Reviews - In Watermelon Sugar

In Watermelon Sugar by Richard Brautigan

1.39k reviews for:

I've thought about how to review this for a few days because it's so bizarre. I wasn't sure what to rate it, it was between 3 or 4 stars but I've settled on 4 stars.
It does read as though a child is standing next to you reading out their creative writing class piece... but I also think is deliberate. I also think Richard Brautigan may have been under the influence when writing it which would explain a lot.

esmalls's review against another edition

3.5

funny mysterious reflective relaxing slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

myrto13's review against another edition

3.0

3.5 stars

mirane's review against another edition

2.0

guess i didn't get it did i.

(edit: reading other people's opinions it seems like there wasn't really anything to get? so i guess this just wasn't my kind of surrealist. or entertaning. or beautiful. honestly he completely lost me at the ice thumb.)

other than the 'my name' chapter, which felt like a comfortable and safe and overall nice place, this didn't really give me much.

i'll quote the book to describe how reading it felt:
"about halfway through the dinner, fred started to say something that looked as if it were important, but then he changed his mind and went back to eating his carrots."
yeahhh

(but thanks richard for inspiring the harry styles #1 billboard hit that will forever remind me of summer 2020?)

widjaja's review against another edition

5.0

a bizarre book. i read it because of harry ofc. the dialogues are funny though. love the story of the lamb that pauline told in her sleep. also the veg statue bit, so random but i love it. i find it fascinating that watermelon sugar is like a common national material of some sorts.