A review by joshsharp
Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates by Tom Robbins

3.0

This is the third Tom Robbins book I've read after the excellent Jitterbug Perfume and the pretty good Skinny Legs and All. And this one is only okay. It gets better as it goes, and ends fairly enjoyably, but the first half just drags on and fails to engage. It feels phoned in, like someone who has done a lot of research on Tom Robbins' work is taking their best shot at aping him, but often unconvincingly. Perhaps it's because it's a recent book and he's going downhill? Anyway, I had to take a break to read something else in the middle (which I rarely do) so I could return, refreshed, to push through until the end.

Having said that, there are plenty of great lines and interesting characters, as you'd expect, and the various angles and curious coincidences of the story come together in a satisfying enough way.

Worth reading if you're already continuing a journey through his particular brand of silliness and philosophical ramblings, but not if you're yet to read a Robbins book — start elsewhere.