes bawdy informs all the pieces

Tom Robbins is the god and guru of the "alternative semi-illiterate readers".
His books always have a hint of arrogance and a sense that they should be placed on a separate shelf. Not that sometimes I wouldn't deserve it, but space is generally limited.
In this book, we read Robbins's super duper clever lines once again with a hints of his deconstructive philosophy on life and we indeed have a good time scratching our scrotum (if posessing one) and drinking coffee that has either s lot of sugar in it or not a single grain, and definitely ice cubes. We may even smoke, which inevitably leads us to the toilet to shit, but unlike we do with other books, we take this with us.
Enjoy.

Amazon wrote: "An entertaining anthology of writings features both nonfiction essays and short stories that cover such topics as art critiques, poetry, country song lyrics, odes to redheads, kissing, Diane Keaton, tomato sandwiches, the Doors, and more. 100,000 first printing."

This felt like being at a family reunion in someones cramped, overly eclectic cabin, trapped with a somewhat deranged distant relative rambling on about their many escapades and hard earned sagacity while you both get high off some weed of indeterminate origin that your cousins found in an inconspicuous drawer earlier in the day. Happy to report Robbins’ nonfiction writing is just as wise and whimsical (as the best wisdom always is) as his fiction.

Rarely would I give a 5 star rating, however...
It's not that I loved each of the pieces, and I would contend that my world view is quite different overall, note that am I usually not taken with short story format...
But I was captivated, challenged, mesmerized, and astounded. At once in love, overwhelmed by beauty, words weaving magically into my consciousness. I haven't enjoyed reading this much all year. I am almost afraid to read more Tom Robbins thinking I might be disappointed. Silly really. But with total honesty I will feel the life that this writing(s) brought to my existence. Thank you for the experience!

Not the type of book I would normally read. I don’t like nonfiction and had to look up most cultural references he wrote about.

That being said, I loved this book so much and gained so much from it. Really looking forward to reading more TR in the future. His admiration and respect towards the art of language is captivating.

This book put me on to Leonard Cohen, Terence McKenna, tomato and mayo sandwiches, and a few other things I had never heard of.