Jitterbug Perfume

Probably my favorite novel of all time. I like Tom Robbins's other novels but this one has it all: his linguistic pyrotechnics, his wacky characters, a storyline that's both epic and down-to-earth, and his mordant observations about religion, politics, human nature... and the trials and tribulations of taking a longevity potion.

I love the raw, bawdy humor and witty philosophy of this epic foolish-wisdom tale by one of the few novelists I read: the merry prankster of letters Tom Robbins. Cross the ages and the Atlantic, earnest Alobar explores the mitigating effectics of civilization, Christianity and the lack of beet-ness. Sometimes with sexy Kudra, sometimes with an odiferous Pan, through Alobar a reader can consider the trade-off the soul has made for taking on the deadening mantel of Western civilization. Cutting back and forth like a Quentin Tarantino script, Robbins takes us to New Orleans, Paris and Portland on a perfume plot that ties together in the end on Rue Royal in the French Quarter. A bit of a prankster myself, I deposite this book among show more moldering antique tomes at Greg's Antiques a few blocks from where the book's mythical perfumerie would stand. show less

I've finally read Jitterbug Perfume, at the suggestion of Sassylidge. I have to say, I really enjoyed it. The characterization was incredible: Alobar, the doomed king of a small tribe in 11th century central Europe; Wren, his clever favorite wife; Pan, a really stinky God; Kudra, a perfumer who escapes death on her husbands funeral pyre; Dr. Dannyboy and the eternal-life obsessed members of the Last Laugh Society; Madame and V’lu, perfumers in New Orleans; Priscilla, the genius waitress and the members of the Daughters of the Daily Special, a group of women in Seattle who have college degrees but are supporting themselves as waitresses until they get a chance to pursue their calling. They are all drawn together by perfume, the idea of show more eternal life, and lots and lots of beets.

This book was a delight to read. It was light and airy in tone – it almost felt like I was being told a story. He’s really got a handle on how to use metaphors without being corny…even though he’s got kind of a wacky sense of humor. I laughed out loud in several parts and got misty-eyed in others. He writes as someone who is completely comfortable with the English language and, although he is sometimes writing about complicated, heavy stuff – it never seems preachy or over my head.

The different, converging storylines in this book could have been split up and expanded upon for several individual books. (I was glad to hear the Daughters of the Daily Special appears in a few more of his novels.) But it’s the way that all of these characters and stories eventually fit together that makes this a great read. show less

Jitterbug Perfume recounts a 1,000-year quest for immortality, with plenty of stops along the way to discuss beets and bees and scents and sex. At the end of the first millennium A.D., King Alobar of Bohemia rejects his fated demise to search for the answer to eternal life. In his wanderings, he meets Kudra, an Indian girl trying to escape her own death, and the two become soulmates. Their journey leads them to the Bandaloops, an ancient tribe who have mastered immortality, as well as the goat-god Pan, whose own existence is threatened by more fashionable deities. As Alobar and Kudra figure out how to arrest the aging process and “dematerialize,” their paths converge in the present day where a similar desire to cheat death is show more explored at a Seattle-based foundation led by Wiggs Dannyboy. This effort collides with a battle to recreate a legendary perfume based on beets that involves Priscilla, a local “genius waitress,” Madame Devalier, the scion of a New Orleans perfume shop, and the LeFever Parfumarie of Paris. And, behind the scenes of everything. is Bingo Pajama, a mysterious Jamaican man with a coveted stock of jasmine and swarm of bees that follows him everywhere.

I read Jitterbug Perfume about 35 years after it was written and more than 40 years after I was first introduced to Tom Robbins’ work. All I can say is that what I liked in the 1970-80s is not nearly the same as what captivates me now. What has changed in the past four decades? Me, of course, but then so too has our society and culture and that, I think, is the point. This novel felt hopelessly dated and, unlike the immortality achieved by Alobar and Kudra, it is aging very rapidly and not at all well. So, rather than feeling like I was being let in on the Grand Cosmic Joke as when I read Another Roadside Attraction and Even Cowgirls Get the Blues so many years ago, my experience this time was quite a bit different. While Robbins is a stylish writer whose clever wordplay and myriad puns still hit more than they miss, his frequent pop philosophical musings on the quest for extending life seemed very contrived and decidedly the product of an earlier era. Worse, this storyline quickly became ponderous, often dragging an otherwise breezy tale to a painful halt. Sadly, then, this is not a book that this past fan of the author can recommend without reservation. show less

Tom Robbins in this book opened my eyes to the wild, wild world of modern satire, absurdity, light-hearted comparative religious blasphemy, and BEETS.

Just ignore the stench that just entered the room... it's only my old pal and buddy, PAN.

Drunken revelries are pushed aside for the enjoyment of tons of sex, hot baths, and more sex as the keys to immortality, but if you think that's just fine for a novel like this, THINK AGAIN. A genius waitress working in a Mexican restaurant in Washington State is working on a 1000-year-old mystery perfume while a 1000-year-old sacrificial king refuses to die, working as a janitor. Add a wild cast of Tibetan monks, a low-caste ancient woman, the coming floral revolution, and more sex than you can shake show more your stick at, and throw it into one hell of a funny satirical soup full of great lines and beets on your doorsteps.

This book changed my life the first time I read it, but I didn't exactly fall into a quest for the perfect taco... I went on a road trip to find the perfect pizza, tho, and while I only did the homeless wandering bit after college for a month, Alobar got to do it for a millennia! I'm so jealous! Oh, yeah, and he's easily had more sex than ANYONE in the world. And baths. Sigh.

Such a wild, irreverent ride. :) I read this and then I look at what Gaiman did later. I definitely thought of Robbins when I read American Gods. :) It's a bit funnier than American Gods, too. :) show less

If you're looking for proof that pagans have more fun then this is the book for you.

The idea is that after you're born you get to do pretty much what you like for a while but then you get killed (a bit like real life really, now I think about it), but you don't have to be killed if you don't want to be... and if you have an almost fanatical devotion to the beetroot (no, really!).

I liked the way it moves along pretty normally and then something crazy will happen. My favourite bit is when Alobar bumps into the god Pan and they repair to a grove and spend the afternoon debauching nymphs.

Great stuff!

This is a bit of a grudging 5 stars; as many have mentioned, any Robbins book has creepy stuff about gender roles, and his style does bend over backwards so far just to get in another tortuous metaphor that even in his very best work, like this one, you get tired sometimes.But this book is so full of life and joy, and poignancy across a story of millennia, that here, at least, I forgive him for it. It's a comic epic, like most of Robbins' work, but here it's balanced with some real thinking about where the mystery of life goes if you don't watch yourself, and some often hilarious tweaks on spirituality/religion/etc. And when he's not just making metaphors for the hell of it, he comes out with these intense sensory descriptions that you show more feel viscerally, not just with your head. Reminds me a little of Ishmael Reed's weirdo Sun Ra myth-comedy "Mumbo Jumbo" (another great book) or Saul Bellow's "Henderson the Rain King", a book just as sloppy-drunk with its love of life. But more than anything it's a book that seduces you with its own ridiculous logic until you can't help but see things its way for a while after you finish. IF you want an introduction to Robbins, this is it. It's not watered down in the least, but it works for that because you aren't bogged down by his idiosyncrasies quite as strongly as in his other books--not because they're not there, but because this thing has so much _else_ to offer.And I craved beets for WEEKS after reading this thing. show less