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savaging's review against another edition
2.0
I read a book that everyone loves and I did not like it. I'm sorry. I found it tiresome. All the rugged middle-aged men wowing the young nubile ingenues with their much smarts. So many overextended metaphors, dad jokes passed off as literary cleverness. For the rest of my life I'll be hearing people gush about Tom Robbins and I'm going to have to smile and nod along in order to not ruin the mood.
But there were some nice observations about beets.
But there were some nice observations about beets.
quinnlindell's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
lbonis's review against another edition
this book is soooooo sloooooow - maybe one day ill finish
tofilmfiles's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
rosmarus's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
isnotnull's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
deanna_rigney's review
3.0
I had to step back from this for a day just to take it in completely and really think about the reasons for my rating. Most people I've talked to about this book seem to love or hate it, but not much in between. There were elements I really enjoyed: the coming together of all the different characters and their stories, the expanse of time and history throughout, and the writing itself was witty and casual, yet very thought provoking. It was hard to get into at first, but the stories eventually came together. Some of the ideas that were introduced about immortality and religion I found intriguing, but other ideas in the story just rang a bit hokey to me. I'm no prude by any means, but this guy mixes a grand vocabulary and wit with an 8th grade boy's ability at sexual innuendo. Every time he made some reference to sex I felt like Eric Idle was sitting next to me going, "wink wink, nudge nudge, know what I mean." Yes, I get it. This annoying habit, along with a bit of preachiness on the author's part, and a few cliche characters took what I loved about this book down a couple of notches.