About this title: In this humorously picaresque novel, a Zen Buddhist CIA agent meets an Amazonian shaman who takes him on a great drug trip, but insists on a high price for the experience: he places a curse on the agent that requires him to stay eternally in transit, never touching ground. He returns home in a wheelchair and, in a wild plot twist, finds himself in a convent in the Syrian desert where he falls in love with a nun.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Perfect Bound Paper
Publisher: Bantam
Date Published: 2000
ISBN-13:9780965079518ISBN:0965079511
Description: Very Good. No Jacket as Issued. Trade Paperback. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" Excellent shape, no remainder marks. Old store price in pencil and a couple small spots/smudges on FEP. Binding tight, pages clean. Your purchase helps support a kindly, old, sometimes crusty, truly independent book seller. He thanks you. His creditors thank you as well. read more
Description: Very Good. 055337933X **Softcover**--Exactly as pictured--cover has shelf wear at tips of corners and minor cover crease or curl, minor Spine Creasing, No personalizations, No marks in the text at all. Tight and well bound. read more
Edition: First Edition
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Bantam Books
Date Published: 2000
ISBN-13:9780553107753ISBN:0553107755
Description: Very Good in Very Good jacket. Size: 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall; Fifth printing, minor wear to spine ends and corners, DJ has minor wear, no chips or tears, boards have denting on bottom edges. read more
Description: Fine. 055337933X This trade sized paperback book is in GREAT SHAPE! ! ! FIRST EDITION! ! FULL NUMBER LINE--10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1! ! ! The spine is not even creased! Crisp, clean pages! No writing, highlighting, underlining--NOTHING! ! Close to looking like it could be on the shelf of a new bookstore! SMOKE FREE HOME! Do not settle for worn, torn, throwaways. Pay a few pennies more for a beautiful, near new copy! ! ! read more
Description: Very Good. B0006HQLMS Very Good Condition **Softcover**--Exactly as pictured--EXACT ISBN MATCH--cover has shelf wear at tips of corners only where there is curl, No Spine Creasing, No personalizations, No marks in the text at all. Tight and well bound. Ships Quickly-IN STOCK-Satisfaction guaranteed! read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Bantam
Date Published: 2001-05-29
ISBN-13:9780553379334ISBN:055337933X
Description: Very Good. Very good to excellent condition. Cover has a light crease & closed page edges slightly tanned. No marks. Tight binding. Delivery confirmation included with US orders. dw. read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Bantam
Date Published: 2001
ISBN-13:9780553379334ISBN:055337933X
Description: Fine. No dust jacket as issued. Almost as new. Very slight edgewear. No markings or spine creasing. Pages bright and tight. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 464 p. Audience: General/trade. read more
"This was a fun read and Switters is certainly a character to remember. But the writing was a bit mastabatory! I enjoyed Robbins' exciting metaphors and similies and I loved his curly diversions. But by about page 250 I got sick of it! Get on with the story!
...which was a little bit absent. I understand that life can be a bit incoherent but books don't need to be. It was as if the plot revolved around the delivery of Switters' philosophy and witty remarks. Overly bizarre plotlines just aren't my style.
There were a lot of contradictions in the book and these make for an interesting theme. I liked that Switters knowingly embraced all these opposites. It's good to understand that humans are inconsistant and it's better to accept it and take it lightly.
"It's been far too long since I last dove into a Tom Robbins book. I forgot how much I enjoy Tom Robbins' descriptions, similes, and metaphors. While he IS definitely wordy, I find that I read his books in a different way, and enjoy them in a different way, from most books I read. I also find it striking how Robbins' books contain SO MUCH, you can't help but find connections in the "real world" as you're reading. For example: I was sitting in the airport yesterday, waiting for a delayed plane, and I glanced over to see an InvaCare wheelchair parked next to me. I burst out laughing, then realized I probably appeared a bit looney to those around me. If only they knew... but my explanation as to why that was just so funny would probably make me sound even MORE ridiculous.
I wavered between giving this book 3 and 4 stars--but I think the pressure of finishing it before Stacey's book club meeting deadline made me feel a little impatient towards the end. I need a 3.5 option!"
"The four stars here was really an average with some rounding up - the story/plot was top notch, surrounding a CIA agent with a unique view on life who finds himself constantly in situations that would be considered unusual for James Bond even. From the jungle to a convent in the desert, stopping in Seattle (oh, and in a wheelchair half the time...somewhat voluntarily), he goes through life with an approach that is pretty singular amongst protaganists I've seen before. I'd definitely want to read any followup to the story to see what happens to Switters, the main spy, next.
Now, one of Switters' characteristics is that he doesn't like things too "vivid" - too loud/colorful/vibrant. Which is somewhat ironic because Robbins writing is extremely vivid, to a point of annoyance. He's definitely never met a metaphor he wouldn't put in a book, even if it stretched a five star 350 page novel into about a 3.51 star 450 page novel. At time, I found myself skimming pages because Robbins was using six different paragraphs to describe an item, all seperate, only one at tops needed. I get the feeling Robbins is definitely somewhat in love with himself, and he makes sure to make it clear that while the characters are important, the main character in the novel is the author...which isn't normally something I like to read.
So, the "book" gets 5 stars, the writer/writing maybe 2, I'll take the average up from 3.5 to 4 since I would definitely read another one."
"This story mixes genres, with spy stuff, social comment and travel narrative blended with a touch of surrealism. If Hunter Thompson had collaborated with Tom Clancy, perhaps they might have come up with this tale. At first the mix seems a little forced, and the narrator (Keith Szarabajka) echoes the Tom Robbins' vague air of smugness, but the story settles down in a random sort of way. The author's obvious love of language sometimes gets in the way of his writing, but, overall, his sense of "wahoo" will win you over. A warning: This one is not for the easily offended."
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