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janeschmidtreads's review against another edition
4.0
I used to say that Tom Robbins was my favourite author - there's no one quite like him. The memoir was super fun to read, if not a window into him being a bit of a womanizer. I shouldn't find that shocking, but there was definitely a tinge of "dirty old man" within the telling of his tale. It was especially fun to see how his real life adventures informed much of his writing.
If you enjoy Tom Robbins, you'll enjoy this book. If you've read this book, you'll want to read more Tom Robbins. Heck, I was inspired to try and create a digital archive of all his collected early work - now *that* would be a fun sabbatical project!
If you enjoy Tom Robbins, you'll enjoy this book. If you've read this book, you'll want to read more Tom Robbins. Heck, I was inspired to try and create a digital archive of all his collected early work - now *that* would be a fun sabbatical project!
certifiedmalpal's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
aneides's review against another edition
3.0
Tom Robbins is in is 80s (how the hell did that happen?) so I assume he has retired from novel-writing. (After the forgettable Villa Incognito, retirement might not have been such a bad decision.) I was glad, however, to see that he had assembled an autobiographical work because such an interesting writer has to have led a wildly interesting life.
Not really an autobiography, nor merely a bunch of anecdotes, Tibetan Peach Pie might be described as set of reminiscences (embellished, natch) organized in more or less chronological order. Rather than being composed in the standard sober, navel-gazing way of most autobiographies, the book is largely written in the familiar rollicking, over-the-top Robbinsian style. The language alone makes most of the stories worth the time, and it doesn't hurt that Robbins has some wild tales to tell.
I do have one complaint that may or may not be fair. I have read all of Robbins's novels (some of them many times) and I could probably quote long passages verbatim. I was disappointed to see many of the imaginative metaphors from his fiction interspersed throughout the book, e.g. describing the weather like the interior of a napalmed watermelon, feeling like a can of cheap dog food. It seemed like a lazy move, like he was plagiarizing himself. He (and his long-suffering editors, agent, transcriptionist, etc) couldn't have forgotten that he'd used *all* of those passages before.
Not really an autobiography, nor merely a bunch of anecdotes, Tibetan Peach Pie might be described as set of reminiscences (embellished, natch) organized in more or less chronological order. Rather than being composed in the standard sober, navel-gazing way of most autobiographies, the book is largely written in the familiar rollicking, over-the-top Robbinsian style. The language alone makes most of the stories worth the time, and it doesn't hurt that Robbins has some wild tales to tell.
I do have one complaint that may or may not be fair. I have read all of Robbins's novels (some of them many times) and I could probably quote long passages verbatim. I was disappointed to see many of the imaginative metaphors from his fiction interspersed throughout the book, e.g. describing the weather like the interior of a napalmed watermelon, feeling like a can of cheap dog food. It seemed like a lazy move, like he was plagiarizing himself. He (and his long-suffering editors, agent, transcriptionist, etc) couldn't have forgotten that he'd used *all* of those passages before.
ivleafclover's review against another edition
4.0
The prose in this not-a-memoir (it really is a memoir) is slightly--only slightly--less giddy than the language in Robbins's novels. Fans of Robbins will enjoy this almost as much as his fiction.
jennybeastie's review against another edition
3.0
If you love Tom Robbins' rambling literary style, then you will most likely enjoy this very true to self memoir.
ksoanes's review against another edition
A quirky memoir from a quirky author - it was exactly what I hoped it would be.