This was my first experience reading Tom Robbins and undoubtedly I have found a new favourite author to add to the collection. I have never read anything quite so imaginative, thought provoking and hilarious in equal measures. Robbins' writing style is so unlike anything else I have read that I can't begin to describe it justly but it is simply inspiring - the closest I could come would be 'stream of conciousness yet with a penchant for metaphor and outrageousness'.

The storyline is surprisingly engaging even though the far-fetchedness of it matters not a jot when it is so superbly written. The idea of combining Vietnam deserters, Japanese folklore and circa. 9/11 America will be inconceivable to anybody that hasn't read Villa Incognito - all I can say is read it, and marvel at how expertly Robbins weaves them together and the uproar he creates in doing so. The tiniest complaint I would make is that it ends rather abruptly and not on the spectacular bang I had anticipated. Some may deride 'Californication' as a crass low-quality TV show but this is exactly the kind of tale I would envisage a certain Hank Moody writing.

Absolutely superb.

My first Tom Robbins.

I don't really want to talk about the story. Everyone else has already done that. Why not focus on what you actually want to know...(?)

The book is not difficult to follow, as some reviews claim. True, Mr. Robbins (needlessly?) uses, I dunno, bigger and more interesting words in certain instances. And you know he did not need to use that word (or words) but dammit he's a writer and the writer can do whatever the writer wants!

Overall, pretty good. A little more frenetic than I am used to reading. There's a lot going on and you can tell Mr. Robbins loves to do research. The way Mr. Robbins writes, with the amount of information that is being thrown at the reader, isn't presented to confuse, but rather, maybe, show how there's always something else happening at the same time as something else.

It's my first Rom Robbins, so I really have no basis for comparison. More 3.5 stars than 4; that's still not bad.

Bought the book for $1 in 2013. Glad to have finally gotten around to reading it. It won't be staying on my shelf for long though. Gotta donate it back to the bookstore so someone else maybe can enjoy this story about tanukis. It's sorta cinematic in parts. [x]

This deserves 0 stars. Misogyny. don’t read it. It’s a waste of time. I only read like 50 pages. Just downright disturbing.

Great read... My favorite part was towards the middle where he literally talks about mayonnaise for two whole pages, it's incredible, and I am not being sarcastic. He is a great storyteller who is a magician of weaving fantastical characters with realistic scenery. A light hearted read, and bring your sense of humor.

An absurd, incomprehensible plot… objectification of women throughout…not worth your time

I think there must be a rule that Robbins should ny be enjoyed in those crazy college days. His rambling, way out there blizzard stories and social satire is lst on the aged. I loved his books in college..devoured them, lost him around half asleep in frog pajamas..and didnt even try reading invalids. I picked this up because of my Bound Together good reads group...we had to pick a book on our TBR shelf that has been there the longest....I just never thought it would sit there and be such a did...I was hoping it would age like wine, not like milk.

I didn't really get this book. The plot was convoluted and weak, and I did not care about any of the characters at all. I have heard that this is one of the worst Tom Robbins books, and since this was the first of his I've read, it didn't leave a good impression.

The prose is funny, of course, and I laughed out loud several times. If it were not for Robbins's distinctively hilarious way with words, this would have been an awful read. There are too many plot threads that have only a tenuous connection that feels token and pointless. I could not be bothered trying to follow the plot, and in the end was just reading for the funny turn of phrase.

Two stars.

“It is what it is. You are what you it. There are no mistakes.”

I love anything by Tom Robbins and this one is a doozy. Based on the bizarre tales of supernatural Tanuki, a Japanese mythical creature based on a real native wild dog, of a lecherous and debauched nature with a gargantuan nether region. It starts out in typical Robbins fashion, pushing the societal limits with magical and quirky metaphorical language that is at once warped and yet is perfectly clear in it's descriptiveness. Either you love his word play or you hate it (I love it) and his philosophical and social commentary asides.

Ah ben quelle surprise! Fiction qui combine fantaisie, suspense, philosophie et humour. Première fois que je lis un livre aussi original, ça m’a fait penser à l’atmosphère d’un film de Wes Anderson. J’ai aimé les personnages drôles et complexes, l’intrigue amusante et les références historiques. Difficile d’accrocher au début avec l’histoire complètement flyée du premier chapitre haha. Se déroule en Asie du Sud-Est, donc super intéressant d’avoir ça comme lecture de chevet pendant qu’on y voyage!

This was the first Tom Robbins book I've read, and I've gotta say - what I liked most about it was the Asian culture references throughout. As someone who's lived in Japan, Thailand, and Laos, I appreciated the quirky, subtle, and not-so-subtle observations of life in these countries. It's definitely a different mindset. And the stuff that happened was pretty off-the-wall (typical Tom Robbins style, I gather), which kept things interesting.

I pretty much skimmed through the theological and philosophical discussions in the book, as I was more interested in the plot and the setting. Which I thoroughly enjoyed!

Recommended for readers who understand folklore, history, and the general mindset in Japan, Thailand, and Laos.

I got this book for 99p when I was working at Waterstones. Absolute bargain. A real hidden gem of a writer. From what I gather, he just starts writing without any idea of where he's going and then sits back and sees where the story takes him. This one takes him to some odd places, but they're all worth going to. Highly recommended.