Jitterbug Perfume

[Charles Hill]

Hi. I'm a newbie to Tom Robbins, as well as a newbie to this newsgroup,
and I was wondering if I could get some input on a question.

I read Still Life with Woodpecker and absolutely loved it. However I
can't seem to get into Jitterbug Perfume. Does anyone have any feelings
on what's different with these two books. Does anyone feel the same way I
do, or the opposite?

-Brian Hill

[Dale Kirby]

Hi Brian,

I felt like Still Life was the end of one TR phase and Jitterbug was the
beginning of a new one. You might want to read "backwards" with Cowgirls
and ARA if you liked Still Life. It's all good, though.

Dale

[SLUGO]

I had to wait for Jitterbug to come out. I had already read everything else
he had written. I think I read it in tis order: Cowgirls, ARA, Stilllife,
Skinny legs then Jitterbug then HAIFP.

I had the feeling you described when I read HAIFP. It was a bumpy ride for
me and difficult to adjust to the new style. (2nd person.)

Jitterbug is my favorite. I guess you have to be able to read about Alobar
and Kudra as if they are a fairy tale at first. Have you tried that?

Love,

Slugo

[Kristina Clair]

>
> Hi. I'm a newbie to Tom Robbins, as well as a newbie to this newsgroup,
> and I was wondering if I could get some input on a question.
>
> I read Still Life with Woodpecker and absolutely loved it. However I
> can't seem to get into Jitterbug Perfume. Does anyone have any feelings
> on what's different with these two books. Does anyone feel the same way I
> do, or the opposite?
>
> -Brian Hill
>

I started with Skinny Legs and All, then read Still Life with Woodpecker
and then Jitterbug Perfume. I didn't have any trouble getting into any
of them. right now, though, I'm trying to read Another Roadside
Attraction and it hasn't caught me like the others (yet).

--

"I can't even be bothered
Energy breaks me down." -The Charlatans

[Gregg Pasterick]

Not only is Jitterbug my favorite TR book, I consider it the best bit of
fiction I have ever read. It is darn near perfect.

Gregg

[Charles Hill]

Gregg Pasterick (ZQZ...@prodigy.com) wrote:
: Not only is Jitterbug my favorite TR book, I consider it the best bit of

: fiction I have ever read. It is darn near perfect.

: Gregg

Hi.

Have gotten a good bit of response from my earlier post. Will give JP
another shot before canning it ;)

brian

[Ken Booker]

> At 11:36 AM 4/21/96, Charles Hill wrote:

> >Hi. I'm a newbie to Tom Robbins, as well as a newbie to this newsgroup,
> >and I was wondering if I could get some input on a question.
> >
> >I read Still Life with Woodpecker and absolutely loved it. However I
> >can't seem to get into Jitterbug Perfume. Does anyone have any feelings
> >on what's different with these two books. Does anyone feel the same way I
> >do, or the opposite?
> >
> >-Brian Hill
>

i think JP needs to be approached as an epic fairy tale (is there such a
thing?) or a fantasy...

it's unlike any of his other books, yet it's purely TR.

Ken

_____________________________________________________________

Ken Booker

University of Texas at Austin

e-mail: kbo...@mail.utexas.edu

"It's the end of the world as we know it
And I feel fine"

- R.E.M.

[Daniel Sendecki]

Kristina Clair <kcl...@SAS.UPENN.EDU> writes:
> >
> > Hi. I'm a newbie to Tom Robbins, as well as a newbie to this newsgroup,
> > and I was wondering if I could get some input on a question.
> >
> > I read Still Life with Woodpecker and absolutely loved it. However I
> > can't seem to get into Jitterbug Perfume. Does anyone have any feelings
> > on what's different with these two books. Does anyone feel the same way I
> > do, or the opposite?
> >
> > -Brian Hill

My fav Robbins novel is Jitterbug, so I am disappointed that you couldn't get into it... I personally felt that Woodpecker was one of his weakest (Weak in the sense that Stallone is weaker then Swarzenagger (sp?)... Oh well, chacun son gout, I guess... Well, enjoy the rest of Tom's bibliography, I would suggest reading Skinny Legs next!

[Will]

My sentiments entirely, Daniel. My two fav books are Skinny Legs and
Jitterbug. The characters are all on journeys with no particular destination
and they pick up a few of Life's lessons on the way. I've read Woodpecker
three or four times now and every time I get a melancholy feeling out it.
Maybe it's just me :)

Cowgirls' The Chink and Dr Robbins, Woodpecker's Bernard Mickey Wrangle and
Frog Pajamas' Larry Diamond sometimes ,when I'm feeling cynical, come across
as all-knowing wiseguys (Wiggs Dannyboy in Jitterbug isn't mentioned in this
list as his role is more of a subplot). This means that one can put across a
complex viewpoint or philosophy quickly but goes against my concept of
"no-one has a monopoly on wisdom".

The way I see TR's collection is as two loose trilogies. Another Roadside
Attraction, Jitterbug Perfume and Skinny Legs and All as one trilogy and
Even Cowgirls Get The Blues, Still Life With Woodpecker and Half Asleep In
Frog Pajamas as the other.

So back to your question, Brian. Perhaps your preference is for a
protagonist with a good idea on Life, the Universe and Everything and how
their philosophy bounces off the other characters. In that case I would
highly recommend you reading Cowgirls next.

Where there's a Will there's a way

[DJBayona]

I'm a newbie to Tom Robbins as well and I guess I liked them all.
Another Road Side Attraction is the best followed by Half-Asleep ,
but only because I'm Filipino.
P.S. Is the UNABOMBER a red-head?