An enjoyable romp
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I bought this on the back of the frankly stunningly good amazon reviews. On the positive side it is a thoroughly enjoyable romp with some entertaining characters and interestingly presented ideas. On the downside it isn't, IMHO the masterpiece some deem it to be.
If you are looking for a book to read on holiday, or on a long journey, I would definitely recommend this book to pass the time. If you are looking for a masterpiece to illuminate the human condition sadly this book isn't it. The characters are too two dimensional, the style too self conciously quirky and the philosphy a disturbing mixture of new age nonsense and Reaganistic individulalism.
The story is that of Alobar and Kudra, ancients who wish to live for ever, of the God Pan, and of a Seattle waitress, and perfumiers in New Orleans and Paris who live with their legacy.
The first two thirds of the book are worthy of four stars, the story cracks along , the characters are engaging, and the ideas entertaining. Sadly the last third is a bit of a mess. Wiggs Dannyboy (the name says it all) is one of the most irritatingly twee characters I've come across for some time, and plot lines are either allowed to peter out, or are tied off with little conviction. The adolescent/male lid-life crisis (probably the same thing) sexulaity is also rather dull.
So, as a piece of light reading, an enjoyable romp, this is perfectly fine and worth reading. More than that it is not.
In a similar vein, certainly to the first two thirds, but to my mind better, are Umberto Eco's "Baudolino" and Neal Stephenson's "Baroque Cycle".
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Superb
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Well, no surprise that after 53 reviews the average reviewer gives this book 5 stars out of 5. The first 3 (short) chapters are so good I had to read them several times before progressing to the 4th. If anyone reads a more enjoyable novel than this in their lifetime I'd like to know about it.
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My favourite book ever!
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This has everything you could possibly want from a novel. It also made me see beetroot in an entirely different light. I urge anyone who hasn't done so to read this - it may change your life!
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Boof!
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At its most basic, this book is a celebration of the sense of smell, and all the heart memories attached to scent. It is also a joyous romp, encompassing the rampant eroticism of a greek god suffering the blues, the surprising secret ingredient of the most popular perfume in the world, and the quest for eternal youth through proper breathing techniques and long, hot baths. A host of some of the most unforgettable entities ever assembled in fiction all find their seemingly different agendas coalescing around a mutual search for personal joy. The forward momentum of the story is as unflagging as a heartbeat and carries the reader along with it, effortlessly. Robbin's technique of scattering surprising insights like so many sparkling jewels provide the only pause to the pace of the story as the reader is tempted to stop...and think...and learn a little bit more about themselves and what they most desire. This book was an altogether life-enhancing experience. It is also an excellent guidebook for discovering, or, more to the point, re-discovering the capacity for passion.
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My bible
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If you've started to take life to seriously, to the point that you might even think yourself mortal, this book is the antedote. Wrapped up in all the fizzing metaphors, sexy romps, historical beetroots and throwaway gags, you'll find Buddhism with a sense of humour, spirituality with human warmth and everything you need to inspire you once conventional religion proves insufficient. And it's a good story too.
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