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79th out of 87 books
—
18 voters
My rating:
add to my books
B Is for Beer
by
Tom Robbins
A Children's Book About Beer?
Yes, believe it or not—but B Is for Beer is also a book for adults, and bear in mind that it's the work of maverick bestselling novelist Tom Robbins, inter-nationally known for his ability to both seriously illuminate and comically entertain.
Once upon a time (right about now) there was a planet (how about this one?) whose inhabitants con
...moreHardcover, 125 pages
Published
May 1st 2009
by Ecco Press
(first published 2009)
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I see you. Yes, you. The Tom Robbins fan. Quit making that face. Yank out the wedgie. Relax, man! This two-star rating bears no reflection on YOU. I’m not giving YOU two stars. I’m not even giving Tom Robbins two stars. It’s just that B is for Beer is terribly disappointing. I mean, you see the cover, right? Look at it! Look how totally awesome and retro it looks, right? You see the Simpson-esque largesse of the stein, with a hoard of dance-happy (overly long-armed) adults surroundi...more
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D is for Dumb, Desperate, and Disappointing Drivel!
You know a book is really bad when it's only 125 pages long and you can't even get halfway through it.
I gave this one a whirl just to see what ol' Tom Robbins had been doing this past couple of years. Now I know. D is for Drinking too much beer. And it's also for Dead brain cells, of which you will need a lot if you hope to enjoy this pile of Dung.
You know a book is really bad when it's only 125 pages long and you can't even get halfway through it.
I gave this one a whirl just to see what ol' Tom Robbins had been doing this past couple of years. Now I know. D is for Drinking too much beer. And it's also for Dead brain cells, of which you will need a lot if you hope to enjoy this pile of Dung.
Don't you just love the title of the book? Especially the "A Children's Book for Grown-ups and "A Grown-up Book for Children". *sigh* Tom Robbins, you just make me weak in the knees.
B is for Beer will not disappoint if you are a Tom Robbins lover like myself. It's fanciful and still tongue-in-cheek. It's straight forward and yet hidden. Oh, and it's absolutely almost as contradictory as those two descriptors were.
The book opens with: Have you ever wonde...more
B is for Beer will not disappoint if you are a Tom Robbins lover like myself. It's fanciful and still tongue-in-cheek. It's straight forward and yet hidden. Oh, and it's absolutely almost as contradictory as those two descriptors were.
The book opens with: Have you ever wonde...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
What is up with my favorite humorist authors trying their hand at "SOMETHING NEW"??? I attribute my love of reading today to Tom Robbins' ascerbic wit in the 80s and 90s, evidenced with terrific novels like "Still Life With Woodpecker", "Even Cowgirls Get The Blues", "Jitterbug Perfume", "Skinny Legs and All", et.al. All of his novels have been irreverent, off-kilter, thought-provoking laugh-fests (for me, anyway). Mr. Robbins has never been ...more
"B is for Beer" is a highly entertaining and educational book. I was in the booksore of my mall and I saw the cover og this book. Now what drew me in was of course the title and the whole "a childrens book for grownups" and a "grownups book for children" line. I came back two days later and I bought the book. First off I have to say that i love the main character Gracie. She is funny and I love how she takes whatever her uncle Mo says and applies it to her life. The...more
I'd forgotten how much I love Tom Robbins. His quirky sense of humor is as refreshing as a cold ...Diet Coke --sorry, I'm not a beer drinker :) But the book is funny--and insightful.
There are some great quotes here. Some of my favorites:
"You know what the game of golf is, don't you? It's basketball for people who can't jump and chess for people who can't think."
"Every time a person goes to the mall, she loses a little piece of her soul."...more
There are some great quotes here. Some of my favorites:
"You know what the game of golf is, don't you? It's basketball for people who can't jump and chess for people who can't think."
"Every time a person goes to the mall, she loses a little piece of her soul."...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
From Amazon.com
"Yes, believe it or not--but B Is for Beer is also a book for adults, and bear in mind that it's the work of maverick bestselling novelist Tom Robbins, internationally known for his ability to both seriously illuminate and comically entertain.
Once upon a time (right about now) there was a planet (how about this one?) whose inhabitants consumed thirty-six billion gallons of beer each year (it's a fact, you can Google it). Among those affected, each in his or...more
"Yes, believe it or not--but B Is for Beer is also a book for adults, and bear in mind that it's the work of maverick bestselling novelist Tom Robbins, internationally known for his ability to both seriously illuminate and comically entertain.
Once upon a time (right about now) there was a planet (how about this one?) whose inhabitants consumed thirty-six billion gallons of beer each year (it's a fact, you can Google it). Among those affected, each in his or...more
This is HILARIOUS! Review in a couple days.
(several days later; actually finished it the next day, but I get a bit distracted) Quick, funny but deep read, all about, yup, BEER! All told through the eyes of a 5 - then - six-year-old girl Gracie Perkel. Her introduction to this quaff amidst the rather dysfunctional family (of which her Uncle Moe becomes the hero of the piece, although I shan't give away just how; too much fun to discover it for yourself). Well, a fairy from "the o...more
(several days later; actually finished it the next day, but I get a bit distracted) Quick, funny but deep read, all about, yup, BEER! All told through the eyes of a 5 - then - six-year-old girl Gracie Perkel. Her introduction to this quaff amidst the rather dysfunctional family (of which her Uncle Moe becomes the hero of the piece, although I shan't give away just how; too much fun to discover it for yourself). Well, a fairy from "the o...more
B is for Beer is a reasonable read. The book is listed as a children's book for adults, and an adult book for children, but the long passages of explanation make it more suitable for adults, perhaps people just getting ready to explore beer.
Robbins has a lot of fun with the story, and readers are expected to have fun too. There are some familiar Robbins shticks, but the book goes slowly at points.
If you don't know much about beer and how it is made, and you have a sen...more
Robbins has a lot of fun with the story, and readers are expected to have fun too. There are some familiar Robbins shticks, but the book goes slowly at points.
If you don't know much about beer and how it is made, and you have a sen...more
Is it a children's book? Or an adult book just written in the style of a children's book? Who cares, it's the first thing I've seen from Tom Robbins in a couple years, so it was required. And it didn't disappoint. It's like a mini-TR novel with all the same humor, bad puns, general goofiness, social and political satire, and gigantic heart and soul that any Tom Robbins book contains. Five-year-old (almost six! Gracie Perkel suddenly develops a strange curiosity about the beverage of choice of he...more
This is kind of a tough one. I want to give it five stars. It is a really good book. However, I think Robbins is on his own scale. This is better than Another Roadside Attraction, but it is not as good as Villa Incognito, which is a 5 on any scale. Essentially, this is a book about a five-year-old girl who is interested in that thing her father drinks. After a disappointing sixth birthday, she chugs a beer and is visited by the Beer Fairy, who teaches her all about beer, the good and the b...more
‘B’ IS FOR BRILLIANT
[It must have been in the mid-80s (the decade, not degrees Fahrenheit) when someone at work suggested that I might like to read Tom Robbins’s ‘Jitterbug Perfume’. Wow. Were they ever right. I’ve been a fan ever since. To date, I’ve read all nine of Tom’s other novels listed on goodreads.com; and rated eight of them as 5-star, and one as 4-star, reads. Any wonder why I jumped on ‘B is for Beer’ as my second nookEread? Can he still turn a phantasmagorical-phra...more
[It must have been in the mid-80s (the decade, not degrees Fahrenheit) when someone at work suggested that I might like to read Tom Robbins’s ‘Jitterbug Perfume’. Wow. Were they ever right. I’ve been a fan ever since. To date, I’ve read all nine of Tom’s other novels listed on goodreads.com; and rated eight of them as 5-star, and one as 4-star, reads. Any wonder why I jumped on ‘B is for Beer’ as my second nookEread? Can he still turn a phantasmagorical-phra...more
Georgia
added it
If you are a Tom Robbins fan you will probably be disappointed. It is sad to see one of your favourite authors getting 'tired'. The metaphors look as if he spent far too much time thinking about them and the complexity of his thought is this time absent. For a non-American reader speaking about american 'tightness' and putting a 6-year-old to drink beer is not any big deal. The subtitle 'a children's book for grownups, a grown-up book for children' triggered my interest, but after I read the boo...more
We came across this book at a homebrew store, and it looked like the greatest thing ever. It may have more to do with my high expectations, but it was pretty disappointing.
It's advertised as an adult book for kids and a kids book for adults. In reality, it was more of book that's somewhere in the middle and not really great for everyone. The story isn't horrible, but I didn't really enjoy reading it. I also wouldn't really be comfortable reading it to my daughter. Maybe there's some ...more
It's advertised as an adult book for kids and a kids book for adults. In reality, it was more of book that's somewhere in the middle and not really great for everyone. The story isn't horrible, but I didn't really enjoy reading it. I also wouldn't really be comfortable reading it to my daughter. Maybe there's some ...more
This "children's book" for adults is an easy, breezy read (you'll have it done in an hour), and I must say it is one of Robbins' finer works. Not only does it outright encourage you to grab a cold one while you read it, but being a "children's book", Robbins was forced to choose his wording with the precision of a neurosurgeon. That means no extravagant lewdness simply for the shock of being so brazenly vulgar. No over-the-top descriptions of sex scenes, or entire paragraphs ...more
This is silly irreverent book that I think most children over the age of 8 can read and enjoy. No it's not brilliant but there are fun moments. Four stars were awarded because I think the idea is brilliant, teaching kids about alcohol in a real and playful way - the good and the not so good, as well as something related to the science of making the stuff. Sure he leaves out tons of facts but hell it's a silly little story about beer, being a kid, marital disputes, and love in very few pages. Tom...more
Tom Robbins' wordsmithing expertise has shown his dept and imagination again in this new short book created specifically as a "Grownup book for kids" and a "Kids' book for grownups." He traces the origins of beer and talks to kids in an intelligent manner that I find refreshing in our culture, so often dominated by a refusal to talk openly to kids about real world issues and the dangers/benefits of beer/alcohol. With this book, Robbins intends to take some of the allure and m...more
I went to see Tom Robbins read from his new children's book B Is for Beer last night and it was pretty hilarious. He saw a cartoon with a publisher and writer in a bar, and the publisher says something to the writer along the lines of, "No, I don't think a children's book about beer would sell." Robbins saw it as a brilliant challenge, and the resulting book is in children's book form but is definitely for adults - aside from all of the rhapsodizing about beer, a 5-year-old gets drunk ...more
A co-worker loaned me this book when he learned A) that I love love love to read and B) that I like Tom Robbins.
I've had this book in my possession for three weeks and I have just finally read it.
>Long pause<
I don't get it.
This is a snarkless yawn about how beer is made. Now, prior to reading this, I didn't know how beer was made. And quite frankly, I still don't because this was a very brief tutorial at best.
One of my fave lines from Robbins was from (I b...more
I've had this book in my possession for three weeks and I have just finally read it.
>Long pause<
I don't get it.
This is a snarkless yawn about how beer is made. Now, prior to reading this, I didn't know how beer was made. And quite frankly, I still don't because this was a very brief tutorial at best.
One of my fave lines from Robbins was from (I b...more
i was pretty excited to learn about t. robbin's new book as years ago he pretty much change all my expectations of what reading a book should be like.
but honestly, this book was simply 'okay'. i wouldnt recommend it to anyone except the most die hard of robbins fans OR people who already think beer is awesome OR people who hate beer. maybe this encompasses everyone already....
the obvious, overused formula he uses time and time again use to not be a problem with me. and he...more
but honestly, this book was simply 'okay'. i wouldnt recommend it to anyone except the most die hard of robbins fans OR people who already think beer is awesome OR people who hate beer. maybe this encompasses everyone already....
the obvious, overused formula he uses time and time again use to not be a problem with me. and he...more
Robbins uses some of the most muscular and flexible language I've ever read. His sentences are so finely crafted that each gleams. His skewed vision combined with his rarefied prose can make it difficult to notice when there's something missing. It's my opinion that as beautiful as this book is, it's also pedantic at its core. In a boring way.
Also, the spacing
of the prose
reminds me of term papers
which needed to be exactly 40 pages long.
...more
Also, the spacing
of the prose
reminds me of term papers
which needed to be exactly 40 pages long.
...more
Jen
added it
This is a fun little nugget that will make you bellylaugh out loud. If you compare B Is for Beer to Robbins' other work, you are bound to be disappointed. But if you can accept it for what it is, it is a delight.
B Is for Beer is silly, fun, and sometimes educational. It is not Skinny Legs and All (by a long stretch!). But Robbins will tell you (again!) about the history of the can and allude to the secret lives of inanimate objects. And as always, his metaphors leave me in awe and make me terri...more
B Is for Beer is silly, fun, and sometimes educational. It is not Skinny Legs and All (by a long stretch!). But Robbins will tell you (again!) about the history of the can and allude to the secret lives of inanimate objects. And as always, his metaphors leave me in awe and make me terri...more
Now that I've finished it, the following lines still hold true. I hate to give the man only 3 stars, but it just didn't appeal to me, even as an adult story. There were some great belly laughs here and there, but they don't carry it enough to make me love the book. I previously wrote: You may have seen all of his other books are on my all-time-faves list. I have to question this one. He's still entertaining and amusing me, but to even remotely pretend it's for kids...there are no kids I'd care t...more
My first Tom Robbins book - and a great one! Can't wait to read more by this gentleman. For all my home-brew friends (Pete and Jesse to name two), you'll enjoy Tom's brief history of beer and his take on the care and feeding of beer ingredients. Of course, for all (moderate) drinkers of the finer beers, you will also enjoy this book. Those of you who have parted ways with alcohol for one reason or another, you may find that you agree with some of Tom's insights regarding the dangers of over-...more
Bigmuzz
added it
this was a strange book... i'm still not completely sure if it is meant for children, or adults, or some strange mixture of the two. a short and easy read, but seemed kind of pointless. it does explain the history and process of beer making in easy to understand language though, so that part was interesting. but the main story with the drunk 6 year old being visited by the 'beer fairy'... very weird indeed. the ending also seemed rushed and tacked on. i've never heard of tom robbins before, but ...more
Reading a Tom Robbins book is like meeting an old, dear friend and then realizing that you should have never stayed away from him so long. B is for Beer is like comfort food. Like mashed potatoes. Like an old, worn, frayed sweater that molds perfectly to your body. B is for Beer makes you want to revisit Jitterbug Perfume. A great book for children's librarians who need a break from children's literature, but not that big a break. Robbins makes use of many kiddie lit elements and devices, withou...more
A very weird tale between a young child's intrigue at beer and the impact of this substance in her life. There is also a very weird middle bit with the beer fairy (yes the beer fairy!) explaining how beer is made.
A sweet quick read, but a book with no depth, no real storyline and given it's randomness, just a bit weird. The supposed humour of the book doesn't even exist and Gracie is strangely the most advanced 6 year old I've ever heard of in my life.
If you're stuck in a...more
A sweet quick read, but a book with no depth, no real storyline and given it's randomness, just a bit weird. The supposed humour of the book doesn't even exist and Gracie is strangely the most advanced 6 year old I've ever heard of in my life.
If you're stuck in a...more
It's described as "A Children's Book for Grown-ups" and "A Grown-up Book for Children," but I think it's neither here nor there. I wouldn't let my kids read it, and I didn't particularly enjoy it myself. I think it's meant to be a humorous story, but the idea of a kindergarten child getting drunk is not funny to me. The beer fairy looking out for those who consume too much beer is a much better thought. If you like warped humor and are interested in the details of where b...more
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Thomas Eugene Robbins (born July 22, 1936 in Blowing Rock, North Carolina) is an American author. His novels are complex, often wild stories with strong social undercurrents, a satirical bent, and obscure details. His novel Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (1976) was made into a movie in 1993 directed by Gus Van Sant.
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“Never be afraid to love, not even when there's a chance you're not being loved in return.”
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“Matters are very seldom all black or white. They can even be both at the same time - The Beer Fairy”
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