Wild Ducks Flying Backward

It's Tom Robbins. I wanted to write-he's 1 of the Greats-you read his stuff & realize you'll Never be that Good. So you drink too much Lone Star & write Amazon reviews for things you bought years ago. You are angry at yourself & try to forget about him but you Can't. Things happen, you never clean your car, & then 1 day you find yourself w/a Good job, suddenly thinking about him (where did I put that book, I'd like to read it again). You may kick off your shoes, yell 'I NEED my Birks' & walk angrily from work to it, sifting through CD's & apples & other books. Find 1 Birkenstock-& underneath, their is your Tom Robbins. For a fleeting moment, having even just 1 Birk & seeing his Name made me happy. Many year ago he was doing a signing at Bookshop Santa Cruz-I went, of course, but their were so many people I just said oh f-it. So I walked out the front down Pacific Avenue. I walked past a disheveled looking person w/bright red hair wearing a light blue suit,in an obvious hurry, & just said 'you're Him, aren't you?" "Yes" he said-no "excuse me" or anything like that. The look he gave me though was Perfect, & kind. The only writer I would dare to compare him to is Twain-but he doesn't write for children. They ought to read him though-& there is something in this book he wrote for 1 of his that is 1 of the most beautiful things I've ever read. I'm so glad I didn't wait for his autograph. Seeing him in such a hurry on that sidewalk was Magical. They always say, write what you know. What he writes, is largely fantastical, but that's the Show-no one can do it like he does. There is always a deeper truth & beauty behind the crazy story. Sometimes it's fun & sometimes it's heartbreaking. This one's a bit more straightforward, but no one has ever written about Waitresses like he did (thank you Tom). It's a rare thing to really experience a force of nature manifest in a person-meeting, well seeing him on that sidewalk was Exhilarating-for me, as a fan. Less exciting than reading his books though, in the long run. The odds of my running into him once were pretty astronomical, twice? That book-this book-is the 1 I'd been itching for. It's not a story, just a collection of short pieces. I don't know-some days I want to listen to Rickie Lee Jones & some, the White Stripes, or Led Zeppelin. Tori Amos. Richard Pryor or Iliza Schlesinger. Twain & some old SNL top it off w/Steinbeck. I'd say he's not for the weak but actually he might be a good transition. I wrote this based on the "how offensive?" criteria. Depends on where you're at & what you can tolerate, I guess. This 1 is a good & relatively safe place to start, if you like it work backwards as your tolerance builds. If you are already a fan, Why don't you already have This? Yeah I lost it but I knew Where-I keep lots of things in my car, mostly important. I live in a house And share a storage unit w/my ex. I have a good job. I read a Lot of different things, and I do haul a lot of books around but This is the 1 I want to read Again. I have hundred if not thousands of books (I buy some in multiples from used book stores because I'm also a Pusher that way) but this is the 1 I want for Myself. Any adult should be able to read it. There is no Malice toward Anyone-so if that's your thing look elsewhere. I don't have or even like kids but if I did have 1, these would be their bedtime stories. I really want to quote but I can't so buy it & read it & let that do its Magic.

I took this book out of the library. Not sure if it is still in print but I didn't want to pay a ton of money for it and was having trouble finding a reasonably priced one. I am so happy to have it. If you are a fan of Tom Robbins' style and sense of humor, this book will be fun for you.

I cannot offer an objective review of this fellows book or books. He had me from hello over 25 years ago. He has evolved over the years and this book is further proof. As usual his paragraphs and pages are carefully constructed. He is funny and witty without being clever. If this book doesn't make you think, well, then your sleeping thru it.

LOVED this book. I have been rigorously laughing out loud through a goodly portion of this book and trying (very trying-to my husband) to explain my hilarity -as he's attempting his own novel illluminations (both puns intended), burrowing into his own book! Read this book-just sit back with no preconceptions and let Tom Robbins take you on several trips of his imagination. It's like riding a roller coaster. Sometimes you don't know what to think. Other times you are snorting, because you are laughing so hard. Sometimes I was sobered by the complexity of Mr Robbins mind and Ethics. This book is FUN-with traces of philosophy, psychology, absurdity, politics, and even includes a discourse of the personalities of letters of the alphabet! Have fun!

Fantastic book. Witty and trenchant observations on contemporary life and culture. Not for the prudish or faint of heart. Robbins isn't afraid to sing arias of admiration to physical bodies and landscapes. He can take the reader from inspired awe to laughing out loud in the turn of a sentence. Brilliant writer.

Oh I feel like a traitor having to say what i have to say. Don't get me wrong I love this man. Tom Robbins may have saved my soul for all i know but unfortunetly this book just doesn't have the meat i hoped it would. Now, now, don't get me wrong I know this wasn't a new novel but a collection of writings, and to be honest it shows the wide gambit of writing Tom has done and does, but it doesn't have a soul. I truly hope this is not his last work and that the rumors that he isn't going to write anymore novels are false. It seems all my favorite authors are dead, dying, or done and it saddens me. Well if Mr. Robbins wants to spend the rest of his days roaming the globe i can't blame him but i'm damn sure going to miss him.

I've enjoyed a good number of TR's novels over the years, in all their intelligent weirdness, humor & enterprising use of language. (So far my favorite is "Jitterbug Perfume.") This was the first time I'd read any of his short works & nonfiction. People, I haven't had this much fun reading in a long time. I mean, really. Words escape me. Thank the universe they don't escape TR.

The book's halfhearted, low-budget cover screams, "I'm drivel and trash and the publisher knows it."To judge this book by its cover would be a tragic mistake.In this collection of essays, articles and columns written for various publications over the years, Tom Robbins proves himself wittier than Dorothy Parker, more colorful than Hunter S. Thompson, sharper in perception than Andy Rooney.Piercing, even. A journalist of the highest order.It's worth the price of the book just to read Miniskirt Feminism, a reminiscence of the 60's originally published in the New York Times (1995).Buy the book. Throw away the ugly dust cover. You won't be disappointed.

Qualite comme indique, le livre a ete livre en tres bon etat comme s'il etait nouveau, je suis tres satisfaite

Brand new book (pages are a bit yellowish but absolutely spotless) at a very cheap price. Absolutely satisfied about product, price and delivery

obviously this is a great book!!

Great writing! Unlike this review....

Wonderful author