I absolutely love Tom Robbins as an author. I've read most of his books and liked just about every one. Skinny Legs and All is probably in my Top 10, so I was excited that a memoir was coming out. Robbins is a quirky writer so I assumed his life was going to be interesting and that he would tell good stories about himself. Eh, it was sort of true.
Overall, this was disappointing. There was no real flow beyond some vague chronology and the stories Robbins selected to share weren't always interesting. He definitely didn't paint a cohesive picture of himself - nothing 3D - other than that he likes women, art, food, and traveling. He had some serious relationships, a few kids, and a life off the straight and narrow. I didn't finish the book feeling like I knew who Tom Robbins was (maybe that was the point?) I feel a little like I wasted my time.
He hardly talks about his books, his creative process, his inspirations. I only know that he, like me, writes things out long-hand first (and I really liked that) but I wanted more.
Don't let this be your introduction to this guy. Get to know his writing first before you attempt this one - trust me.
Check out reviews on other Tom Robbins books:
2013 reread #4
I honestly didn't know what was going to happen when I reread this book. It was a mind-blowing experience for me in college when I read this the first time, spawning an utter love for Tom Robbins as an author. Of course, at the time I smoked Camel Lights and a majority of this book happens thanks to a pack of cigarettes, so there was an immediate common factor that didn't exist this time around. This book was also the first modern, philosophical book I'd ever read. I read Robbins first, Vonnegut second.
So, this time around, the insane ramblings of an extremely intelligent author hit me in a different but still profound way. My love of this book hasn't changed in the last decade. Instead of it being all about existential thought and philosophizing though the book was about love. At the heart of this novel, full of dynamite, blackberries, and pyramids, are two people trying to figure out how to make love stay. Isn't that a universal theme we all can relate to? In the midst of saving the planet and too much solitary confinement, Princess Leigh-Cheri and Bernard Mickey Wrangle fall in love. It's a beauty and the beast tale only the beauty is a disposed princess and the beast is a terrorist who likes to blow things up rather than people. Their love is presided over by the moon and an unopened pack of Camel cigarettes.
They fall in love but in the confusion of being in love for the first time they get a lot of things wrong, misinterpret a lot and take the most roundabout route possible to finally admitting they have a love that can work. They may be a little unconventional, but their love story is universal and the questions they raise about love (forget Argon, red-head folk tales, and the profundity of cigarette packs) are worth thinking about.
I love the way Robbins writes and I love the stories that he decides to tell. They're all strange and off-beat, clouded with a lot of speculation and sideways tangents, but he has this special way of telling you a story while getting you to really think. His books aren't just an escape, they're an exercise in creative thought. You don't question the absurd reality of his story, but rather begin forming your own opinions on the major questions in life - like how do you make love stay?
