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Skinny Legs and All

Tom Robbins

4.05 · Rating details · 40,527 ratings · 1,403 reviews

This is a gutsy, fun-loving, and provocative novel in which a bean can philosophises, a dessert spoon mystifies, a young waitress takes on the New York art world, and a rowdy redneck welder discovers the lost god of Palestine.

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Paperback, 422 pages

Published March 10th 2002 by No Exit Press (first published 1990)

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Jun 27, 2008 Greg rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I can't think of any other book I've read very recently that left my mind as thoroughly blown as Skinny Legs and All. I'd only read one other Tom Robbins book -- Still Life With Woodpecker -- so I was prepared for his playfulness, humor, intricate (but goofy) language, and overall trippy feel that all come with just about everything he rights.

But I was not prepared for Skinny Legs. This book is so dense with literary magnificence that you could chew it like you had a whole mouth full of sticky b I can't think of any other book I've read very recently that left my mind as thoroughly blown as Skinny Legs and All. I'd only read one other Tom Robbins book -- Still Life With Woodpecker -- so I was prepared for his playfulness, humor, intricate (but goofy) language, and overall trippy feel that all come with just about everything he rights.

But I was not prepared for Skinny Legs. This book is so dense with literary magnificence that you could chew it like you had a whole mouth full of sticky bubble gum. I dog-eared more pages and marked more passages in this book than any other I've ever read by a long shot.

Skinny Legs deals with so many topics, many of which are classical in nature: love, sex, family, art, compassion, work, religion. But it all revolves around a more specific point of the conflicts in the Middle East, primarily between Jews and Arabs. There's lots of history, spirituality, and ridiculousness all spun together -- about the Middle East especially but also about everything else surrounding it (both geographically and more abstractly). Were I a teacher of Middle East studies or any subject that dealt with the Judaism/Islam conflict specifically, this book would be required reading if for no other reason than to lighten the tension -- but hopefully also to open some minds and spark a more creative and intelligent dialogue built not on dogma but on critical thinking and compassion.

The book says great things about all the topics it touches on, but to the topic of the Middle East specifically it is blazingly relevant and even prophetic in its own right. Even now, with the book being 18 years old, it hasn't lost a lick of power or shown its age. Nothing in the writing itself ever gave me the impression that the book was written any earlier than yesterday.

Anyway, I'm mostly just spitting out tidbits -- let me try to formulate something more concrete. It was very, very good. Long and complex, but good. Robbins is a master of language and imagery. He gives the impression of writing with very reckless abandon. It's like he scribbled down every single thing that came to his mind while writing the story, omitting nothing and not even considering apologizing for such craziness. And yet, it works. The madness all comes together without ever seeming structured hardly at all. As if there's not a method to the madness, but that the method IS the madness.

In fact I wish my review of the book could be half as perfectly cohesive as the novel itself managed to be in the end. I could rant and ramble about this fantastic book for hours on end (and probably will to my poor unfortunate friends and acquaintances), but I'll just start wrapping up and say that this one is indeed highly recommended. It's not the quickest read in the world because you have to use your brain, sense of humor, and imagination rather extensively and mostly constantly -- but it's very, very worth it.

I'm not normally quite this scatterbrained in my reviewing of a book, but it really was that good! ...more

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Mar 30, 2020 Vit Babenco rated it it was amazing

Skinny Legs and All is an iridescent firework of words…

This is the room where Jezebel frescoed her eyelids with history’s tragic glitter, where Delilah practiced for her beautician’s license, the room in which Salome dropped the seventh veil while dancing the dance of ultimate cognition, skinny legs and all.

Skinny Legs and All is a variegated mural of religions…

Early religions were like muddy ponds with lots of foliage. Concealed there, the fish of the soul could splash and feed. Eventually, how

...more

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Feb 18, 2020 Calista rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fairytales-and-retellings, genre-love-story, groundbreaking, sub-artist, sub-cities, 1990, genre-poetry-prose-rhyming, bage-mature, diversity, genre-comedy

I will say this book had a slow middle and was difficult to get through. I almost didn't keep going and I'm glad I did. The end had me so satisfied that I can give it 4 stars, but oh boy, that middle is tough.

It's pacing. Robbins is a purple author who luxuriates in purple prose. He will spend an entire paragraph on one concept and explore every association he can make with that idea and then move on to the next. He does this all the way through the book and so the pace is glacial and yet, it's I will say this book had a slow middle and was difficult to get through. I almost didn't keep going and I'm glad I did. The end had me so satisfied that I can give it 4 stars, but oh boy, that middle is tough.

It's pacing. Robbins is a purple author who luxuriates in purple prose. He will spend an entire paragraph on one concept and explore every association he can make with that idea and then move on to the next. He does this all the way through the book and so the pace is glacial and yet, it's also revelatory. This is not a plot driven story and it isn't as much a character driven story either, but character is the driving force here. Yet, the real force is philosophy and exploring ideas of life, the universe, and the mysteries of the world.

One thing he decides to focus on is animating some objects, 3 ordinary objects and 2 ancient objects of worship some 3,000 years old. A can-o-beans, a spoon, and a used sock are ordinary and then there is the painted stick and conch shell from ancient Phoenician, religious items in the worship of Jezebel. Each of these things has a personality and a dynamic. They are able to motor about and they are bound for Jerusalem for the building of the 3rd temple to come.

No one out there puts the wild ideas together like Tom Robbins. We start out with newlyweds driving from Seattle across the country to NYC in a silver motorhome that's been crafted to look like a giant turkey driving down the road. Ellen is an artist wanting to make a name for herself and her husband is boomer. Tom then throws in the history of Jezebel from the bible and how it really relates to ancient goddesses before the Hebrews back then. He also takes the idea of Salome and the Dance of the 7 veils and uses that as structure for his story. He explores the history of the Arab, Jewish, Christian disputed land of the holy city of Jerusalem by going back before they all started and digging up what they all have in common. He mixes all these objects with these ideas and shakes vigorously. It's such a story.

Ellen has a hard time in the art world and she becomes a waitress at a restaurant owned by a Jew and an Arab who are trying to create common ground. They hire a belly dancer named Salome. There is Norman, the street performer who takes all day to turn around so that you can't even see him moving and then there is Ellen's uncle who is a street preacher trying to bring about Armageddon making trouble for all.

The book is set up in 7 sections. Each section is a veil and one veil drops and another layer of reality is then understood. The apex of the piece is the bellydancer doing the dance of the 7 veils on Superbowl Sunday. Each veil she drops, her audience understands another layer of life and the ancient secrets of the world. Man, the ending was fantastic. It made the whole book come together and it was worth the slog.

I do love Tom Robbins writing. I love his metaphors and smilies he piles on top of each other. He uses them with abandon. This is my 4th book by Robbins. One of my all time favorite books is Jitterbug Perfume. It's the best thing. This is a great book, but again, that middle was gooey and difficult to keep going. I had to really push to get through it.

Tom is an ideas man. He wants to ponder the universe and reveal in the dance of people, the absurdities of life. It wouldn't be a Robbins novel without sex and it has its place in this story.

The weird thing is that Tom seems to be the band leader for matrimony and he longs to topple the patriarchy with each story I have read. He is no fan of the male world of repression. He does lift up woman in his own weird way. I wish he had one more novel he put out to see how he handles the Trump era or error.

This is far from a perfect book. It is slowly paced, but I still really enjoyed this experience. I want to read a new Tom book each year until I get him all read.

Let me quote a random section, I'm just opening the book, to highlight how he will dissect a point.

"Despite its complexity, its nocturnal richness, there was something slaphappy if not slapdash about it, something careless and childlike. Itch as it might with stellar information, buckle though it might under a weight of ashes, adobe, and bone, it also was as topsy-turvy as a nursery rhyme; it was kachina pinball, an episode from chipmunk television." That is a paragraph simply describing the mural of Ellen Cherry Charles.

This is a history lesson and a philosophy lesson wrapped up in a story. If that sounds interesting, you might enjoy this story. If you need plot and action, you might just hate this book. ...more

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Jul 18, 2008 Atlantis rated it liked it

Shelves: american

(Y’all, stopping reading/liking/commenting on this. It’s old and slightly cringe. I guess I keep it here to be able to revisit my own thoughts, but please don’t read 🤦🏻‍♂️. Perhaps you would enjoy some of my other reviews written in the last 5 years, or so?)

I should start by saying that I'm not a fan of Tom Robbins' novels. I don't dislike his work, but you will not find me among the legions of his fans. I just need to get that out of the way before I begin...

However, I have enjoyed reading two (Y’all, stopping reading/liking/commenting on this. It’s old and slightly cringe. I guess I keep it here to be able to revisit my own thoughts, but please don’t read 🤦🏻‍♂️. Perhaps you would enjoy some of my other reviews written in the last 5 years, or so?)

I should start by saying that I'm not a fan of Tom Robbins' novels. I don't dislike his work, but you will not find me among the legions of his fans. I just need to get that out of the way before I begin...

However, I have enjoyed reading two of his books. I almost put down Still Life With Woodpecker, but because of my admiration for the person who recommended it to me, I made it through. I feel much the same way about this novel. In fact, I did put Skinny Legs down for about six months, but returned to it for two reasons: because unfinished books are like splinters in my mind, and because it took me quite some time to appreciate Robbins' view of the world (as expressed through his writing).
I take life far too seriously, all the time, and to my detriment. This is initially why Robbins' didn't resonate with me. Yet, I've realized recently that life can be far too difficult to take very seriously. Levity and ease of mind are invaluable, and for this reason I finished Skinny Legs and all with renewed gusto after a six month hiatus (and after suffering through a book by William T. Vollman). I now appreciate Robbins' humor, his rebelliousness, and his sarcastic irreverence much more. They seem to make life easier and more enjoyable somehow. And what Skinny Legs (and it's philosophy) lacks in sophistication, it makes up for with humor.
Ultimately, I cannot shake or deny my way of looking at, and living in, the world--my tendency toward deep introspection, critical analysis, and intense focus of mind are my default settings. What Tom Robbins' constant comic assault allows me is a little respite, and ultimately a valuable lesson. Though it sounds a bit dramatic, it's true. Though I am not sure that I entirely agree with Robbins' way of understanding the human experience and the nature of the universe, he's pretty damn close. And that's what interesting--the ongoing meditation on the more serious philosophical questions throughout the two novels I have read. Though at times a bit juvenile and intellectually simplified (or simplistic?), he gets at something deeper through his constant rhetorical barrage that seems to seek the undoing of that which is held sacred in our culture. By making fun of the serious things in life, by exposing and making the taboo funny, and well, everything funny, we have a new, perhaps more liberated way of looking at ourselves and everything in our world, especially the ideological hang-ups that restrict and paralyze us. These things are thrown into the open, and I could be wrong, but I think we're all better for having to confront what he sets before us.
For example, I think the way he humanizes girls and women is important. Admittedly, I read few novels that really allow women freedom of thought, freedom of sexuality, and the freedom to be human. More often women seem to exist in novels (particularly in the works of males authors) as silent, two-dimensional characters. Robbins' female characters possess all of the beauty and foibles that make humans human, and it's these taboo parts of the human experience that make us real and complex, and something more than a success or failure as measured against abstract concepts about what makes a good citizen, or person. I think that is really enjoyable in his works.
Finally, that's what this novel seems to be about: the peeling away of Dogma, and law, and forced consensus. This novel is about the way in which these concepts work as veils to obscure our vision from a truer way of knowing the world, and our place in it. And I appreciate this, because like so many others my eyes are veiled from perhaps a truer truth. But who's to say what's true, really? Perhaps being too serious is a veil that clouds my vision. And if it is, hopefully it started to fall away while I was reading this novel. ...more

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Jul 27, 2007 Mike rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I started this book at least three times. Tom Robbins is one of my favorie authors, and this was his only novel I hadn't read. However, each of the times I started it I found myself becoming very disappointed. At the beginning it was too weird, or trying to be too cute, even for Tom Robbins. Ellen Cherry and Boomer driving across country in a turkey. A talking and walking spoon, dirty sock and can of beans. It was too much. I couldn't take it seriously. He was trying to be too 'Tom Robbins like' ...more

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Nov 02, 2011 sj rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: more-times-than-i-can-count, favourites, whaaa-litfic-zomg, drunk-review

Trying to talk about Tom Robbins to someone who's never read him is nigh on imfuckingpossible. It's even more difficult if you're trying to convince someone who's already decided he/she DOESN'T LIKE him.

This is one of my favourite books ever, I've read it more times than I can count, and yet...

I still have a hard time explaining exactly WHY I want people to read this book.

I mean, I get it. Robbins is pretentious as fuck and his writing is what my husband refers to as masturbatory (yes, I read hi ...more

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Jul 20, 2014 snowplum rated it really liked it

This book is a delightfully messy, trippy, optimistic, big-hearted whirlwind. A hurricane that has ripped through the 1960s and '70s and '80s in America, picking up hillbillies and flower children and Arabs and Jews and artists and Biblical characters who serve as fodder for our fantasies. And don't forget a Can o' Beans, Dirty Sock, Spoon, Painted Stick and Conch Shell. The overused phrase of praise Tour de Force actually applies here. And then some.

This is my personal favorite Tom Robbins nove This book is a delightfully messy, trippy, optimistic, big-hearted whirlwind. A hurricane that has ripped through the 1960s and '70s and '80s in America, picking up hillbillies and flower children and Arabs and Jews and artists and Biblical characters who serve as fodder for our fantasies. And don't forget a Can o' Beans, Dirty Sock, Spoon, Painted Stick and Conch Shell. The overused phrase of praise Tour de Force actually applies here. And then some.

This is my personal favorite Tom Robbins novel because of the elements of it that are about art. Robbins doesn't linger in anything overwhelmingly emotional, but there are a few moments that have grabbed onto my heart and will never let go. One character, Boomer Petway, doesn't think he's an artist when the story begins. He seems to be a rather matter-of-fact, not particularly bright chap, a welder who is defined by his hopeless love for the artist Ellen Cherry Charles. But when he sets his mind to making art in order to earn her respect, he makes something so unexpectedly cool and filled with so much soul that it knocked me off my seat. I won't spoil it here, so you can have the same experience. And when he talks about being an artist, it's such a unique and perfect perspective -- he just thinks about something he would like to see in the world that doesn't exist yet... and he makes it. Perfection.

There's also the performance artist Turn Around Norman. He comes out every day and stands on his street corner, very very slowly rotating. At any given moment, you can't see him moving. But if you watch long enough, he turns all the way around. Most people don't Get It, but it moves Ellen Cherry to tears. And Can o' Beans, Dirty Sock, Spoon, Painted Stick and Conch Shell think he's a genius because he's the only person they've ever met who moves as slowly as they do.

I will say this for people who are giving the first pages of the book a browse and finding it hard to decide whether they like it: Robbins starts off with a postmodern BANG that seems to be the product of quite a lot of peyote. I personally thought, "I might love this. But I can't quite give in and love it because it might be just a little too pretentious and only make sense to someone taking hallucinogens." But after throwing you into the deepest end of his weirdest and wildest writing pool, Robbins quickly pulls back and offers a much more traditionally accessibly narrative throughout most of the book. It's still incredibly imaginative and by no means common, but not every sentence seems to require a decoder. Which is probably for the best. But it also makes me love the trippy passages even more.

This is a smart book for smart people, with a surprising number of characters who are not concerned with being Smart People. It is about Love and Art without being sentimental or self-indulgent. It is far more about the journey than the destination, a road trip with the coolest friend you've ever had. The guy who keeps suggesting that you detour to see (dubious) attractions that you never would have chosen on your own, but that somehow add up to the best vacation you've ever taken. When that guy tells you, "Hop in," you take 5 minutes to grab your camera and some sunscreen, leave a note saying "Heading off with Tom. Who knows where! Will send postcards"

And then you hop the heck in.

...more

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Mar 19, 2007 Kate rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: 1945-2000, own, read-partially, fiction

this book's jacket description : this book :: funny movie trailer : movie that shot its wad in the trailer

The premise sounds wild and funny and makes you wonder, briefly, how he could pull it off. And then he doesn't. ...more

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Mar 15, 2016 Mary rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, 2016

Even though I grew a bit tired of this towards the last 100 pages, the fact that half of the main characters were objects like a spoon, a sock, a can of beans, a vibrator, and a stick, and it didn’t annoy the shit out of me = 3.5 rounded up.

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Aug 12, 2008 Michele rated it it was amazing

This is the best book I've ever read! Robbins keeps me on my toes with his vocabulary and uses unique characters to provide interesting perspectives on cultural clashes and life in general. I love this guy! ...more

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Jun 29, 2007 Rob rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: pilgrims and frustrated artists; also: foot-fetishists

Shelves: own

A passage:

"You are an artist. You know that big picture at the museum midtown, that picture by that fellow Rousseau, it is called The Sleeping Gypsy?"

"Yeah. Sure. That's a very famous painting."

"It ought to be called The Sleeping Arab, that picture. An Arab lies in the desert, sleeping under the crazy-faced moon. A lion sniffs at the Arab, the Arab is unafraid..."

See the painting...

I find this to be one of Robbins' better works. By "better" here I mean "more mature" and "fully realized". Which i ...more

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Oct 26, 2009 Leah rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: Sean Ferguson

Recommended to Leah by: Viluna Jennings

Shelves: favorites

I've heard about how good Tom Robbins is for quite a long time, and finally picked up one of his novels at the insistence of a friend. I'm so glad I did. Skinny Legs and All is now officially making it onto my "best reads of '09" list (yes, I do actually keep lists).

I'm not sure where to begin with this one... the book is funny, controversial, and relevant. It can be confusing, but it's the sort of thing the reader has to let slide. I speak from experience when I say that if you accept the oddne I've heard about how good Tom Robbins is for quite a long time, and finally picked up one of his novels at the insistence of a friend. I'm so glad I did. Skinny Legs and All is now officially making it onto my "best reads of '09" list (yes, I do actually keep lists).

I'm not sure where to begin with this one... the book is funny, controversial, and relevant. It can be confusing, but it's the sort of thing the reader has to let slide. I speak from experience when I say that if you accept the oddness instead of try to fight it the reading goes a lot smoother. And at some point it may even start to make some sort of weird sense.

In my case, I tried to start the book once or twice before I actually made it past the first few pages. I mean really, what am I supposed to think when the book starts off by saying, "It was a bright, defrosted, pussy-willow day at the onset of spring, and the newlyweds were driving cross-country in a large roast turkey."? Beyond that the reading got easier and I found a book that I consider to be magical realism at its best (some of the main characters include an old can of pork 'n' beans, a little dessert spoon, and a dirty sock). Through its quirkiness the book delivers some powerful messages about art, sex, religion, politics, and war in the Middle East. With such hefty subjects as that, I am inclined to think that if it weren't for its insane quirkiness, the book would have been too depressing, dull, and possibly even more confusing than talking spoons and mobile roast turkeys.

Throughout the book Tom Robbins uses the metaphor of veils covering people's eyes, or rather, their consciousness. Then, at the end of the book, a belly dancer performs an ancient dance in which literal veils covering her body are dropped one by one until she is nude. For everyone watching, universal/spiritual truths are revealed as each veil drops. I would let the book speak for itself and include a passage but I don't want to ruin it for anyone who intends to read it. Suffice to say that I found these truths to be real and powerful.

I think that mostly, Robbins is trying to shake the perception that high-standing figures of authority in the government and in many churches have answers and solutions to our questions and problems. He makes the argument that in many cases they are actually deceiving us or leading us down a dangerous path; that everyone has got to figure out life for themselves; that intelligent and spiritual people can give us clues, but in the end, we already hold the key, not the other way around. ...more

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Mar 01, 2014 Judith rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

****First off..forget Formatting...this one is Free Form, all the way***

5 Stars: This book held my interest for over a month (I'm a slow reader, okay!)....like Gravity's Rainbow it's about Everything..and No One Thing, and it's never boring...Then there's the Wordplay..the lovely English language the most versatile of toys. Mr Robbins spins that top for all it's worth..in his hands it's worth a lot. Zany, crazy, surreal..the gang's all here, with pathos and sincerity in tow.

Art, and its carry-on ...more

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Sep 25, 2007 Jess rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

Although I have determined that it is impossible for me to pick a favorite Tom Robbins novel, this one is strong in the running.

Ellen Cherry Charles isn't my favorite Robbins woman, but in many ways, she is his most sympathetic female protagonist. Caught between her art, her stupid husband, and her hypocritical uncle, she made me want to jump into the pages and help her straighten everything out.

As with all his other novels, as I read it, I feel that he's got it right, that almost everyone else ...more

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Sep 03, 2007 Jen rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: smart, progressive types with a sense of humor

Tom Robbins is a genius. His use of the English language is so playful and dangerously intelligent that I can't belive he isn't a bigger literary celebrity.

Skinny Legs and All delves into all of life's big issues: religion, politics, love, war, money and so on, though it has a light touch; main characters include a Can 'o Beans and a Dirty Sock, for example. Seven fundamental truths are revealed as a modern day belly dancer named Salome dances The Dance of the Seven Veils - a veil drops, and a t ...more

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Jan 26, 2008 Laura rated it liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to Laura by: Jill Z.

I believe this novel was so enjoyable because of its lighthearted mix of the absurd, the everyday, the magical, and the sexual. I consider those the four food groups of fun literature, and they each find a home in this ridiculous tale of self-awakening and revelations of truth. Robbins asserts that patriarchal society has blinded us to a heritage that recognizes and rejoices its feminine deities that embrace expressions of sexuality and the magic of nature. Blinded by “seven veils” of untruth in ...more

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Jun 05, 2012 Frank Roberts rated it did not like it

Recommends it for: People recovering from head trauma; autistic children

Shelves: books-to-burn

This tainted slab of ham turned out to be a massive milestone in my life of reading stuff. It marked the moment when I decided that a book DID NOT need to be finished once it was started. A wildly masturbatory author, Robbins lays metaphors on everything in triplicate and quadruplicate, spilling similes all over the place like a chimp splatters semen, like a bubbling fountain of tangy fondue cheese, like hand cream pumped from a bellows, like an elephant stomping on a sack of silly putty...

It wa ...more

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Mar 31, 2009 Laura Harcourt rated it it was amazing

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Perhaps, in this particularly cynical day and age, it is hardly surprising that the most philosophically bent of Tom Robbins' characters in Skinny Legs and All is a can of beans. A redneck welder-turned-artist is a close second, expressing his own brand of somewhat confused philosophies regarding art, love, and the state of the world.

Robbins uses his pontificating Can O'Beans and the can's animated inanimate friends to take the plot of Skinny Legs and All to a higher level of academic thought th Perhaps, in this particularly cynical day and age, it is hardly surprising that the most philosophically bent of Tom Robbins' characters in Skinny Legs and All is a can of beans. A redneck welder-turned-artist is a close second, expressing his own brand of somewhat confused philosophies regarding art, love, and the state of the world.

Robbins uses his pontificating Can O'Beans and the can's animated inanimate friends to take the plot of Skinny Legs and All to a higher level of academic thought than it might otherwise achieve; our main link to the tangled history of the Middle East and the legendary city of Jerusalem is a Painted Stick, a Conch Shell, and Can o'Beans him/herself.

We start the story sitting with Boomer and Ellen Cherry in their honeymoon getaway vehicle: a gigantic welded roast turkey on wheels. This is the physical expression of Boomer's love for his brand-new wife. The story only gets stranger from there.

The book follows the structure of the legendary Dance of Seven Veils, a dance so enchanting that John the Baptist was murdered because of it--so the story says. It creates a spiritual and philosophical journey for the reader as well as each character, and flawlessly mixes modern motivations with ancient traditions. In New York City, a Jew and an Arab start a restaurant together, the welder becomes an artist and travels to Jerusalem, an Evangelical preacher believes he can create the Apocalypse, Ellen Cherry just wants to get laid, and Can O'Beans fulfills his/her greatest dreams despite enormous odds.

One of the first comments Robbins makes in the novel is that art is the rearrangement of reality. He's talking about mockingbirds, but the same can be applied the the entirety of Skinny Legs and All. Robbins recklessly pushes his characters into a strange version of our world, one where a bellydancer named Salome out-performs the SuperBowl, one where the ancient god of Palestine is rediscovered by a guy named 'Boomer.' And the characters themselves: they not only go along for the ride, they're aware that they're on a sort of pilgramage, particularly Boomer, who, grasped by the unforgiving Muse, delves deeply into art. His erstwhile bride, however, digs her heels into New York and stays put, stubbornly trying to stop the inexorable enlightening movement...in her defense, however, it's through Ellen Cherry's eyes that we watch the veils drop, and she is by far the most entertaining of the various narrators. Unlike Can o'Beans, who, seeming to regard him/herself as self-nominated historian, translates at length Painted Stick and Conch Shell's history of Jerusalem, Ellen Cherry does her best to keep out of the whole mess. Her stubborn belief that she is neither interested nor involved in the Middle East is jarring next to the other characters' obsession with the place: Abu and Spike wax lyrical about Jerusalem, Can o'Beans and the other inanimates do their best to make it to that famed city, and even Boomer finds himself totally fascinated by the combination of violence and religion that is that citadel, Jerusalem.

One of my favorite aspects of Robbins' writing is his love of women, and that comes to the forefront in Skinny Legs and All with his portrayal of Ellen Cherry Charles. With her obsession with Jezebel, her love of girlish shoes, and the way she clings to a feminine ideal, Ellen Cherry is voluptuously feminine. Even her temperment--quick to anger, quick to compassion, quick to leaps of logic--is practically a stereotypically female one. Robbins needs Ellen Cherry's strength of character to discuss the book's main motive: the feminine pagan religion of Astarte vs. the patriarchal organized religion of Yahweh. Let me put it this way: if you are a fan of Robbins' soliloques on feminist religions vs. masculine ones; if you enjoy his unabashed Whitman-esque worship of bodies, nature, love and sex; if you prefer unexpected metaphors to straightforward prose, you will enjoy this book.

it is impossible to describe Robbins as a purely feminist writer, or Skinny Legs and All as a purely feminist book. In fact, I'm not sure I would call it "feminist" at all. Skinny Legs and All is simply, in my opinion, the finest example of Robbins' ecletic ideas and ideals, his bizarre and alliterative imagery, and his love of people and the world at large. Not even in Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, a novel whose main character is famous for her hitch-hiking, is the breadth and width of the U.S. so lovingly described, or its place in the world studied. It's a strange mix of modernism and romanticism, of mythology and street performers. Robbins spins us through the story with breath-taking ease and familiarity. No one who is familiar with Robbins' past work will be surprised to find that Skinny Legs and All evolves into a treatise on religions: ancient, organized and defunct, Robbins considers them all. His main beef is with Christianity, so if you're a bit edgy on that subject, I'd suggest keeping an open mind or avoiding the book altogether. The good news? He's already used the Corpse of Christ in one novel, so it doesn't pop up again. The bad news: two of the Bibles most famous tramps are, welll--unveiled. But that's not so bad.

...more

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Dec 26, 2014 Donald Powell rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: novel

it seems impossible to review this book other than to say you should read it. It faithfully explores the human condition, the importance of asking/struggling with the best questions (philosophy), religion, sexuality, art, politics, family and biblical history, employing humor, sarcasm, eroticism, history and other novel devices. The storyline is small, like most of our lives, but huge in impact. He is an incredibly unique author who is a joy to read. I thank my dear friend John for giving me the ...more

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Sep 14, 2015 Kara Babcock rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: borrowed, literary-pretentious, 2015-read, humour

I’m very ambivalent about this book. Skinny Legs and All is a dense, intricate spiral of a story with funny characters but serious messages. However, Tom Robbins’ style grates on me a little bit. There’s nothing egregious about it, but maybe I’m just getting less patient with purpler prose as I approach the ripe old age of 26. In any event, I appreciate and respect this book, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as I wanted to.

Skinny Legs and All follows Ellen Cherry Charles, a small-town Virginian wom ...more

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Feb 04, 2008 Heather rated it liked it

Recommends it for: eccentrics

I am a Tom Robbins fan, but I was a little disappointed in this book. Fierce Invalids is still my all-time favorite, closely followed by Jitterbug Perfume. Both are MUST-reads.

My whole theory on how Tom Robbins writes a book:
--step 1: find some random unlikely stuff to be associated-- people, places, things, or topics.
--step 2: weave them together using witty humour, a renegade main character, some sort of historical or theological revelation tied into all random people places or things.

I'm used ...more

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Feb 03, 2012 Nathan "N.R." Gaddis added it · review of another edition

Shelves: 100-mccaffery-read

I want an eighth veil -- revealing the illusion that the dropping of veils of illusion leads to "enlightenment." ...more

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Apr 14, 2013 Bill rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: literary

Clever For the Sake of Cleverness (2012)

Robbins, Tom (1990). Skinny Legs and All. New York: Bantam.

This novel is about Tom Robbins, who wants to show you how clever, funny, and sophisticated he is. With respect to that goal, the book succeeds.

However, does he create and motivate interesting characters? No. Does he develop an interesting story? No. Does he elucidate some significant point? No. Does he create a haunting sense of place or time? No. Does he skewer social or political practices with ...more

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Oct 09, 2014 Mat rated it liked it

Compared with the usual high standards that I have come to expect from Tom Robbins, this book was a tad disappointing.

There are those books which grab you by the seat of the pants from the first page and don’t let go until you turn that final page, such as John Grisham’s The Testament. There are those books which start off nice and slow, pouring in the literary concrete in the first half to pave the way for the dazzling kapow punch that usually comes in the second half. And there are those books Compared with the usual high standards that I have come to expect from Tom Robbins, this book was a tad disappointing.

There are those books which grab you by the seat of the pants from the first page and don’t let go until you turn that final page, such as John Grisham’s The Testament. There are those books which start off nice and slow, pouring in the literary concrete in the first half to pave the way for the dazzling kapow punch that usually comes in the second half. And there are those books so wondrous, so inexpressibly marvelous, that their words are a tapestry, a web in which we become willingly entangled, such as Joyce’s Ulysses.

This book, if I had to categorize Skinny Legs and All, would fall into the second category. It certainly gets off to a sluggish start, to the point where about 150 pages into the novel I was thinking what is Robbins doing, where is he taking us here? The thing is, that almost inevitable kapow knockout punch never comes in the second half of the novel. Not exactly. The novel definitely gets better the deeper you go but Robbins seemed to be more intent on showcasing his word wizardry and literary pyrotechnics through his, trying-to-be-glib humour, which often falls short. There are a few passages which are downright funny but Robbins’ constant efforts at trying to be funny, and oft to the detriment of his storytelling mission, come across as a little too try-hard and desperate.

However, having said that, the novel does have its redeeming aspects too, nevertheless. Robbins’ indictment of organized religion as a whole, with a particular focus on the Israel-Palestinian issue, an issue which has continued to escalate even further since Robbins penned this book in the early 90s (when Arafat was still alive) still remains a flash point and key issue which must be resolved if humans are to have any hope of being at peace with each other one day. And finally (and most importantly), this book is a celebration of art and artists and Robbins’ take on the importance of art in the world, as a redeeming possibility, really hit home with me (was going to use that cheesy hackneyed phrase ‘struck a deep chord’ yuk better not to…..) and he is absolutely spot-on here. His calls for artists to live their art rather than suffer it should be heard by any young artist trying to find his footfall in this big, blue world.

In summary, I would recommend this book if you are a diehard Robbins fan but if you are new to his work, certainly DO NOT start here. If you are looking for something amusing to read, check out Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates (hilarious in parts) or if you are looking for something both funny and intellectually stimulating, check out Jitterbug Perfume which I think is Robbins’ masterpiece.

Thank you once again to Larry for lending me a copy of this book from his wonderful Tom Robbins’ shelf.
...more

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Nov 27, 2010 Adam rated it liked it

This read a lot like an unfocused, ADD-addled Kurt Vonnegut novel. But the fact that it reminded me of Vonnegut in any way means it's worth a read, if nothing else. The wacky, over-strung cast of characters includes a talking stick, a talking can of beans, and a talking sock. Oh, there are people there too. Kind of.
Robbins' prose is evocative, full of similes and ripe description that sometimes means something. Everything kept happening and little of it meant much to me. The revelations come out ...more

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Aug 16, 2014 Jeff rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: my-library, shoulda-been-better

3.5/5
I enjoyed this book, and the story was quite satisfying. But Robbins hackneyed digressions and similes turned me off. I found my eyes glazing over the words or simply skipping paragraphs. I felt that Ellen was a clearly drawn character but the others like Boomer or Spike or even Buddy didn't quite seem as clear. Hopefully the next Robbins book I read will be more satisfying. ...more

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Jan 28, 2008 Cody rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: those about to rock (i would also salute you).

his best book, in my opinion. spiritually themed, richly philosophical, a little dirty and not afraid to be silly. robbins' language is reliably lush and off-beat. oh, and i loved the commentary about art and art scenes. ...more

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Jul 23, 2009 Darlene rated it it was amazing

Shelves: tom-robbins

I read this a long time ago but it still plays with my head now. After that I got caught up in Robbins' books. Then, well, other books came in and I lost my way. Must get back and read more. Maybe Can of Soup, Stick, Spoon, and Dirty Sock will welcome me back. How I miss them! ...more

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Oct 03, 2008 Meredith Holley rated it it was ok

Recommended to Meredith by: Mr. Alves

I read this in high school, and I'm not sure if I would like it better now, or hate it now. ...more

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May 08, 2016 Nick Mesha rated it it was amazing

This book was fascinating from many perspectives. To write a real book report, I would need to dig into history to fact check a lot of the claims Robbins makes here, although, I expect much of what he said here is true. What I did do is transcribe my favorite passages throughout, which I've included below.

What the book does best is make you think about world religion, and how females have been portrayed throughout history, and what exactly we are doing here with this God stuff.

The first half of ...more

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About Tom Robbins

Tom Robbins

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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.