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83rd out of 331 books
—
451 voters
Another Roadside Attraction
by
Tom Robbins
What if the Second Coming didn't quite come off as advertised? What if "the corpse" on display in that funky roadside zoo is really who they say it is - what does that portend for the future of western civilization? And what if a young clairvoyant named Amanda reestablishes the flea circus as popular entertainment, and fertility worship as the principal religious form of o...more
Paperback, 366 pages
Published
October 1st 2004
by No Exit Press
(first published 1971)
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Tom Robbins was recommended to me aeons ago by a friend (now an occasional friend). I confess a little disappointment with Another Roadside Attraction, but the depth and range of ideas explored in the book is amazing.
I loved the ludicrous metaphors, the freewheeling insanity of language, the satirical humour and the intelligently argued discourses on the death of religion.
On a craft level, I felt the plot could have used a huge pair of scissors, and many of the characters suffered from having th...more
I loved the ludicrous metaphors, the freewheeling insanity of language, the satirical humour and the intelligently argued discourses on the death of religion.
On a craft level, I felt the plot could have used a huge pair of scissors, and many of the characters suffered from having th...more
I was very underwhelmed by Tom Robbins first published novel. It was foolish of me to think that Tom Robbins the rookie would invoke the same immense feelings as Tom Robbins the wisened and experienced author. Reading this became a chore for me even though there were some hidden gems. It was enough that one character had a phrase (that rarely made sense) for EVERYTHING but then the narrator also had a penchant for doing the same. And I was very tired of "(or was it Africa?)". Cute the first time...more
5 likes · like · see review
The best word for this book is choppy. It is flashes of brilliance surrounded by a multitude of metaphors that are sometimes poignant and touching, but often flat and feel as if they're there for shock value. But being that this is only Tom Robbins' first novel, you can tell how he would grow to become brilliant.
The characters are intriguing and captivating, but there were many, many times when I found myself wishing the author would stop describing their minute nuances and just get on with it a...more
The characters are intriguing and captivating, but there were many, many times when I found myself wishing the author would stop describing their minute nuances and just get on with it a...more
2 likes · like · see review
Sep 25, 2007
Tracey
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
interested in discussions of faith & science
A couple of "flower children" types open a hot dog stand in the Pacific Northwest and correspond with a friend who has inadvertently joined an order of assassin monks. They are joined by Marx Marvelous, a self-proclaimed scientist who believes that Christianity is drawing to a close. And about that mysterious Corpse that shows up at one point....
Written in 1971, aspects of this novel seem awfully dated (drug & counter-culture references abound - plenty of sex, too!), but the underlying philo...more
Written in 1971, aspects of this novel seem awfully dated (drug & counter-culture references abound - plenty of sex, too!), but the underlying philo...more
Tom Robbins writes one sentence at a time. I read that in an interview once. He has a general outline or story arc for his books but he starts out by writing the first sentence, and then perfecting it. Once he is totally satisfied, he moves on to the second sentence and then perfects that one... and so on. I'm not sure if it's 100% true but reading his work certainly makes me believe it.
Another Roadside Attraction has always been in my top 5 of all time. Is there a way to mark that? Guess not. O...more
Another Roadside Attraction has always been in my top 5 of all time. Is there a way to mark that? Guess not. O...more
It is obvious that this is Robbins' first book if you have already read his later efforts. However, I still loved it, perhaps more so in some ways for it's compositional naivete. In his later books the prose turns tight corners with the polished efficiency of an indy driver and the whimsy of a circus clown, but this book has outrage in its mind and whisky on its breath. You can feel Robbins' getting out every jab and gripe he had percolating in his brain after years within the machine, and it's...more
1 like · like · see review
What do you get when you take a teenage hippy, a magician, a hot dog stand, and a mysterious Corpse? ...Probably something involving the law, but in the mind of Tom Robbins this unlikely combination arrives to unleash a Catholicism-crippling truth.
Robbins' first novel is less obscure than his later ones; you won't find barely recognizable metaphors in Another Roadside Attraction, but the drawn-out speeches on religion, truth, and humanity are front and center throughout. The novel switches hapha...more
Robbins' first novel is less obscure than his later ones; you won't find barely recognizable metaphors in Another Roadside Attraction, but the drawn-out speeches on religion, truth, and humanity are front and center throughout. The novel switches hapha...more
The second book I motored through in 2012. It was good to reacquaint myself with one of my favorite authors discovered in college, especially with one of his novels I hadn't chanced to read back then. It's better by far than Wild Ducks Flying Backward, Robbins' most recent release of short works in one volume, but it wasn't anywhere near my favorite of his novels. The central character, Amanda, seems kind of empty, possibly to serve a purpose in the novel, but as such she doesn't stand up to the...more
My first Tom Robbins (and his)... This book taught me that he is indeed the literary guru that he and all the coffeehouse cave-dwellers who can't pry their cigs away from their rot stained teeth long enough to save their lives... save 9$!... save my airspace... think he is... and like most egomaniacal freaks who are sure that their spiritual dick is bigger than everyone else's this work is fairly masturbatory-did he not have an editor, a friend, someone to help curtail the gluttony? Did he have...more
3 likes · like · see review
This book is all over the place, simply put. I could probably not tell you what it was about even if I were on the strongest of hallucinogenic drugs that it probably took to write this book. Sorry Tom Robbins, but I personally prefer books in which I can actually understand what’s going on.
This book follows a reckless, sexually loose girl named Amanda and her husband, as they open a roadside stand and meet many eccentric characters along the way as they discover many of life’s lessons. Don’t be...more
This book follows a reckless, sexually loose girl named Amanda and her husband, as they open a roadside stand and meet many eccentric characters along the way as they discover many of life’s lessons. Don’t be...more
2 likes · like · see review
Aug 13, 2012
J.C.
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fiction,
dont-know-why-i-finished
1 1/2 stars
I love Tom Robbins. Most of the time.
This book made my arms numb. It made my jaw lock up. There were many a moment when I just went:
"Really Dude?"
Most of the time a Robbins book oozes with subtle eroticism and sexuality.
This book was like a trench-coated pervert on an exposure bender.
The best Tom Robbins books (in my opinion) involve a extravagant quest of some sort (Jitterbug Perfume, Fierce Invalids). This book was more of a character sketch for 330 pages. The first two parts are...more
I love Tom Robbins. Most of the time.
This book made my arms numb. It made my jaw lock up. There were many a moment when I just went:
"Really Dude?"
Most of the time a Robbins book oozes with subtle eroticism and sexuality.
This book was like a trench-coated pervert on an exposure bender.
The best Tom Robbins books (in my opinion) involve a extravagant quest of some sort (Jitterbug Perfume, Fierce Invalids). This book was more of a character sketch for 330 pages. The first two parts are...more
I used to be a huge Tom Robbins fan when I was younger. As I've grown older, I've kind of come to the conclusion that he really is just kind of a dirty old man. I've had a copy of this for it seems like all of my adult life, it's been boxed up and moved I don't know how many times, but it's probably been over ten years since I've read it last. It was always one of my favorites, and after my disappointment from recent re-visitations of other Robbins classics, I was a little leery of it. This one...more
This was a brutal read. I was very disappointed because I really like Robbins, but this is his first book and it really shows. If it were 100 to 150 pages shorter it would have gotten 4 stars at least. I love his style and writing but he would not shut up. I started skipping paragraphs about 200 pages in and eventually would skip to the end of chapters. The plot itself was great, but he spent so much time having his characters debate the same thing over and over and then would take entire pages...more
I hated the beginning of this book, but trudged through it. I liked the middle section, but it was too short. And I was very disappointed by the ending, which failed in every imaginable way. Another Roadside Attraction has an interesting story, with likeable characters but it was severely muddled with horrible narratives, a distracted first-person, or was it third-person voice, obscure descriptions of meaningless objects and trivia along with pointless and rather inaccurate and error filled theo...more
three stars might be a bit harsh. I really liked this book, and wanted to give it four, but I just couldn't do it.
For you see, I have discovered something terrible: Tom Robbins has almost no re-read value.
Seriously. It is almost nonexistent.
While reading his books for the first time can be an eye-opening, hyper-enjoyable experience, trying to go through them a second time proves taxing, irritating, and slow-going. All of the surprises have been used up. THe joy of language has been dulled. In e...more
For you see, I have discovered something terrible: Tom Robbins has almost no re-read value.
Seriously. It is almost nonexistent.
While reading his books for the first time can be an eye-opening, hyper-enjoyable experience, trying to go through them a second time proves taxing, irritating, and slow-going. All of the surprises have been used up. THe joy of language has been dulled. In e...more
You want to give more stars to a book like this, the author of which- both conceptually and practically- gives himself so goddamn many. It is good and bad. The book is superb in all the ways his later books reiterate and revel in, it treads deep intellectual water. But it is immature yet. It is a minor tragedy but never takes itself seriously. Its faults can at times be strengths. Its real strength is in its magical voice. It is a voice in development(in 1970-71) but one already with the air of...more
This was my first of many Tom Robbins books. I read it for the first time when I was probably 16 and it completely opened me up to entirely new ways of thinking and over the years I would definitely say Robbins has had a significant influence on my general perspective. The way that he entertains and (perhaps subliminally) teaches while making you uncomfortable at times while extracting intense emotions at others is truly unique and remarkable. Over the course of reading this novel one experience...more
"There are three mental states that interest me. These are: one, amnesia; two, euphoria; three, ecstasy. Amnesia is not knowing who one is and wanting desperately to find out. Euphoria is not knowing who one is and not caring. Ecstasy is knowing exactly who one is - and still not caring."
There is something about Tom Robbins that severely irks me. He has this flippant way of trying to be a philosopher in which he makes everything into a largwe-scale joke imbued with his own sense of life-purpose; however, his sense of meaning is full of bullshit as far as I am concerned. But then, due to the insipid tone of his novels, it is difficult for me to say whether the beliefs and strangely racist phrasings his ridiculous characters say are his own or not.
Case in point, when the narrator...more
Case in point, when the narrator...more
Apr 29, 2012
Michael Laine
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommended to Michael by:
Mr. Strosnider, 11th Grade English
I told @Tracy how I first started reading Tom Robbins and why. But that was just the beginning. I’ve now read 9 of his 10 novels. I realized as I was re-reading this for the 4th time that I don’t read “Another Roadside Attraction” for the story; I read it for the one-liners of truth, joy, and insight on how to be a better human being.
I bought the book at a hospital-fundraising book sale for 50 cents. Perhaps I’ve never gotten such a great value in my life. On this particular trip – during Lent –...more
I bought the book at a hospital-fundraising book sale for 50 cents. Perhaps I’ve never gotten such a great value in my life. On this particular trip – during Lent –...more
1 like · like · see review
Another Roadside Attraction tells the story of what happens when the clairvoyant Amanda meets up with a musician, marries him and goes on to buy a hot dog restaurant alongside the road.
This book was one of the least entertaining books I have ever read. It was a chore to read and I had to force myself to stay awake while reading. Often I would have to read pages multiple times to make sense of what was being said. The book was filled with anecdotes from the characters that often times did not mak...more
This book was one of the least entertaining books I have ever read. It was a chore to read and I had to force myself to stay awake while reading. Often I would have to read pages multiple times to make sense of what was being said. The book was filled with anecdotes from the characters that often times did not mak...more
Robbins has always been one of my favorites, especially when it comes to the creation of lush metaphors and similes. He's a master at playing with the language, creating offbeat characters, and espousing a deep reverence for a life devoid of dog-eat-dog capitalist pursuit and all the false elitism that trails in its fetid wake. For me, however, Robbins hit his sweet spot with "Still Life with Woodpecker," "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues" and "Jitterbug Perfume." What's come before (in this case) an...more
There are glorious moments in this book, insightful and funny and smart and quirky in ways that only Tom Robbins would attempt to navigate. These are the moments that keep me coming back for more. The premise has oodles of promise, but the story is slow to get us there and inconsistent along the way.
Marx tells us, more than once, that the story is about Amanda. Maybe for him it is, but if that's the case then the story in his head and the one he's writing down are two different things. While Ama...more
Marx tells us, more than once, that the story is about Amanda. Maybe for him it is, but if that's the case then the story in his head and the one he's writing down are two different things. While Ama...more
I've read two of Robbins' works and enjoyed them, not immensely, but enough to be willing to dive into a third-especially on the recommendation of a friend. 207 pages into a 337 page novel I just couldn't take it anymore... the book had still not gotten to the "point" and I was screaming for some sense, some plot, some structure, a character I could like... anything to make me WANT to read the book and not feel like I was picking it up out of some sense of obligation.
If one enjoys Robbins writin...more
If one enjoys Robbins writin...more
Stylistically this is by far one of the strangest books I've ever read. It seems as though writing Another Roadside Attraction was some sick excercise in metaphorical expression by the author, Tom Robbins.
I picked up the book used based on a recommendation from a booklist I found online, The Essential Man's Library. I had previously read a Robbins piece, Still Life with Woodpecker, at the recommendation or a friend, Ari, but rembered nothing of the book. Thus I figured I'd adventure down a new a...more
I picked up the book used based on a recommendation from a booklist I found online, The Essential Man's Library. I had previously read a Robbins piece, Still Life with Woodpecker, at the recommendation or a friend, Ari, but rembered nothing of the book. Thus I figured I'd adventure down a new a...more
Oct 09, 2010
Patrick Gibson
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
contemporary-literature,
humorous
The story of how a gypsy princess, a free-spirited giant with a bone through his nose, a drug dealer, and a baboon come to possess the mummified body of Jesus Christ at their small roadside hot dog stand and zoo is nothing short of brilliant. Like other Robbins novels, the storyline often derails into monologues, flashbacks, and especially fables or twisted fairy tales. It's always astonishing how close he can come to skirting dated 60's rhetoric without losing his edginess.
Despite all of its p...more
Despite all of its p...more
I wasn't a fan of this one. I love Tom Robbins' writing, but I can't stand Amanda, who Robbins idolizes. I just wanted to tell her that condoms are cheap and easily accessible.
This is one of Robbins' greatest novels. It has all the delirious, joyful, drug-addled prose one expects from Robbins, but avoids his frequent mistake of devolving into boring speculations about the inner lives of inanimate objects or conspiracy theories involving the pyramids. The heroine, Amanda, is one of the sexiest characters in literature, despite (or maybe because of) her marriage to fellow carny weirdo John Paul. Read this book when you feel like having sex on a roller coaster.
"Marriage...more
"Marriage...more
Robbins is certainly a clever writer. I had more than a few chuckles while reading this book, but more often than not, I found Robbins' writing style to be too self-aware. There is little to no character development- characters are simply vessels for Robbins' philosophy. I also found the ending to be a cop-out, a quick fix to the massive problem he had been dealing with for more than half of the book. Despite all of this, Robbins, as previously mentioned, is a witty writer. If you have some time...more
This go-around was my second attempt to read this book. I didn't make it very far when I first tried six or seven years ago. This time I actually really liked it.
Tom Robbin's style really takes some getting used to. To call it quirky is an understatement. But I found myself enjoying the antics of this trippy book and its characters. Amanda was definitely my favorite character, even though she isn't someone I could picture myself hanging out with.
I really feel like it deserves a 3.5 rather than...more
Tom Robbin's style really takes some getting used to. To call it quirky is an understatement. But I found myself enjoying the antics of this trippy book and its characters. Amanda was definitely my favorite character, even though she isn't someone I could picture myself hanging out with.
I really feel like it deserves a 3.5 rather than...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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“You risked your life, but what else have you ever risked? Have you risked disapproval? Have you ever risked economic security? Have you ever risked a belief? I see nothing particularly courageous about risking one's life. So you lose it, you go to your hero's heaven and everything is milk and honey 'til the end of time. Right? You get your reward and suffer no earthly consequences. That's not courage. Real courage is risking something that might force you to rethink your thoughts and suffer change and stretch consciousness. Real courage is risking one's clichés.”
—
182 people liked it
“Amnesia is not knowing who one is and wanting desperately to find out. Euphoria is not knowing who one is and not caring. Ecstasy is knowing exactly who one is - and still not caring.”
—
107 people liked it
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Sep 09, 2010 09:31pm
Sep 11, 2010 09:36am