like if ralph bakshi thought he was thomas pynchon. woowoo white guy mysticism and intentionally misinterpreted historiographies in service of what are ultimately limp, borderline centrist, and often misogynistic politics. gets very very close to beauty at many points but never fails to squander its potential and annoy the fuck out of me as most tom robbins novels do.

it seems impossible to review this book other than to say you should read it. It faithfully explores the human condition, the importance of asking/struggling with the best questions (philosophy), religion, sexuality, art, politics, family and biblical history, employing humor, sarcasm, eroticism, history and other novel devices. The storyline is small, like most of our lives, but huge in impact. He is an incredibly unique author who is a joy to read. I thank my dear friend John for giving me the gift of this work of art!

I've been wanting to read Robbins for years. Glad I finally got around to it. The humor and mesmorizing metaphorical mash-ups make for one marvelously wild ride. It's all good stuff and while we hear the same from Vonnegut and others - it's too good of a message, delivered in such a perfect way that it demands being told again and again.

Tom Robbins demands your attention; USA Today said it best on the back of the books, "Robbins has magnet-like power." Beginning to end, even with a somewhat slow middle, it captivates you.

My Dad got this for me for Christmas. I got my Dad "The Way of Kings" by Brandon Sanderson for his birthday, January 2nd. In 2021 he read through this tome of a novel. Even though it wasn't his cup of tea, he got through it. It meant a lot to me that he read it and when Christmas came, my Dad got me "Skinny Legs and All" and said two things related to it, "I read it when I was in college, and it meant a lot to me." and "You will never look at objects the same." That enough convinced me. I finished the book I had been reading and picked up "Skinny Legs and All." My first impression was that I would not like this book, but thankfully I was very mistaken.

Pacing - S-L-O-W
This book doesn't move with any speed. It never felt like my time was wasted, but need patience to really fully read. Every time I picked up this book to read I was hesitant on whether or not I would like to devote time to it. However, I locked in with my attention whenever I started to read. The novel is also slow to read because you cannot miss all the tiny details and important beats. By day 11, I had only read 173 pages out of "Skinny Legs and All." However, on January 8th I decided to really crank out the last 245ish pages. I am so happy I did. I finally understood the book as a whole, through mass consumption, I was picking up on all the details, callbacks, and shifting plot lines. When I finished the book I felt bad I binge read so much of it, but I realized that is what I needed to do. At first, I was sampling, taking bites from different appetizers when really it is meant to be a feast you take your time to eat in one sitting. I don't think I would ever read this book in such a large amount all at once, but I am glad I did this time. While the majority of the book is very slow, the last 20 pages don't waste your time and had me so confused and mesmerized at the same time.

Characters
I honestly hated most of the characters, but could not stop rooting for them. Ellen Cherry is a character I kept rooting for even though I thought she wasn't a very good person, she was well-intentioned but clearly lost. You can't help but love Boomer and because of that you grow to resent Ellen from the beginning. That doesn't mean I hated reading from Ellen Cherry's perspective. quite the opposite. Robbins is great at making you root for the complicated and lost characters. He tells you when you shouldn't like a character, believe me.
The objects were always a good time. I won't give away too much of this, but it always made me smile to hear about their plans and their journey. The perspectives and prejudices from one object to another. I loved Can o' Beans, they were always giving these long speeches about ancient Israel and the surrounding area which fascinated me.

Plot
Some have said that the plot really doesn't exist, but I heavily disagree. I think the plot meanders for most of the story, definitely most of the beginning. However, it is a journey that you can't fully come to appreciate until you look back down the road from your destination. I think that the plot is definitely looser and that is not what the story is driven by, but it all eventually connects in a very abrupt way. However, as I said before my time wasn't wasted, I am sure this story could be tightened up through rigorous editing, but I didn't feel like rolling my eyes at any certain arduous plot points.

Writing
All I will say is that Tom Robbins knows his voice. This was about the 5th book he published and it's clear he has a strong voice and writing style. It is fun and playful even if what is happening in the story is not so. I described to a friend who was intrigued by the novel that Tim Robbins wrote, "Dances in your head as you make your way down each page." I definitely stand by that.

All in all "Skinny Legs and All" was a treat to read. Outside of my typical reading palate, I enjoyed the journey it took me on. I would definitely recommend this to anyone remotely interested in religion and philosophy. It shocked and saddened me how relevant the themes about Palestine and Israel are to today. The war still rages and people continue to die. I don't think I would recommend this to people as a happy book, it is hilarious, but I don't think it is necessarily happy. Tom Robbins loves playing with Irony and enjoys making fun of characters so devoted to things so ridiculous. I found myself on the airplane back to California, where I go to school, laughing and having to put it down so I didn't bother my row.

Finally: I love listening to smart people talk about their philosophical perspectives on life. Tom Robbins had no issues flexing his brain muscles in this book. I will definitely be reading more of his books at some point.

Thanks, Dad.

Compared with the usual high standards that I have come to expect from Tom Robbins, this book was a tad disappointing.

There are those books which grab you by the seat of the pants from the first page and don’t let go until you turn that final page, such as John Grisham’s The Testament. There are those books which start off nice and slow, pouring in the literary concrete in the first half to pave the way for the dazzling kapow punch that usually comes in the second half. And there are those books so wondrous, so inexpressibly marvelous, that their words are a tapestry, a web in which we become willingly entangled, such as Joyce’s Ulysses.

This book, if I had to categorize Skinny Legs and All, would fall into the second category. It certainly gets off to a sluggish start, to the point where about 150 pages into the novel I was thinking what is Robbins doing, where is he taking us here? The thing is, that almost inevitable kapow knockout punch never comes in the second half of the novel. Not exactly. The novel definitely gets better the deeper you go but Robbins seemed to be more intent on showcasing his word wizardry and literary pyrotechnics through his, trying-to-be-glib humour, which often falls short. There are a few passages which are downright funny but Robbins’ constant efforts at trying to be funny, and oft to the detriment of his storytelling mission, come across as a little too try-hard and desperate.

However, having said that, the novel does have its redeeming aspects too, nevertheless. Robbins’ indictment of organized religion as a whole, with a particular focus on the Israel-Palestinian issue, an issue which has continued to escalate even further since Robbins penned this book in the early 90s (when Arafat was still alive) still remains a flash point and key issue which must be resolved if humans are to have any hope of being at peace with each other one day. And finally (and most importantly), this book is a celebration of art and artists and Robbins’ take on the importance of art in the world, as a redeeming possibility, really hit home with me (was going to use that cheesy hackneyed phrase ‘struck a deep chord’ yuk better not to…..) and he is absolutely spot-on here. His calls for artists to live their art rather than suffer it should be heard by any young artist trying to find his footfall in this big, blue world.

In summary, I would recommend this book if you are a diehard Robbins fan but if you are new to his work, certainly DO NOT start here. If you are looking for something amusing to read, check out Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates (hilarious in parts) or if you are looking for something both funny and intellectually stimulating, check out Jitterbug Perfume which I think is Robbins’ masterpiece.

Thank you once again to Larry for lending me a copy of this book from his wonderful Tom Robbins’ shelf.

Θα μουν δεν θα μουν 20 χρονών και είχα πήξει στην κλασικούρα (που ακόμα λατρεύω, αλλά σε αλλεπάλληλες δόσεις προκαλεί πήξιμο) όταν ανακάλυψα τον Ρόμπινς. "Μωρέ, μπράβο, γράφονται και έτσι βιβλία;" αναφώνησα ενθουσιασμένος. Η αφηγηματική του τρέλα με συνεπήρε. Κι ακόμα τον αγαπώ!

Wasn’t my cup of tea. Long drawn out plot about inanimate objects that can speak and will themselves to move didn’t resonate. Human characters were more interesting but the whole works moved quite slowly.

I read it so long ago... but remember loving all the Tom Robbins books.

his best book, in my opinion. spiritually themed, richly philosophical, a little dirty and not afraid to be silly. robbins' language is reliably lush and off-beat. oh, and i loved the commentary about art and art scenes.

Robbins is in full form in this novel, fast, irreverent, uncouth, and strange as heck. And quite amusing, sometimes hilarious, and occasionally too-much. I did find myself laughing out loud at certain phrases. The characters and plots within the animate story objects provide the depth that I sometimes find lacking in Robbins novels while Robbins' human characters are nothing if not...human, albeit wacky versions thereof.
Reading this book almost felt historical as it takes place during a time when the Israel-Palestinian conflict was at one of its awful depths, and war seemed imminent. And yet, the conflict is still there, all the issues around religious zealotry and patriarchy are still alive and kickin'. I found myself wondering how much Robbins description of the ancient Middle Eastern religions and practice was made up or based on some sort of archaeological and scholarly evidence...and then I decided not to look it up. I'd rather dream-imagine that there was indeed a feminine divine centering that allowed for sexual expression and balances between genders. One can dream!

Για τον Ρόμπινς τα έχω πει! Κάποιος ή θα τον αγαπήσει ή θα τον βρει αλλόκοτο κ θα μισήσει τη γραφή του! Εμένα το βλέμμα της λαγνείας, τ��ς ηδονής κ του εθισμού όταν πιάνω βιβλίο του αποτυπώνεται κ σε αυτή τη φωτό. Οπότε το μόνο που έχω να προτείνω, σε όσους τον φοβούνται, να κάνουν μια προσπάθεια κ να ξεκινήσουν να βυθίζονται στην τρέλα της γραφής του!

One of my favorite books
Quirky / weird / enlightening