A review by kaleereads
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues by Tom Robbins

4.0

it’s been over a month since I finished even cowgirls get the blues and i’m still looking for the right words to describe this reading experience. this book ended up on my radar because i’m currently on a “film girlie” journey, consuming tons of movies and feeling my way through directors and styles and subgenres. this novel was made into a little-seen and widely-hated film in the early 90s by gus van sant, a filmmaker i enjoy. it starred a young uma thurman and keanu reeves as well as john hurt and summer phoenix. when i found out the movie was based on a book, i set out to read it first. and i’m so glad i did. this novel is insane, hilarious, dirty, controversial yet progressive in many ways, and overall a surreal romp. the author has such a distinct voice, such a specific flair that i fell in love with. The novel is definitely dated, perhaps the best highlight of this being one character’s actual name. but I think if you can set your 2023 liberalism aside, and just kind of take this novel for the irreverent insanity that it is, you might come away really really appreciating it. Now all of that is to say that the movie is definitely bad!