B Is for Beer

In: Resources

6 May 2011

  • ISBN13: 9780061687273
  • Condition: NEW
  • Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

Product Description
A Children’s Book About Beer? Yes, believe it or not—but B Is for Beer is also a book for adults, and bear in mind that it’s the work of maverick bestselling novelist Tom Robbins, inter-nationally known for his ability to both seriously illuminate and comically entertain. Once upon a time (right about now) there was a planet (how about this one?) whose inhabitants consumed thirty-six billion gallons of beer each year (it’s a fact, you can Google it). Among tho… More >>

B Is for Beer

5 Responses to B Is for Beer

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Nicole Del Sesto

July 4th, 2010 at 9:12 am

For Robbins fans waiting, yearning, for the next great Robbins novel, this is not it. Sorry.

It is, however, exactly what it professes to be. A children’s book for grown-ups, and a grown-up book for children. (Which is what I based this review on, vs. comparing it to other Robbins books … there’s no comparison.) The writing is definitely child-like in its tone.

Gracie is practically six-years-old when she develops a curiosity about beer. As Robbins will do, he leads us on a delightful, whimsical discovery about – yes, Beer. The book is filled with Robbins’s humor, philosophy, and magical writing.

I had a dumb grin on my face the whole time I was reading the book (less than two hours from start to finish) and I laughed out loud several times.

This tantalizing taste of Robbins’s words has definitely left me with a craving for more Robbins. And perhaps a Red Stripe.

Rating: 5 / 5

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Richard Weston-Jones

July 4th, 2010 at 11:52 am

As a Tom Robbins fan who has eagerly awaited each of his books since he burst forth with “Another Roadside Attraction” in 1971, I am sorely disappointed. “B Is for Beer” is touted as “A Children’s Book for Grown-ups” and “A Grown-up Book for Children.” It is neither. At one point I surmised that he had started a book commissioned by the beer industry for people who want to know how beer is made. As the book got more and more boring I decided that could never have been his intent.

If you are a contrarian reader who is powerfully addicted to his writing, go ahead and buy it. I don’t know how to warn you so you will save your money. It is just seriously bad writing.

Tom, you charmed us into holding on for four to six years between novels after we learned that it took you that long to release each one with its glorious metaphors, similies and crazy plots. It’s been six years since “Villa Incognito” was put to the press in 2003. It is time for another. “Wild Ducks Flying Backwards” in 2005 wasn’t even a novel and “B is for Beer” is a watered-down novella about which you say many people warned you “that I couldn’t or shouldn’t, or wouldn’t bloody dare.” Okay Tom, you proved that you could get it published. Now it’s time to write something that again really scours the far reaches of your imagination and takes us on exotic (and erotic) journeys.

This morality tale is as flat as a Budweiser opened and left in a Seattle backyard for weeks to attract parched raccoons that don’t know there are better ways to enjoy brewski.
Rating: 1 / 5

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M. Penta

July 4th, 2010 at 1:54 pm

As a die-hard fan, I really enjoyed ‘B is for Beer’. Of course I would have preferred a big fat Tom Robbins novel, since the wait between books is so long, but this is a happy little gem. It’s original, it’s fun, it’s light, and it contains the magical ingredients we expect from Tom. The mere fact that he wrote a “children’s book about beer” scores him points for originality. Who else but Robbins could write such a book? Who else but Robbins can wax philosophic about the wonders, perils, and joys of beer?

Savor each chapter in the same way you’d nurse a yummy pint of brew. Don’t take it too seriously, just enjoy! If Tom Robbins has taught us anything, it’s that.

Rating: 4 / 5

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J. Palmieri

July 4th, 2010 at 2:37 pm

Tom Robbins is one of my top five favorite authors. Kurt Vonnegut (deceased) , Edward Abbey (deceased) , Carl Sagan (deceased), and Tim Callahan are the other four.

I anxiously awaited this new work by Robbins, and Amazon delivered it to me right after publication, but what a waste of time and paper.

Let me start by saying the novel (more of a novella) is only 125 pages long. If you throw in the 12 point font, double spaces on every line, and quad spacing after every paragraph, this is a very short book and could have been a piece of non-fiction in a magazine.

Forty pages into this inane work, we have learned that the protagonist (a 5 year old girl) is curious about beer, and her curmudgeon uncle will take her to visit a brewery. That’s it. One-third of the way through this book, that’s all we get.

On the other hand, I am glad it was short and only cost $12.

Come on Tom! I have read Another Roadside Attraction three times! The same with Only Cowgirls Get the Blues, and Still Life with Woodpecker twice. I have read (and have mostly first editions of) all your novels. But this? This is just as bad as Jimmy Buffet’s latest piece of work, which was another major disappointment.

Rating: 1 / 5

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Roberta

July 4th, 2010 at 4:11 pm

I think if I had paid $17.95 for this book I also would have been very disappointed. But if you like Tom Robbins it is a fun little read. Definitely not his best work. If you’ve never read Tom Robbins don’t start with this one.
Rating: 4 / 5

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