Skinny Legs and All: A 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 gift of this work of art.

Tom Robbins' "Skinny Legs and All" is a novel that pulls in two directions. Any novel that opens with the image of two "newlyweds driving cross-country in a large roast turkey," and follows a gang whose members include a can-o-beans, a shell, a spoon and a painted stick on a journey to Jerusalem, has no problem allowing fun, pleasure, and even silliness to be ends in and of themselves. Yet the novel also energetically concerns itself with religious, political, and aesthetic ideas. A novel is not an essay, in that it does not sink or swim solely on whether it its propositions are "right"; but when a novel does concern itself with ideas, does it not deserve to have those ideas taken seriously? How much does agreeing with the ideas matter?

Here is the pull. Should value be placed on its "fun-ness" or its "rightness"? I vote for fun.

The underlying position of "Skinny Legs and All" is one of sensuality, that our devotions should be pulled out of the sky, away from "organized religion" and returned to the goddess of the Mother, Astarte. Further, art should be pulled away from both abstraction and elitism, and returned to personal inspiration. Regarding religion, our villains are played by a exaggerated mockery of a crazed southern fundamentalist Christian, Buddy Winkler, who just like his ancient patriarchal murderers, violently oppose to a cosmetic using, sexual martyr, Jezebel. For these murders, this Jezebel is all too literal, but for Winkler she is represented in his niece Ellen Cherry, who he finds painted up and lets her know just how this offends his sense of a woman's proper behavior.

All of this religious rage flows towards, where else, Jerusalem! And again, Jerusalem is both figurative (a restaurant co-owned by a pair of Jerusalem loving friends, one who is a Jew and an Arab) and literal (both ancient and Modern). Robbins take on art is a touch more subtle. Our roasted turkey becomes the rage of the New York art world and we see how acceptance, or lack thereof, by the "cultured" world infects, and almost ends, one individual's artistic activity.

God, sex, art, Arabs, Jews, Christians, terrorism, Jerulsalem, New York, Bean cans who are intellectuals, spoons, modern and ancient times; O, what food for thought! Or maybe just appetizers. Refreshingly, there is no pretention towards bitter, nicotine-stained, philosophical brooding found in many modern novels. Unfortunately, after all seven veils have fallen, what has been revealed is a totally recognizable philosophical outlook that you can get at your local organic foods store. Against repression of our feminine, sensual instinct. Against oppressive, corrupt politics. Against "organized religion" (what would unorganized religion look like by the way?). Against consumerism. Against hate. This is all well and good, and I even agree with a lot of it (esp. concerning art) but in no way is it a revelation. Even if such musings come from the "mouth" of a can of beans.

Yet, underneath the more deliberately philosophical storylines is a relationship that is truly pleasant to watch unfold, even as it naturally goes through its difficult times. Too often when a novel or a movie sets out to portray a romantic relationship without resorting to sentimentality, there tends to be some overreach, and what we are left with is something loveless and bitter. Not the case with the relationship between Ellen and Boomer. There quirky but sweet relationship is tested when the artist Ellen has to watch the spotlight that she was so sure was destined for fall on her naïve turkey-mobile making husband. It's nice to see a couple you want to root for as they find their way back to each other.

The fact that Robbins' thoughts are "unveiled" along a most preposterous plot is inevitably fun, and that is most important. And if you need to be reminded that corruption and pettiness are bad, and that sex isn't something to get too worked up about, it might be good to hear again. There is no new breaking of ground here, but there are some good times to be had.

Tom Robbins is a spirited and fearless writer. He's unafraid of tackling even the most improbable of storylines: A large portion of this book is a kind of "Fantastic Voyage" of a can of beans, a dirty sock, a spoon, a conch shell and a painted stick. And yet, he tempers the anthropomorphism pretty successfully. How they get together in the first place I'll leave you to discover.
Other parts tackle the worth and meaning of art and religion, but the story finally centers on Jerusalem -- the perennial cauldron of the world -- and its history. Robbins does all this without it ever becoming dry or textbooky.
He finishes with what one can only presume is a treatise on certain things Robbins has come to believe about human life and perception (7 things, to be exact), the last of which is that each individual must figure life out for him/herself. This was a bit too much, for my taste.
Also, while exuberant fun is the joy of reading Robbins, at times it loooks like he ignored a good editor's advice at his peril. It is possible to get off a bit too much on the literary free association thing.
Still, Skinny Legs and All stands up as a hell of a lot of fun as well as genuinely thought-provoking material.
Better than "Half-asleep in Frog Pajamas." Not as good as "Jitterbug Perfume," "Another Roadside Attraction," or the finest of his that I've read, "Still Life with Woodpecker."

Tom Robbins tackles the same subjects in every book from Roadside to Frog's Pajamas: the closemindedness of modern man, the relentless hypocrisy of the JudeoChristian faith, the squandering of the world's mystery & mysticism, and of course gratuitous and non-plot enhancing kinky sex. Fortunately for Robbins (and us), he always dresses the same ideas in snazzy new clothing. The charcaters are strong and well-developed. The heroine is sweet & lusty (as all Robbins' heroines are), Boomer is a great character as are Can 'o' Beans and his animated inanimate company and the 2 resturanteurs. Even the villain of the piece, Rev. Buddy Winkler, is more than a 1 dimensional crazy preacher stereotype. The plot also whisks along with unexpected twists & turns. The novel only lapses when it dwells too long on the endless revelations. I've read all of Robbins' books. I get the message, stick to the story.

I read 'this book when it was first published. No book has affected me as much. TOm Robbins has identified the crux of our current dilemma with religion and politics. He ftotally predicted how people look for those who match their beliefs, and it has horrific outcomes. I would love to hear him write about how his book is related to the recent election.

I was convinced to read this book, after many times being told to check out Tom Robbins, when a friend told me that one of the main characters was a can of beans. After she told me that, I knew I would enjoy it. And enjoy it I did. This novel taps into the same waters as epic Greek or Christian mythology, and turns all notions of heroism and destiny on their heads. While the plot is unpredictable and engaging, some of the best parts are when Robbins just goes off on a tangent for pages and pages at a time. They remind me a bit of Douglas Addams's observations on the absurdity of human behavior. These passages are wonderful in that they expose the hypocrisy and arrogance the human race feels regarding their place in the universe. If you, like me, are not a big fan of organized religion, Robbins will hit home with you. In recounting the trials and tribulations of a younng newlywed artist, a can of beans, and those that surround them, Robbins creates a new mythology which brings to light some of the most important spiritual issues people face in this day and age. God (or Goddess) bless him for it.

I first read this book when I moved to Jerusalem (what a coincidence). Although at first slow and a little confusing (this was my first Robbins book), I rapidly became intrigued. The characters are rich, varied and three dimensional and the dialogue superb - witness Ellen Cherry's mother's response to the claim of Buddy Winkler that there would be no laying down in heaven "What, can't a poor widow woman get a bit of a rest?" However the real beauty of the story is in the way Robbins focuses on Judeo-Christian beliefs and reminds us that these are just a blip in the history of the world and in human civilization. He makes us question the way we are trained to look at life and the world and reminds us to live it well and to the fullest. Lifting the seven veil revealed a lot more than Salome. Just remember to keep your eye on the ball, even when you can't see it.

This novel has it all: religion, politics, art, sex, eroticism, humor, mysticism, tragedy, suspense, fantasy, and a whole lot more. Amazingly, Robbins makes it all hang together as a very unusual, but thoroughly enjoyable story. The story speaks against fundamentalism, and religious and political intolerance, and for a healthy, open-mindedness, without ever becoming preachy. The style is humorous and satirical.

The characters and situations are often bizarre in the extreme. We encounter a couple of newlyweds, Ellen Cherry and Boomer, on a long journey in an Airstream motor home remodeled to look like a giant roast turkey. The couple's sexual escapades in a cave release mystic energies that awaken a number of inanimate objects (Painted Strick, Conch Shell, Spoon, Dirty Sock, and Can o' Beans), whose journey, adventures, and philosophical-religious discussions are very interesting.

Two friends, Spike and Abu, a Jew and an Arab, have their own restaurant (Isaac and Ishmael's) across the road from the UN. Their perspectives on middle-eastern politics are edifying.

Other interesting characters are: Raul, the randy doorman-cum-pop-star, Turn-around-Norman, a street-performer whose art consists of turning around extremely slowly, Salome, a young belly dancer who does the dance of the seven veils, and Buddy Winkler, a fanatical but hypocritical preacher.

Tom Robbins manages to convey deeply provocative subject matter through lightness and humor. A very worthwhile read.

I found myself skipping through half the sections in the book. I agree with other reviewers that the parts in which personified animated objects attempt to "locomote" to Jerusalem was extremely boring. I started skipping past these sections to read about Ellen Cherry and the other human characters. I've never skipped any parts of a novel before. It's tough. He cuts between these inanimate objects and the other characters every two pages. Then I would happen upon a religious rant that completely disinterested me over time. It's enjoyable at first, but quickly becomes tiresome. I had to put this one down. It just does not compare to his other novels like "Jitterbug Perfume," which are full of deeper thinking, richer characters, and have a great plot to boot.

Robbins has suceeded in turning the perceptions of the world on their heads, and spinning them around like a break dancer. Through his mastery of the language and his endless imagination, Robbins has created a world of absurdity that can teach us so much about our reality. Robbins offers us a version of our world that is slightly off center, allowing for an Arab and a Jew to start a restaurant, a giant turkey can spring-board a welder to fame in the art community, a painted stick, a conch shell, a can of beans, a spoon, and a dirty sock can fulfill their fated tasks, and Salome can dance the dance of the seven veils. Robbins pulls the veils of perception from the readers eyes, and exposes them to light of a brighter reality.

Only author Tom Robbins can do justice with character development on a group of inanimate objects like Can-O-Beans, Painted Stick, and Dirty Sock. And to have these objects play a major role in another one of his offbeat diatribes is impressive. But, in my opinion, Robbins has used this book just a wee too much as a forum for his anti-organized-religion rants. There are repeated references to Robbins dislike of religion. For example:
"Spike and Abu wouldn't hesitate to directly attribute the success of their relationship to their lack of formal religion. Were either of them actively religious, it would have been impossible for them to be partners or pals. Dogma and tradition would have overruled any natural instinct for brotherhood."
"..what organized religion did to people. It limited them to thinking secondhand thoughts. It caused them to live secondhand lives. Wasn't that what religion had in common with totalitarian politics? Nazi Germany, the Inquisition, Stalinism, the Crusades, these were what happened when reality was allowed to give way to cliché."
"While the afterlife concept renders the masses manageable, it renders their masters destructive. A world leader who's convinced that life is merely a trial for the more valuable and authentic afterlife is less hesitant to risk starting a nuclear holocaust. A politician or corporate executive who's expecting the Rapture to arrive on the next flight from Jerusalem is not going to worry much about polluting the oceans or destroying forests. Why should he?"
My final consensus is that while Skinny Legs and All is good, it just is not at the level of Robbins Still Life with Woodpecker, Jitterbug Perfume, and Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas. Consider these first if you have not yet been introduced to the Robbins genre.

Loved it!!! Loved every minute of it!!! This is one of those books that when you finally finish the last page, you just sit back in amazement and say, "Wow!!" Over and over again!!

I guess it helps that the subplot revolves around religion and the fanatics who so populate it. As I keep saying, I am not much of a review writer, but I will try to sum the book up in as few words as possible.

I am actually reminded of an old Red Hot Chili Peppers song, "Blood, Sugar Sex Magic!! She's tragic!! Sex Magic!!" That pretty much sums up the book but to be more precise it is the story of a tortured artist named Ellen Cherry and her new husband Boomer Petway, both of Colonial Pines, VA (which in real life is Colonial Heights, I used to live there), who set out from Seattle Washington for New York in their RV, which has been made up to look like a giant Turkey. Once in New York, things don't work out too well for them, and they become estranged. Ellen Cherry has a very religious family, of the Southern Baptist variety, back in VA, all except for her mama. Her uncle is even a Baptist preacher, of the hell fire and brimstone sort. In short, he is a religious fanatic, preaching about the New Jerusalem and bent on hastening Armageddon.

Along the way, we get the philisophical and religious musings of a can o' beans, a spoon, a dirty sock, a conch shell and a painted stick. Yep, you heard that correct. May sound silly but it's actually nothing short of brilliant. You learn a lot about the real Jezebel of the Old Testament and how the paternalistic religious authorities have maligned her name. You learn about the real Solomon and how he was not really as wise as everyone has been led to believe. You learn about Solome and how she danced the dance of the seven veils for her stepfather, King Herod, before he produced the head of John the Baptist.

All of this is interspersed within the main plot of Ellen Cherry and her purposefully leaving the art world to work as a waitress at the Isaac and Ishmael's, a joint venture between a Jew and an Arab. You learn all about the real historical reasons for all the turmoil in the middle east, why Jews and Arabs hate each other so much. Hint, it has to do with the name of said restaurant.

At any rate, this was a terrific book, all the way up to the end. I just loved how all the 7 veils dropped one by one, both literally and figuratively,but I must say that there were no huge epiphanies here for me. The secrets that were revealed, I have either already thought of myself or read elsewhere, but it was very entertaining and thought provoking none the less.

The book is very humorous, but it does have it's serious side, it is talking about religion and metaphysical truths, after all.

I will just leave you with one little quote from the book that I particularly liked and think is very true, "The dead are all laughing at us."

Sadly, I don't know much about Mr. Robbins. When I first discovered Skinny Legs and All, on an Isand Ferry in 1990, I had never read his work before. The sensitivity, spirituality and incredible humour with which the book was written had me suspecting that he was actually a woman writing under a male pseudonym (sorry, guys). Until I saw his photo at the end of the book, that is...
What an amazing intellect this man possesses! Not to mention his unabashed sensitivity and wicked sense of humour. Nine years later, I have just completed the fourth reading.
Tom Robbins is definitely my favourite author (yes, I have read his other books by now) - he teaches so much while thoroughly entertaining...

This Tom Robbins tale is many things at once. He focuses on some big questions regarding civilization on planet Earth and how the Holy Land seems to be ground zero for our growth. He even likens the land of Jerusalem as the vagina from which our civilization is constantly challenged with pain and rebirth. The adventures of our artist heroine are scintillating and wake up the senses while showing that we all need to reexamine what we want out of life and explore why we feel the way we do. While I love the subject matter, Mr. Robbins seems too preoccupied with how many times he can make you haul out the dictionary to look up another big word. I'm all for flexing the vocabulary but he misses completely the idea of modesty or moderation. Anyone can type with a thesaurus alongside them. More irritating was his explanations of the way things are as fact rather than his own point of view. Instead of presenting his position as a possibility to be pondered he comes across as pedantic and preachy; all but calling those who disagree ignorant and short-sighted. If his aim was to entertain AND offend, he did a marvelous job. I would still recommend this book to anyone open-minded enough to listen to his perspective.

The realization that there is still someone out there who is prepared to go out on a limb and believe the way this guy does makes me think it is all worth while, he is magic and may he continue to make magic, I have just finnished reading Another roadside Attraction, what is it with this guy? I have read most of his books and I always happen across them when I am at a point in my life that I need a little goofiness, with magic tossed in here and there. Thank you is not good enough but it will have to do.

Good read, fun, original, insightful, funny. Seems a bit dated to me, strikes me as very rooted in the eighties. Other than that a good original read.

Sex is the center of the universe. I like that. One truly despicable character- the Reverand Buddy Winkler, a hypocritical Reverand who wants to bring on the end of the world so that Jesus will return. Hilarious and frightening.

Best aspect of this book is the characterization of inanimate objects, spoon, dirty sock, can of beans, etc. Best paragraph in the book is about a dirty sock. Salome's dance is also amazing.

Any novelist can use a thesaurus, but few contemporary novelists mix tomfoolery and philosophy with the magic and mayhem of Tom Robbins. In Skinny Legs and All, Robbins puts Middle Eastern politics under a prismatic lens, shedding an interesting light on art, religion, sex and consumerism in the process.

This novel was my first experience with Tom Robbins, a man that I now find to be the most trail-blazing, barn-burning of authors. He has a gift for stringing words together, weaving them poetically into great metaphors and larger-than-life characters, all the while crafting this poetry into a story that reminds and re-educates us of our myths and cultures.

And Skinny Legs and All is Tom Robbins at his best.

...but this one changed that! Picking up Skinny Legs happened entirely by chance-- an Xmas gift for my mum. She loved it so much that she inspired me to start it even before she was done-- and I read it in a day. Robbins serves up the real spirituality of sex, presents religious history from a new angle, explores magnificent female goddess archetypes, viscerally Good ritual, and writes it all in a delicious, funny style. This man is a demi-deity to me. Bless his sweet heart.

I realized while reading my past reviews that it looks as if I never like anything at all. So I tried to think of a book that I loved, and this one popped to mind right away. Great characters, lots of interesting exposition that almost never gets tedious. (The stick, sock, can, etc. parts go on a bit too long, and sort of peter out near the end--that's the only reason it's not 5 stars.) I've read it again and again, and discover something new each time. One of my favorites!

Skinny Legs and All is both absurd and wonderously real.
It had me laughing out loud one sitting and contemplating
international politics the next. Only Tom Robbins could
end a novel with the Super Bowl, a belly dancer and a conch
shell on the shore of Israel. Ellen Cherry Charles and
Boomer Petway are unforgettable. Also recommended:
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, Jitterbug Perfume
Not recommended: Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas

Here's another Tom Robbins' novel that I really shouldn't read in public. I lose all awareness of my surroundings as my brain tries to wrap its slippery gray hands around this plot. I am lost somewhere deep in this outlandish and intricate, but somehow fully believable story. I would make a great purse-snatching target. And every time I burst into a fit of laughter, I can feel the stares of people who probably think I'm a Bellevue escapee. Then I think about the main character Ellen Cherry Charles and her struggle against artistic conformity. Right on! I cackle away in spite of my disapproving peers who probably only wish they were reading this book. The story begins with two newlyweds cruising west in a 20-foot Airstream turkey and ends with the reunion of a girl and her favorite spoon. It's easy to forget that some of the central themes of this novel are so serious, like the inevitable violence of contradicting but uncompromising beliefs, or the role of the artist in society, or the portrayal of women in the Bible to name a few. But through Robbins' characters- ranging from an overzealous Southern Baptist preacher, to a mysterious16-year-old belly dancer, to a philosophical can of beans- he exposes a government plot to set the ball rolling on the rapture, manages to explain with surprising clarity the violent history of the Middle East and vindicates Jezebel and Salome. Through these seemingly unrelated characters and their equally unrelated settings, Robbins sews a unifying thread that reminds readers that like it or not, we're all connected in some way. But for some reason I'm still laughing. Maybe it's because in this novel inanimate objects have consciousness and Ellen Cherry's vibrator speaks to the inhabitants of her panty drawer in a Japanese accent. Somehow Robbins' has convinced me that this could actually be true. After reading this book, I'll never look at my silverware or non-perishable goods with the same indifference. After all, they will outlive me and could possess ancient wisdom.

without it sounding like you are crazy fool! This was my first Tom Robbins book and I loved it from page 1. I saw past the craziness and into the sublime. Tom is a master storyteller. I tried to explain this book to my EX husband, who did not get it. No imagination, not a reader and that is part of why he is an ex. Love you, Tom! Can't wait to read your memoir!

I am a huge Tom Robbins fan. Accidentally introduced to his works on a plane ride between Seattle and Chicago, I have been hooked on him for over a year. Determined to read the books in some semblence of order, I now find myself on this book, "Skinny Legs and All." It has been, by far, my least favorite book of Mr. Robbins. The thing I love most about his books is the way the story comes out and wraps itself around you with loving arms, pulling you in and not letting you go until the last word. However, with this book, I feel an arm's length away the entire way through. I can't connect to the characters, the humour is only present among the inanimate objects (and even then is pretty stiff), and the story is so saturated with political and religious views and ideals, that it's hard to get into. I feel like I'm being blatantly beaten over the head with a "Tom Robbins' political/religious Stance" manual. I definitely like his more subtle books better. I agree with a few other reviewers who've said this is not the book for readers new to Tom Robbins. See to "Still Life with Woodpecker" or "Jitterbug Perfume" for that. Also, and this may be a bit nit-picky, but one final thing that makes this book hard for me to get through, is the constant references to baba ghannouj being made from chickpeas, when it is in fact made from roasted eggplant. This book should definitely be a part of any Tom Robbins fan's collection, but it is not the one you'll be flipping through on a rainy day, wishing you could escape into the sunny desert oasis of a Camel pack.

Somewhere I read that Tom Robbins' work has been compared to a good acid trip. When you start, everything is a little strange (and getting stranger). Inanimate objects become protangonists and reality subsides into a thick haze of enlightened confusion. Suddenly, you reach a euphoric crechendo and shake hands with Buddha as you are overcome with insight. Then of course, from that day on, nothing ever looks the same. I have read all of this lovely man's books many times and it has always been my conviction that Skinny Legs and All is the most potent. It would make a great movie, however, it may be an insurmountable challenge to cast the starring roles (although I hear that Joey Lawrence is available) of a can of beans, a conch shell, a painted stick, and a dirty sock. Everybody must read this book. There's nudity! Yay!

Tom Robbins will rip out your brain by the spine, rip your whole entire world apart and then put all the pieces back together in a stunningly more beautiful picture than you've ever seen before. This novel could be a key to a better and brighter day for mankind. More likely, it will just be a key to a better life for the individual reader.

I have read all of Mr. Robbins' works except Villa Incognito (on its way to me now), and this particular novel is a step above the rest, at least for me. While a bunch of people I know had trouble with the turkey, the sock, the spoon and the bent can, I can't begin to say how much I enjoyed seeing them meshed into a wonderful story that includes a satirical statement on the condition of the NYC art world, the Dance of the Seven Veils vs a football game, and especially a microcosmic view of the neverending conflict in the mideast shown in the gentlest of fashions. For anyone who has a great ability for suspension of disbelief, this gem truly sparkles. And then there is Turn Around Norman...truly inspired, possibly a real guy (is he, Mr. Robbins?)
Buy it now.

Wounderful stuff. I loved every moment of this book. Wild, funny, sexy, satirical, there are not enough adjetives to describe this book. I have read many of his other books and I have enjoyed this the most. If you read only one of his books, make sure this is the one. If you hate Rush Limbaugh you will love Tom Robbins.

There seemed to me to be two underlying problems in the entire book. The first problem being Tom Robbin's total misunderstanding of the female sexuality from a woman's perspective. Most women do not percive their bodies as individual bits, a collection of legs, breast, a vagina, etc. Rather we percive our bodies as a whole and tend to be largly comfortable with that, dispite what image problems we may have. (Yes, unlike dear Ellen Cherry, nearly every woman, no matter what size looks in the mirror and calls herself fat.) I his emphasis on the individual pieces over the working whole he comes of sounding quite vulgar.
Also, he manages to quite clearly distort history. While any fool can tell you that the idea of a Goddess figure prevailed for quite some time, he happily forgets to mention the number of male gods as well. For example Cyrus the Persian conquered in the name of the god Marduk ans Zeus was the lord of the Gods on Olympus. Unfortunately, he felt the need to distort the past in order to make cloudy revelations about the present.
The writing style is what makes this book worthwhile, however. The book is filled with interesting characters and wonderfully phrased metaphors, which are sadly the books only saving grace.

I just finished reading this book last night and had to write something about it. How exciting it was to be reading a novel that spit in the face of Armageddon as we crossed over into the year 2000. Robbins' language, that I can only describe as wittily self-conscious (even if that is an oxymoron), energizes every page and keeps you smiling as you ponder the great frustrations of life (sex, religion, money, etc.). Read it! That's an order (and one you should not take lightly). Read it now before all of those millenial fears and feelings dissipate. Enjoy!

This book is amazing, incredible, inspiring. The story line is interesting, but what was wonderful about the book was the way Robbins used the 7 veils idea and Salome's dance to reveal some fundamental truths about the world that we live in. As usual, Robbins is able to so eloquently describe these truths, more so than any other author i've read. Its like a bible of love and hope and nature - it draws the curtain on ideas and philosophy behind money, sex, love, nature, and life. It is a book of revelation, of hope, of sunlight and thunderstorms, and ultimately of inspiration. It made me want to live life, and live it in a new and healthy and loving way.

I wish everyone could read this book and be as inspired as I was, and maybe our world would change just a little.

I believe I am a spiritual person that understands about religion and the gift of life, but I just couldn't get into this book. There are two stories going on at once, the human world about a woman artist working in a restaurant and trying to make it in New York, and then there is the travels of 5 inanimate objects on a quest to Jerusalam. Lets just for a second forget that the idea of talking, and walking inanimate objects really bothers me, and focus more on their 'characters'. I couldn't get myself to relate to any of the "inanimate object" characters, no matter how much personification was used to portray them. It bothered me because I could relate to the other portions of this novel, but whenever the plot switched over to the the spoon, sock, can, shell, and stick, I was only tempted to read further so that I could get through these parts and on to the better ones.

Few have a way with words like Robbins. Some say he's too whimsical for them, but he's enchanting to the rest, and Skinny Legs And All stands with his best work. An exciting tale steeped in Christian tales and an emphasis on the modern issues involving Israel.

One of the top all time best fiction books ever. I try to imagine being in the mind of Tom Robbins. He's a renaissance man if I ever knew one, with knowledge and interests that span across the worlds, and he touches them all in this hysterically funny, spiritual, romantic book of intertwined stories.

I never rejoiced in my "femininity" as fervently before I read this book. ... the veils of ignorance drop and the stories of the the suppression of the matriarchy surface ... sex is fun again and you'll never look at inanimate objects the same again. I'm working on my sixth copy because I have written in, dog ear-ed, and hi-lighted them to death ( not to mention the ones I've loaned out ). This book is so potent I swear by it to improve fertility. ( it worked for me and two of my friends ) I am woman...HEAR ME ROAR!

This is the second and probably last Tom Robbins novel I will ever read. Robbins starts out well enough, but after so much of his diversions to prove how smart he is, it gets tiring. Robbins' disdain for religion oozes too much, and I really believe he wishes he was a lesbian. The novel builds and builds to a totally anticlimatic and dull ending which left me searching for the point of the whole thing.

The book shipped quickly, in a condition better than they specified. Not to mention it is one of my favorite books ever. I recommend Tom Robbins to anyone who has an open mind, or wishes to expand their's. And the seller does their job just as well.

This is a story that reveals the secrets of getting along with others and playing pin the tail on the donkey while doing it. In Skinny Legs and All, an Arab and a Jew try to make the best of their friendship while a young girl tempts their fates. Read this book and you will learn more about history, dance, and art, than you would in a dull textbook. You might even enjoy it!

Tom Robbins writes excellent books and I thoroughly enjoyed "Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates." I began to read this book per recommendation of a friend. I am Jewish and initially enjoyed the notion of both sides, Jew and Arab, discussing their opinion and striving for a resolution of peace and the significance of their restaurant they open together. However, this is not a book about both sides, an Anti-Zionist self-hating Jew named Mr. Cohen who discusses how we(the Jews) perpetuated our own holocaust and thinking that Jews deserve no land because "we are nomads." and an inquisitive Arab who further pushes this "Mr.Cohen" to push his Anti-Zionist ideals is by no means un-bias. Throughout the book we view a stereotypical "western" mentality on the middle-east conflict: that Israel is always at fault. On countless times there is reference of Israeli retaliation and people killed as a result thereof but not ONCE is there mention of the origin or why they would retaliate and for what reason.

I hate to down rank this book based on my political and cultural ideals but don't advertise a book as some kind of source of peace and a non-traditional opinion when Mr. Robbins is simply mimicking the view of millions of liberal Americans. There are countless uninformed Americans out there, as an outstanding writer of our time, you Mr. Robbins could have done more to explain the conflict as opposed to manipulating a conversation between two characters to push your opinions and using "radios" and "newspapers" of your choosing, clearly left wing liberal sources in the book,to shove one-sided views down our throat.

I'm not looking for anyone to adopt my view, by any means, but it's unfair that he portrays the conflict in such a one sided manner while pretending to give two different views.