Tibetan Peach Pie: A True Account of an Imaginative Life

I've been playing a game lately that when I walk into a local library to pick up a book I have on hold I also randomly choose a letter and a number. I then go to both the fiction and biography section start at the beginning of that letter on the shelves (this time it was O) and then count out that number and then pick up the book it lands on to take home and try. I figure it might give me the chance to discover someone or something that I wouldn't have picked up on my own. I don't remember the number but there aren't a lot of "O"s in biography section in the Newcastle Library so that is how I landed in the R section and on Tom Robbin's memoir, Tibetan Peach Pie.

And I'm glad I did. My only exposure to Tom Robbins has been shelving his show more books in the eighties at Waldenbooks. I wasn't really the counter-culture type and the covers didn't appeal to me.

I was surprised and delighted to learn that he lives here in the region--up in La Connor and that he did a stint at our newspapers as a local reporter. And I fell for his description of Seattle and its greenness as well as his descriptions of the counter-culture that I didn't give a fig about when I was twenty but now at 49 I can appreciate.

And despite my reservations--he is exactly the kind of writer I enjoy--wonderful prose with a poke in the eye humor. So I purchased a copy of Still Life With Woodpecker despite the fact that I've never liked the cover. show less

I don't believe I have mentioned it on this blog yet, but I love Tom Robbins almost as much as I love Jane Austen. Actually, they are about equal on the list. This is why I immediately bought this book when I saw it on the shelves at Powell's. Very rarely will I buy brand new hardback editions of books. I will either borrow from the library or wait until it hits paperback, but I wanted this book, nay, needed this book. That is how much I love this author.

As to the book itself, I really enjoyed it. It was the good old Tom Robbins that I know and love, and there were times when it was nearly impossible for me to put this book down. Robbins is known for his strange plots and interesting (albeit strange) characters, and reading about his show more life put his quirky writing into some perspective.

Reading this book actually made me love him more. I admired his outlook on life and how he has walked through it with his eyes wide open and an up-to-try-anything attitude. This philosophy has taken him to many exotic places and has been the source of some hilarious tales of mischief and learning. As we watch Robbins grow into the man he is today, we get to grow with him, often being introduced to new ways of viewing our lives and also living them.

The only aspect of the book that confused me at first was the fact that he tends to get a little sidetracked. He would be discussing one thing and then suddenly we are somewhere else. However, after a while I began to enjoy this since I didn't actually notice that it veered off the original topic until we were back on it, and there was always some connection as to why the digression happened in the first place. It actually began to feel like I was having a conversation with Robbins. Like I was listening to him tell his story rather than reading it, which I found enthralling and rather addicting. So, even this little bump in the road became a positive experience.

In the end, I would recommend this to any and all Tom Robbins fans. It was insightful, hilarious, and thought-provoking all at the same time--just like his novels--and was a true joy to read.

Memorable Quotes

Love is the only game in which we win even when we lose. - Tom Robbins

After making an extreme effort, after pulling out all the stops, one is still unable to score Tibetan peach pie, take it as a signal to relax, grin, pick up a fork, and go for a slice of the apple. - Tom Robbins show less

I read most everything Tom Robbins wrote when I was much younger - at least his earlier stuff, dipping back into [b:Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas|9567|Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas|Tom Robbins|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347326626s/9567.jpg|713383] a few years back. Never read [b:Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates|8680|Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates|Tom Robbins|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327866336s/8680.jpg|1117682] though, and having revisited Tom in this memoir, I just might pick it up. Here now is the reason why I still will read whatever the man writes - this passage from a trip he took to Timbuktu:

Tawny, low, and organic; hermetic, bare, crumbling in places, Timbuktu seemed made of cookie dough and starlight; rising show more like rough ginger popovers out of the magmatic ovens of the underworld, open only to the incandescent carousel of whirly night, a city simultaneously earthy and unearthly. Antique races had fashioned it from the very desert they'd dreamed upon, enriched it with gold and salt, elevated it with wisdom (holy and astronomic) from near and far – and now must look on silently from beyond the grave as the desert takes it back.

Magmatic ovens of the underworld indeed. show less

I listened to the audio version of this book, and despite the excellent reader, I found myself yawning through the first half, which was comprised mostly of rather pedestrian anecdotes that my elderly grandfather might tell. About half way through I became aware that this elderly writer is a very, very hip grandfather indeed who has some fascinating tales to tell. The book is at its best when talking about the author's experience with hallucinogenic drugs, world travels, people that he met (or didn't meet) and, of course, his novels. A must read for all Tom Robbins fans.

Robbins says his biography isn’t a memoir or an autobiography, but rather a collection of true events. Whatever it is, Washington State author Robbins shows his strength in creating memorable sentences and his love of rhythm in sentences in a variety of stories that take the reader from his childhood in Virginia, his Korean War soldier stories, and his various jobs as well as his love live. As I read them, I wished I could hear the audio version of this book, because I felt like I was sitting in his living room listening to his storytelling. It’s an intellectual humorous story.

I bought this as an audiobook, and I would recommend that lovers of language purchase a paperback instead. There were too many times I wanted to savor the unique words and phrases that Tom Robbins is famous for.

The beginning of the book felt a bit too precious and self-conscious for my liking, and I almost gave up on it. However, hang in there: it gets a whole lot better. By the end I was enthralled. For writers, Robbins' discussion of his process and his experiences with writing/publication are golden.

I bought this as an audiobook, and I would recommend that lovers of language purchase a paperback instead. There were too many times I wanted to savor the unique words and phrases that Tom Robbins is famous for.

The beginning of the book felt a bit too precious and self-conscious for my liking, and I almost gave up on it. However, hang in there: it gets a whole lot better. By the end I was enthralled. For writers, Robbins' discussion of his process and his experiences with writing/publication are golden.