A book like no other! I wouldn’t have thought that the critique of western religion as a whole would be so insightful and spot on in a satire like this about weenies and the flea circus. Very funny and random, while still being moving and mesmerizing at most pages. Robbins is a master of metaphor!!! While evident of the time in which it was written at some points, Robbins is able to make Amanda a sexual being without sexualizing her and making her written for the men in the story like another of my favorite magical and out there authors of around this same time… (Ahem looking at you, Murakami!) Anyways, great read, definitely worth the 337 pages by far! Enclosed is a spoiler free quote that made me chuckle on the bus! Peace!

“The clown is a creature of chaos. His appearance is an affront to our sense of dignity, his actions a mockery of our sense of order. The clown (freedom) is always being chased by the policeman (authority). Clowns are funny precisely because their shy hopes lead invariably to brief flings of (exhilarating?) disorder followed by crushing retaliation from the status quo. It delights us to watch a careless clown break taboos; it thrills us vicariously to watch him run wild and free; it reassures us to see him slapped down and order restored. After all, we can condone liberty only up to a point. Consider Jesus as a ragged, nonconforming clown--laughed at, persecuted and despised--playing out the dumb show at his crucifixion against the responsible pretensions of authority”

This was my third read, the first being in the late 70s and then again around 1982 while living in Western Washington state. The story and the writing still enchant me, though Robbins' frat-boy view of women is pretty dated. Maybe that just me getting old. As I go back to reread many of his books, I have to put that aside and read them for what they are -- comic romps with a heavy dose of cosmic consciousness thrown in to the mix.

This was my third read of this classic Tom Robbins novel. A fresh reminder of why he is one of my favorite authors. No one writes metaphors that sing quite like Mr. Robbins. This was his first novel and as such it was a bit choppy, but that choppiness is easily forgiven once you taste his philosophical soup. This novel, though written in 1971, could easily have been written today as the things he propounds upon are still in need of a good kick in the seat of the pants.

Recommended by my English Methods prof, and first read in 1984. I would let Amanda be my anything.

One thing about me is that I will always start a book of a genre I don’t like and wonder why I’m not enjoying the book. I don’t like humorous writing sorry Tom robbins I was so excited to read you

What do a hot dog stand, the art of unarmed combat, the Vatican, a jazz musician/film-maker/magician, a baboon, and the second coming of Jesus Christ have in common? If you've read any Tom Robbins novel then you'll not be surprised the answer is a lot. This is Robbins' first novel, which I somehow managed to miss along my own journey. Better late than never. For some, this may feel like an outdated read (first published in 1971). There is definitely a counterculture feel, but Robbins has always been good about not forcing a side to be taken but rather laying it all bare, without judgment. Of course, his wry, keen wit makes the story so worth the read. This book deals with questioning the more or less accepted teachings of the church. Not in a tone of condemnation but rather opening us to the fact that there may be other possibilities. The possibility of change. This book is all about fun writing and fun reading. Colorful language and colorful characters make it a joy to pick up and continue the read. If you're not laughing while reading this book then you've missed something.

Tom Robbins writes one sentence at a time. I read that in an interview once. He has a general outline or story arc for his books but he starts out by writing the first sentence, and then perfecting it. Once he is totally satisfied, he moves on to the second sentence and then perfects that one... and so on. I'm not sure if it's 100% true but reading his work certainly makes me believe it.

Another Roadside Attraction has always been in my top 5 of all time. Is there a way to mark that? Guess not. Oh well.

I would give this 2.8 stars. If I started reading this book at page 200, I wouldn’t have missed anything. This book was chock full of words that just didn’t amount to much for me.

I cannot bring myself to finish this. Having left it halfway done, I now sincerely tried to plow through. Unfortunately there is almost nothing of interest here. Nothing to bring a smile to my face ever sprang up. On occasion there were some mildly interesting discussions on philosophy and physics, but thrown in carelessly without any relation to plot. All the characters are basically unlikeable. What was the author thinking? I think there is some talented writer behind this, but oh boy did he miss the mark here.

I'm all for taking structural and narrative liberties, but please put them to other uses than bad jokes!

Based on the synopsis, Another Roadside Attraction sounds exactly like the kind of novel I’d enjoy. But mostly it just left me underwhelmed and bored. Robbins is much too obsessed with his quirky, idealised characters, who frankly are not that interesting. The vast majority of the novel is essentially a drawn-out setup to the promised climax in the final act, which, when it finally arrives, falls completely flat.

For a book marketed as a philosophical novel, its philosophy is pretty shallow. Most of the time I just felt the author was bullshitting me, and in the moments he seemed to express himself earnestly, there wasn’t a whole lot of substance to the ideas. Maybe it's because I’ve seen these same ideas expressed in more intelligent ways. Or maybe this is just a book for younger, less cynical people. I can certainly understand why someone might be enchanted by Tom Robbins’ voice; his whimsical outlook and style, but sadly it’s not for me.

three stars might be a bit harsh. I really liked this book, and wanted to give it four, but I just couldn't do it.
For you see, I have discovered something terrible: Tom Robbins has almost no re-read value.
Seriously. It is almost nonexistent.
While reading his books for the first time can be an eye-opening, hyper-enjoyable experience, trying to go through them a second time proves taxing, irritating, and slow-going. All of the surprises have been used up. THe joy of language has been dulled. In effect, you have been desensitized to the book's initial magic. And that is just sad.
Because the book really is incredible. It is informative, funny, and incredibly well written. In fact, ALL of Robbins books are amazing. The man really does have a gift.
But that gift is a one term president.
It just doesnt have what it takes to be re-elected.

I just finished this book yesterday--it took me an uncharacteristically long time to finish reading.
I find the book difficult to review. Reviews of Tom Robbins' books are always so pithy, or gushy, and I understand why. He is one of my favorite writers, precisely because I am often temporarily puzzled while reading. I dig a good puzzle.
Anyway, here goes. The book begins much as it ends, by coming off in a very cheeky, breezy sort of way, while surreptitiously leading you into deep waters. I woke up thinking about dialogue bits between Marx Marvelous and Amanda, and lines from the tribal style story telling of John Paul Ziller. I love these characters, I can picture them so clearly, they remind me of people I know. Except Ziller. I wish I knew somebody like that.

I identified with the main character, Amanda, in so many ways. The way that stands out is that she traveled through life as I have always aspired to--her life was a river, and she marveled at its beauty, then jumped in. I felt as though she was a message for me--where I might fear, she flowed right into any new situation. We were all like that, once, in the confidence of our childhood before the forgetting set it. Baby Thor is as of yet a mystery, but the manner of his upbringing suggests a fascinating book about him is yet to come.
(If you couldn't guess by the above description, the storytelling is so good that the book got into my psyche, which I thoroughly enjoyed. It was made better by the lack of a driving message. Every new page was an adventure I wanted to be included in.)

While this may now sound like a character driven book, I should take the cue to make you hip to some story jive that will really get into your imagination pot and cause some bubbles! Tom Robbins does this in every book to some degree, but in this one, the story line took such a strange turn in the middle that it threw me, and I like being dizzy. It morphed into something else, with the arrival of Plucky to the woods, and Marx Marvelous to the hot dog stand...before that, it had been a jumpy view, like a run through Rio at Carnivale--bits of spectacular teasing the eyes, and then on to the next without having entirely seen the first sight--but it all comes together in the Skagit Valley of Washington.

Another thing I wonder, is if Tom ever wrote any books dedicated to erotica alone. The sexual encounters in his books are refreshingly real, and they really turn me on...that's not a bit for the kids I suppose. So I won't get into it here. But check it out for yourself.

I am not revealing any plot twists here, you must read it yourself. I will be sad for you if you do not. I have read all of Tom Robbins' books except the last three, and now I have read this one, so I have two more to get into. I'm so excited!