Still Life with Woodpecker: A Novel

I read that Tom Robbins will spend a week on a page. Believable since the pace of his release is something like a snail crawling up the edge of a straight razor. Every five years brings us a new Tom Robbins release. FIVE YEARS between Cowgirls and Woodpecker or 260 weeks for 272 pages is just about right. The only thing 'wrong' with Robbins is the interminable wait for the next installment. But like fine wine or Scotch this aging brings an exceptional result. Robbins writes in such harmony with my view of the world it's enough for me to know that someone is writing what I would write without my effort. Jackson Browne has written the songs and Tom Robbins has written the novels so I don't have to. So in a nutshell if you are like me you will be in such total harmony with Robbins worldview your soul will resonate with every word and your heart will sing. If you're a T Partying Limbaughtomized Beck lover who thinks that truth and Faux Noise are even remotely connected your head will explode. Robbins is a world of fun and insight for those who seek humor and enlightenment and who understand that religion and politics are the root of ultimate evil when they are combined. If you're a Robbins fan - Tim or Tom - then we would be great friends. If not then we don't need to occupy the same room.

Book was in good condition. It’s old so there was some yellowing but I think it added to the feel of the book. Loved reading it. Definitely not for everyone I’m sure my fellow book club members didn’t appreciate it the way I did, considering no one read it all the way through and only three of about twenty women showed to discuss it. Oh well, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Especially the honest discussions of things like outlaw-ism and group think which are woven into an intereting modern love story of sorts. It was entertaining and thought provoking. The kind of read that made me think about who I am and who I’d like to be and what I stand for and how I get things done in this world to help relieve its issues. Read it and if you hate it, so what? Move on with your life. Don’t fear losing out on time. We all have more than we realize when we cut out the unnecessary.

I was joyously entertained by the author's words and twists of this story. Such imagery he is capable of evoking as well as being amusingly outrageous. This book is also very informative about a lot of topics, and telling of the era in which it was written. I was moved to try to read this book several years ago when I learned it was the inspiration for Dan Folgelberg's song Make Love Stay. But I did not know Tom Robbins as an author, and after reading the first paragraph, I had no idea what to expect. I made a few more unsuccessful attempts, each time placing it back onto the small pile of books to consider for the used book store or library, precarious of being relegated to such a fate before I had the fortunate chance of discovering it's magic . Part of the problem is this reader in that I found him difficult to follow during the first half of the book; I think that it takes a certain amount of energy to fully enjoy this book. :=) I only gave the book four stars because I thought the plot was very weak, IMHO. But I do highly recommend it to anyone who is in need of some brilliant entertainment. For more information about the content, I recommend reading some of the other good reviews.

This book is a rite of age at some colleges in Washington and with the author's recent sad death, it's worth a reread. It not only holds up, it's more relevant than ever!

At least once a year I buy someone a copy of one of Robbins' books as a gift and wait to see if my friend (reads it and) "gets it." Kind of a litmus test.... The "it" of which I speak is the wisdom hidden within Robbins' absurd plots and served up with the author's unique, zany, and wry brand of humor. Often one must piece "it" together like a puzzle spilled on an unswept kitchen floor, sorting the pieces from odd chunks of dog food--and spaghettios--but that's the beauty of it. The fun is in the sorting. I was only slightly disappointed with this particular book, which I'd anticipated given it was his first. Even geniuses recognize they have room to improve and sometimes do, as has this one. Compared with my favorite--Jitterbug Perfume--Still Life has weaker character development and comparably lower plot tension. Yet it contains similar zany twists, incongruous pairings, entertaining flights of fancy through inner and outer space, and takes us back in time to expose the most specious aspects of 1970s American culture. In the end, entering Robbins' world provides readers with something mystics would claim only for meditation--renewal of one's mind--not through stillness but through the mental gymnastics found only in novels like Robbins' Still Life with Woodpecker.

I really expected more out of this book. It had good moments and a few good quotes, but overall I found it a little trite. I read the reviews of those who loved it and I was excited but for me the book fell flat, the characters were not very memorable and I found myself reading but my mind would wander. I did not dislike the book , I think it is ok . It is not a beach read, but for me it was not a life changing OMG I must recommend this book to everyone.

I amglqd that there arembooksmthat are clever and make you laugh. Too much lately has been drivel packed with expletives.

There is romance, intrigue, mystery, fairy tale, suspense, humor and a bit of nonsense. Just read it. You won’t regret it.

Redheads rock in this rollicking adventure. Very funny. Absolutely absurd yet beautifully believable. I loved it.

This book was a recommendation of a Psychologist friend of mine. I thought at first it may be a bit dated and all, but alas, I was wrong! Tom Robbins is an entertaining and fresh author, his thought train being just that and bowling you over in the process. Now I know the secrets of life, thanks Tom!

I appreciate humorous novels, but this is a silly book that I didn't even want to finish. I was disappointed because I like some of his other work. Meh.

El libro (la historia) es genial, ya lo había leído antes pero lo quería en formato físico, la entrega llegó a tiempo en buenas condiciones pero la portada anunciada no es la real, el papel se siente realmente económico igual que la impresión, es un libro bastante difícil de conseguir así que tendré que aceptarlo.

I've never read a book that has ever hit me as hard as this book. It's intriguing, the characters are odd and the storyline, well Robbins must've been high when he thought of it. But it's so intelligent and Robbins is an incredible story teller. I find that the endings of books usually let me down, but I was so satisfied when this book ended. I have since read this book 3 more times and will probably continue to re-read it for the rest of my life.