When the stock market crashes on the Thursday before Easter, you—an ambitious, although ineffectual and not entirely ethical young brokerR...
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reviews
Apr 24, 2008
Gregory
rated it: 
“Disaster’s always best when it’s on a grand scale.”
… and the scale certainly is grand in Tom Robbins’ rollicking riot of a novel. It opens with the beginning of a disastrous three-day weekend for one Gwendolyn Mati, a lovingly unlikable stockbroker whose ambitions are sky high and whose perceptions seem hopelessly shallow. It is the night before Good Friday and there has been a disastrous plunge in the stock market that has the whole economy screaming disaster, and Gwen finds he More...
… and the scale certainly is grand in Tom Robbins’ rollicking riot of a novel. It opens with the beginning of a disastrous three-day weekend for one Gwendolyn Mati, a lovingly unlikable stockbroker whose ambitions are sky high and whose perceptions seem hopelessly shallow. It is the night before Good Friday and there has been a disastrous plunge in the stock market that has the whole economy screaming disaster, and Gwen finds he More...
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May 09, 2008
Jonathan
rated it: 
This was my final attempt to enjoy a Tom Robbins book. I failed.
Unfortunately, it was more of the same from Robbins. Ham-fisted philosophizing, lurid sex, and purple prose. I guess if you were a teenager this would seem very literate and high-minded. Sadly, once you have read actual literature, you realize that this is garbage.
Although Tom tries to be esoteric and witty, it just isn't very good. Yeah, we get it, you know big words. Now try using them constructively inst More...
Unfortunately, it was more of the same from Robbins. Ham-fisted philosophizing, lurid sex, and purple prose. I guess if you were a teenager this would seem very literate and high-minded. Sadly, once you have read actual literature, you realize that this is garbage.
Although Tom tries to be esoteric and witty, it just isn't very good. Yeah, we get it, you know big words. Now try using them constructively inst More...
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Jul 17, 2008
Wheelo
rated it: 
Reading Tom Robbins is like reading Hunter S. Thompson. Almost everyone seems to go through that phase at some point, and then eventually that phase ends.
I read every Tom Robbins book up to this one; I've yet to read his latest two (or three, or however many there are). Each of them is fantastic in its own way, although there are some consistencies in his style that are fantastic throughout his books -- his completely mind-blowing use of language in the service of crazy descriptions More...
I read every Tom Robbins book up to this one; I've yet to read his latest two (or three, or however many there are). Each of them is fantastic in its own way, although there are some consistencies in his style that are fantastic throughout his books -- his completely mind-blowing use of language in the service of crazy descriptions More...
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Jul 24, 2007
Michelle
rated it:
"There's trouble enough these days just eluding violence and servicing one's debt." This was my favorite quote from the book, and for a work by Tom Robbins, that isn't saying much. As always, Robbins delivers stylistically - he is the only author I know who can use words like bumbershoot, phantasmagorical, and epiphanic flawlessly - but the book was dissatisfying overall. It was as philosophical and sexual as promised, but not nearly as comical. For me it was a lesser quality version
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Oct 31, 2008
Connie
rated it:
I just re-read this book after like 10 years and I loved it so much more. The characters were as I remembered them, but I noticed so many things that I didn't remember were in this book.. like the whole subject of biodiversity and ecological stuff that I probably didn't really notice before..
And I noticed this time around that most of it seems like Terrence McKenna was in the room when it was written.. I really needed a good dose of all that don't fall for the bullshit and it's not what it More...
And I noticed this time around that most of it seems like Terrence McKenna was in the room when it was written.. I really needed a good dose of all that don't fall for the bullshit and it's not what it More...
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Apr 22, 2008
Julia
rated it:
In case you didn't pick up on it, my "Full Disclosure" shelf is reserved for those books I find embarrassing to post about - for one reason or another. However, if I'm going to make the jump to share what I've read over the past years, I figure I may as well be honest.
This was actually my favorite of the "Tom Robbins" phase. Now, I hate him. It's always the same fucking story with this guy: down-and-out lady meets mystery man who imparts wisdom, solves problems More...
This was actually my favorite of the "Tom Robbins" phase. Now, I hate him. It's always the same fucking story with this guy: down-and-out lady meets mystery man who imparts wisdom, solves problems More...
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Dec 16, 2009
Rob
rated it: 
Though I wouldn't necessarily say that this was my favorite Tom Robbins read, I keep returning to it. There is something very charming about the prose, something very sucker-punch about our naive protagonist, something very engaging about the very short time-frame over which the tale plays out. It's a fun read and typical of Robbins in as much as he's trying to turn some taken-for-granted beliefs and turn them upside down; but this one is more environmental than it is religious or spiritual i
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Jun 28, 2011
Nathaniel
rated it:
I read this book a year ago and have hesitated to review it because of a weariness at the idea of picking it up again; the humor, the plot, the references, the second person narrative: it's all so heavy. It takes less than thirty seconds to accumulate representative groaners.
"How typical of your luck that when you finally arrived in a position to poach your golden eggs, the goose had a hysterectomy."
"Thus, instead of a strong, nutritious broth, pungent with the More...
"How typical of your luck that when you finally arrived in a position to poach your golden eggs, the goose had a hysterectomy."
"Thus, instead of a strong, nutritious broth, pungent with the More...
Apr 23, 2011
Gina
rated it:
Since I "read" this book as an audiobook, the author's use of second person was disconcerting. At times, it sounded like hours upon hours of a fortune teller's ramblings ("you think that he is stupid. then you get up to go to the bathroom.") I don't think it would have had a negative impact on my rating if I were to have actually read it instead of listened to it, though.
The thing that WOULD have had a negative impact, audiobook or not, was the author's never-ending More...
The thing that WOULD have had a negative impact, audiobook or not, was the author's never-ending More...
Apr 17, 2010
Jessica
rated it:
[Originally appeared on New Reads and Old Standbys in May 2009:]
I initially bought this book at the urging of a friend of mine who swore up and down that it was the best book he’d read “in forever, it’s sick, seriously, go out and read this now.” Before I go any further, let me point out that he uses the word “sick” as a synonym for “awesome,“ and the word pops up in conversation with him rather frequently. For a moment I honestly believed the book was disgusting, depraved or just pl More...
I initially bought this book at the urging of a friend of mine who swore up and down that it was the best book he’d read “in forever, it’s sick, seriously, go out and read this now.” Before I go any further, let me point out that he uses the word “sick” as a synonym for “awesome,“ and the word pops up in conversation with him rather frequently. For a moment I honestly believed the book was disgusting, depraved or just pl More...
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Nov 17, 2009
Karen
rated it:
I've owned this book for years, but never got around to reading it until now.
I hadn't read Tom Robbins in a long time and wasn't sure I would like reading him again. I'd read several of his books in the early 90s and in that post-colligiate phase liked his word play and quirky characters, but for some reason I was even then a bit ambivilant about his books. I thought they were smart and that I should read them, but...they never really stick with me (the Chinese food effect). Frog More...
I hadn't read Tom Robbins in a long time and wasn't sure I would like reading him again. I'd read several of his books in the early 90s and in that post-colligiate phase liked his word play and quirky characters, but for some reason I was even then a bit ambivilant about his books. I thought they were smart and that I should read them, but...they never really stick with me (the Chinese food effect). Frog More...
Aug 29, 2009
Mike
rated it:
Psychics, sex, amphibians, and stocks all play a role in this jaunt of a novel. Simply put, Robbins takes his readers for a ride through the psychological unraveling--or raveling--of an undersexed financial analyst as her reality, the world she has built her whole life upon, begins to drain away in the form of a plunging Dow. Her psychic friend has disappeared and she believes that the ex-broker turned cow-patty picker has something to do with it. She tries desperately to plot a way to come out
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Dec 26, 2010
Kelly
rated it:
The book was interesting in the way it was organized. I like how it was organized almost like a journal of Gwen's weekend of hell. Robbin's use of sarcasm was humorous and enjoyable.
As for the story-line, reading about Q-Jo and Andre were the more interesting parts. I didn't much care about the stock-broker talk though, even though it was such a major part of the book. Much of the talk about astrology and symbolism became lost on me as well. Although it is probably my own fault for not get More...
As for the story-line, reading about Q-Jo and Andre were the more interesting parts. I didn't much care about the stock-broker talk though, even though it was such a major part of the book. Much of the talk about astrology and symbolism became lost on me as well. Although it is probably my own fault for not get More...
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Jul 18, 2010
Erin
rated it: 
This gets one star because it was well written. This is, by far, the strangest book I've ever read. I thought I would have an epiphany at the end, but I was I left wondering what this book was even about. The story line is about a young, female stock broker, and the market has just crashed. She meets a man that could fix all the mistakes she has made in the market so she could continue to be a stockbroker, or he could lead her to the path of 'enlightenment,' but he refuses to do both. She must
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Jan 07, 2011
Do you think sometimes people [readers] can put too much emphasis on novels. To the point of obsession. Base too much of their lives on them?
"It's wonderful that literature can have that kind of effect on people. On the other hand, it's a little sad. I think the healthy thing is -- when you encounter a book that has something to offer and that can change the way you perceive the world -- if you can take those things out of it and incorporate them into your own life to help prope More...
"It's wonderful that literature can have that kind of effect on people. On the other hand, it's a little sad. I think the healthy thing is -- when you encounter a book that has something to offer and that can change the way you perceive the world -- if you can take those things out of it and incorporate them into your own life to help prope More...
Jan 29, 2008
jeremy
rated it:
simply horrendous. word salad at its most putrid. i began two of his novels, and could bear to finish neither. tom robbins=literary dysentery.
please, sir, i beseech you, nevermore even a single sapling felled for your shlock.
oh, and nice shorts, tom. could they be any shorter? geez, i have pubes longer than those things.
please, sir, i beseech you, nevermore even a single sapling felled for your shlock.
oh, and nice shorts, tom. could they be any shorter? geez, i have pubes longer than those things.
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Dec 17, 2009
Connie
rated it:
I really loved Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates, but I think the novelty of Robbins's style that drew me delightfully into that book simply wore thin in Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas. The novels are similar in their intelligent approach to mystical pop culture, but one is really enough to get the idea.
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Jun 20, 2007
Kelcan
rated it:
Okay, can T.R. please pick some new freaking characters? I am betting sick of the "macho" bad boy, soo deep and misunderstood, who is attracted to the skinny hot but not so smart woman. Get a new fucking plot. and I sure could do with out the pages and pages of rants from the macho man!
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May 24, 2010
Vida
rated it:
I'm really not a fan of books where it is clear that the author is trying really hard to be clever. Unlike many of those authors, I think Tom Robbins actually succeeds in being clever, but it doesn't motivate me too much. My main problem with this book is the use of the second person. I think it would work if it were a murder mystery or some book where you were swept away by plot and the main character didn't have dominant personality traits. But the main character in this book, you/Gwen, ha
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Mar 16, 2010
Molly
rated it:
I went into this book expecting to not like it since a lot of other Robbins's fans have said it's their least favorite of the books. That's part of the reason I left it until last. While it's no Fierce Invalids (but really, what is?) I ended up enjoying it as a whole. There were times while reading it that I didn't enjoy it-but the journey was worth the result. The characters aren't nearly as charismatic as his others, but, I still couldn't help but love Larry Diamond and Q-Jo...even though, I
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Jul 25, 2009
Nana
rated it:
i think if i had rated this book a month ago, i would've given it the full 5 stars, stellar review, all the fanfare...because i read it over ten years ago and, at the time, it was the most amazing novel i'd ever read. a friend was reading for the first time and that presented me with a good opportunity for a re-read.
i'm sure it's no secret that i'm crazy for tom robbins. the irreverent, inappropriate, slightly misogynistic white male author doesn't always do it for me--i've made life More...
i'm sure it's no secret that i'm crazy for tom robbins. the irreverent, inappropriate, slightly misogynistic white male author doesn't always do it for me--i've made life More...
Aug 31, 2010
Adam
rated it:
Yes! Another fantastical literary trip from Tom Robbins!
Seattle stockbroker Gwen Mati feels as though her life is falling apart when all of a sudden the stock market takes a turn for the worse on the Thursday before Easter. To add insult to injury, her psychic friend goes missing just as a strange and inappropriate character is thrown into her life. To top it all off, she's fallen carelessly into an unwanted relationship that has yeilded nothing more than a search for her 'lovers' More...
Seattle stockbroker Gwen Mati feels as though her life is falling apart when all of a sudden the stock market takes a turn for the worse on the Thursday before Easter. To add insult to injury, her psychic friend goes missing just as a strange and inappropriate character is thrown into her life. To top it all off, she's fallen carelessly into an unwanted relationship that has yeilded nothing more than a search for her 'lovers' More...
Apr 20, 2011
Kayla
rated it:
I loved Still Life With A Woodpecker and probably would have loved this one as well, if not for the constant fat-hate and generally dislikable main character. The style of this novel is kind of choose-your-own-adventure which while distracting, is not the biggest detractor from the book overall. I found the constant slew of negativity directed towards Q-Jo's size the most distracting thing in the book.
Seriously. I felt like he went out of his way to constantly remind us that yep, she' More...
Seriously. I felt like he went out of his way to constantly remind us that yep, she' More...
Aug 02, 2010
Emily
rated it:
Tom Robbins is my favorite author and has been for a long time, but I'm almost ashamed to admit that I hadn't read Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas until now. I think it's because I've not yet read a Robbins book I didn't like so I didn't feel pressured to read it. I'm glad I moved it to the top of my pile though, as the head trip that comprised the story was definitely worth exploring.
Tom Robbins is not an author to read if you need your books to start at point A and end at point Z and p More...
Tom Robbins is not an author to read if you need your books to start at point A and end at point Z and p More...
Jul 01, 2011
Sho
rated it:
I used to be such a Tom Robbins fangirl. I devoured skinny legs, even cowgirls, still life (esp still life), another roadside attraction in manic speed and delight around five years ago.
In the interim period however, something's changed because i read this book with a mixture of fascination, frustration and, eventually, disappointment. It is not that he didn't write in the classic Robbins style, it is only that the very complicated language play and excessive metaphorical references that More...
In the interim period however, something's changed because i read this book with a mixture of fascination, frustration and, eventually, disappointment. It is not that he didn't write in the classic Robbins style, it is only that the very complicated language play and excessive metaphorical references that More...
Mar 02, 2010
Masika
rated it:
When I first started reading this book I wasn't too sure about it. It was long and slow initially, But by the third chapter I was hooked. With Andre the monkey, Q-Jo Huffington's character as well as the very brief but convincing portrait of Gwendolyn, made it all very enticing. I enjoyed the astrological humor, craziness of Larry Diamond and of the entire plot. The characters created as strong impression on my memory of this book.
Highly recommended for those that can enjoy reading outside More...
Highly recommended for those that can enjoy reading outside More...
May 12, 2010
Abraham
rated it:
There are risky moments in the long life of a book lover, moments when, in a fit of nostalgia, he returns to some old favorite hoping to reencounter that early sense of discovery and awe, that un-jaded, youthful moment when a book was not just a gateway to a new set of ideas, but a model of what creativity was capable of, of the brilliant potential of the human mind when it toils long and hard and far past the thought patterns of everyday thought. Certain early books are safe to come back to –
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Dec 27, 2009
Morgan
rated it:
If ever I meet Gwen Mati in real life, I will punch her in the face.
I spent a good portion (read: all up until the Monday morning chapter) waiting for everything to get somewhere. Why should I care that André went missing? Do thy really care that Q-Jo's missing? (What the hell does Q-Jo stand for, anyway?) Is Yamaguchi ever going to be really important as a character? I was sort of waiting for him to turn into a Bingo Pajama-esque character, but not so much.
A good po More...
I spent a good portion (read: all up until the Monday morning chapter) waiting for everything to get somewhere. Why should I care that André went missing? Do thy really care that Q-Jo's missing? (What the hell does Q-Jo stand for, anyway?) Is Yamaguchi ever going to be really important as a character? I was sort of waiting for him to turn into a Bingo Pajama-esque character, but not so much.
A good po More...
Feb 13, 2008
Nancy
rated it:
"...the macaque continues to shred Popsicle wrappers in the trunk, as if he were employed in the document room of a Republican presient..."
Definitely my favorite line from this, my latest read from Tom Robbins. I want to start by saying that I used to LOVE Tom Robbins. Impeccable word choice, a candid approach to sex and sexuality, social commentary, a touch of the fantastic... what's not to like?
Usually my answer would be NOTHING... I LOVE IT ALL! But that w More...
Definitely my favorite line from this, my latest read from Tom Robbins. I want to start by saying that I used to LOVE Tom Robbins. Impeccable word choice, a candid approach to sex and sexuality, social commentary, a touch of the fantastic... what's not to like?
Usually my answer would be NOTHING... I LOVE IT ALL! But that w More...
