A review by deanna_rigney
Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins

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.