Villa Incognito

If Another Roadside Attraction is Tom Robbins at his best, Villa Incognito may be Robbins at his second best. The audio quality was very good - only a single male narrator, but he does a very effective job of altering his voice to fit the characters. As with many of Robbins novels, there are stories within stories and keeping track of the cast of characters requires some attention. Nonetheless, there are profound philosophical arguments sprinkled across the ribald antics of the tunuke protagonist and the three Vietnam era airmen who elicit memories of Hawkeye and BJ. At times, the book is a tad politically incorrect, but if this bothers you, you have probably already learn to avoid Tom Robbins' works. Honestly, i loved it...

Generally takes me a chapter to shift my brain to absorbing Robbins' prose, so packed and descriptive, and peerless. I'm hooked again, and deciding which other of his masterpieces to re-read first.

I looked forward to this novel the way any true fan would, and was immediately suprised and mildly disheartened by its slim figure. I dove in with abandon and read it from cover to cover. The book did not disappoint--the passages on Tanuki, Himself are reminiscent of those in Jitterbug Perfume involving Pan, and the prose is wacky poetic, as usual--however, I was left wanting more, feeling as if Mr. Robbins might have been distracted by a quivering chrysanthemum or some savory sake.This is not to say that I did not enjoy the novel--I most certainly did, and will treasure it as I treasure his other seven wonders of the literary world, but I was left with the sinking feeling that maybe in a effort to meet a deadline, self imposed or otherwise, Mr. Robbins ended where he might have furthered the intensity of the novel and its resolution with another few chapters. Still, a fan, ever and always.

I have been a Tom Robbins fan from way back in the days of Even Cow Girls Get the Blues and Still Life with Woodpecker all the way to Fierce Invalids. He has had a few "missteps" along the way but none quite as horrible as Villa Incognito. This was, perhaps, his most forced prose of any book, marked by a patchwork of characters that never developed, blended together to create that magaical environment only he can achieve at his best. Usually, I cannot put down a Robbins Novel, but it actually took me a week to read this one. I guess it is a must read for Robbins fans and they will probably say, "maybe next time." This should not be the introduction for the first time Robbines reader, stick to the titles I mentioned above for a feel of what TR can really do. So, I guess, maybe next time.

I just finished re-reading "Villa Incognito." I understand some fans' reactions that it is not the same book as Tom's prior epistles. Why in heck would it be? "It is what it is. You are what you it. There are no mistakes." I will re-read this one, as I have read and re-read every one of Tom's novels, until the next one comes along. There is nobody else on the planet writing anything close to this blend of Taoist, Tantric, Fantastic Jambalaya of pure wise pleasure. God bless you, Tom.

I was really tickled that I was able to find this book on cd. It's a good story! The product came in great condition and the disks had no problems. Thanks.

Not my favorite Tom Robbins book. The image of giant balls swinging around faded my interest in the piece, although the subject matter and exotic locales almost made up for it. The mythology Robbins creates, if you can suspend disbelief, gives the work more substance. Humorous but a bit on the yucky side.

I have read a few of Tom Robbins books over the years, begining with Another Roadside Attraction, but I became disenchanted with some of his novels involving animate inanimate objects as characters. Villa Incognito is very clever and more reminiscent of his earlier work. I would prefer to give this book 4 1/2 but I bumped it upwards, not so much for its literary or artistic achievments, but because of the sheer fun and enjoyment of reading it.

Once you've read all Tom Robbins' excellent eight novels, you sense he thrives on variety and loves to travel, setting his latest tales in recently-visited locations using a blend of close research, memorable, first-hand experiences and an outrageous, kinky imagination. Vicariously, you feel like a well-seasoned traveller as 'Woodpecker' takes you to Egypt and Hawaii, 'Jitterbug' - Bohemia, New Orleans and Paris, 'Skinny Legs' - Israel & Palestine, 'Fierce Invalids' - South America & Syria, 'Roadside' - the Pacific Northwest, 'Cowgirls' - Native American Badlands of Dakota and 'Half-Asleep' - Africa and NYC. Using this formula, 'Villa Incognito' could be paraphrased as Robbins' Asian Adventure as we witness Bangkok, Laos and its environs through his kaleidoscopic inkwell.I'm surprised to find lukewarm reviews here; for my money, 'Villa Incognito' has some of Robbins' best humour on display. He hits the ground running with an opening sentence which, if nothing else, provokes scientific curiosity if not wild amusement: 'It has been reported that Tanuki fell from the sky using his scrotum as a parachute.' I enjoy the fact that while Robbins is clearly well-read, he never allows his authorial voice to stagnate into humourless, dry-as-dust pedantry.But it's not all just for laughs. Through the wisdom of Mars Stubblefield, among others, we are treated to some blissfully profound insights such as: 'in the life of an individual, an aesthetic sensibility is both more authentic and more commendable than a political or religious one.' This reads to me like a warmer, improved version of Nietzsche's deeply intriguing but chilly aphorism from 'The Birth of Tragedy': 'Only as an aesthetic phenomenon are existence and the world justified.' Like Dickie Goldwire, hero of the piece, I want to interject: "What about love?"

Great writing

Ich habe alle Bücher von Tom Robbins gelesen. Alle mehrfach. Auch dieses ist auf seine Art einzigartig und zugleich sehr tiefgründig und extrem humorvoll. Tom Robbins sieht die Welt und die Menschen mit einem sehr klaren Blick und zeichnet seine Figuren mit viel Liebe, kritisch; doch bleibt immer Humanist dabei. Ich bin der gleichen Meinung wie Thomas Pynchon: Tom Robbins ist der beste Schriftsteller der Welt!

Ich war bei Vietnam nicht dabei, mag Asien auch nicht so besonders. Entweder bin ich schon zu alt für das Buch, aber nach gut 2/3 des Buches hat sich mir der Sinn des Buches noch nicht erschlossen. Kenne zwar andere Bücher von Robbins, die mir sehr viel Freude und so manchen Lacher beschert haben, bei dem steige ich aber nicht so ganz durch. Mein Favorit bleibt "Völker der Welt, relaxt!

If you lived through the era of of "Another Roadside Attraction" "Even Cowgirls get the Blues" and the the magnificent "Jitterbug Perfume" you will welcome this latest offering from one of America's greatest contemporary writers,. Tom Robbins. He combines the bizarre with the normal to produce a piece of work that makes you laugh but at the same consider the possibility of the mystical. Sex, mythology, history and unlikely relationships...he does it all again, but with a new sense of purpose.A must read .