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B Is for Beer
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Product Description
A Children's Book About Beer?
Yes, believe it or not—but B Is for Beer is also a book for adults, and bear in mind that it's the work of maverick bestselling novelist Tom Robbins, inter-nationally known for his ability to both seriously illuminate and comically entertain.
nce upon a time (right about now) there was a planet (how about this one?) whose inhabitants consumed thirty-six billion gallons of beer each year (it's a fact, you can Google it). Among those affected, each in his or her own way, by all the bubbles, burps, and foam, was a smart, wide-eyed, adventurous kindergartner named Gracie; her distracted mommy; her insensitive dad; her non-conformist uncle; and a magical, butt-kicking intruder from a world within our world.
Populated by the aforementioned characters—and as charming as it may be subversive—B Is for Beer involves readers, young and old, in a surprising, far-reaching investigation into the limits of reality, the transformative powers of children, and, of course, the ultimate meaning of a tall, cold brewski.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #5404 in Books
- Published on: 2009-05-01
- Released on: 2009-04-21
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Binding: Hardcover
- 128 pages
Features
- ISBN13: 9780061687273
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
- Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Book Description
A Children's Book About Beer?
Yes, believe it or not--but B Is for Beer is also a book for adults, and bear in mind that it's the work of maverick bestselling novelist Tom Robbins, internationally known for his ability to both seriously illuminate and comically entertain.
Once upon a time (right about now) there was a planet (how about this one?) whose inhabitants consumed thirty-six billion gallons of beer each year (it's a fact, you can Google it). Among those affected, each in his or her own way, by all the bubbles, burps, and foam, was a smart, wide-eyed, adventurous kindergartner named Gracie; her distracted mommy; her insensitive dad; her non-conformist uncle; and a magical, butt-kicking intruder from a world within our world.
Populated by the aforementioned characters--and as charming as it may be subversive--B Is for Beer involves readers, young and old, in a surprising, far-reaching investigation into the limits of reality, the transformative powers of children, and, of course, the ultimate meaning of a tall, cold brewski.
Questions for Tom Robbins
Q: So, Tom Robbins, you’ve gone and written a children’s book about an alcoholic beverage. First, why the ode to beer?
A: Why not? As ode fodder, its got to have at least as much potential as nightingales and Grecian urns.
Beer is so universally beloved that 36 billion gallons of it are sold each year worldwide. Moreover, it’s been popular for thousands of years, with origins dating back to ancient Egypt and Sumer. It has deep connections to the earth -- and possibly to outer space, as well (I explain this in the book). Bittersweet, like much of life itself, it’s exceptionally thirst-quenching and enormously refreshing; it’s cheerful, accessible, affordable, lovely in color, and somewhat nourishing, being one of our few neutral foods: perfectly balanced between acidic and alkaline, between yin and yang. Best of all perhaps, beer makes us tipsy. What’s not to ode?
Q: Okay, but what’s the angle with children?
A: Children see beer commercials every time they watch a sporting event on TV. In the supermarket, they pass shelves and coolers overflowing with the stuff. Neon beer signs wink at them as they’re driven to school, to church or the mall. And, if their own parents and older siblings aren’t enjoying beer, then the parents and siblings of their friends surely are.
Kids are constantly exposed to beer, it’s everywhere; yet, aside from wagging a warning finger and growling -- true enough as far as it goes -- “Beer is for grownups,” how many parents actually engage their youngsters on the subject? As a topic for detailed family discussion, it’s generally as taboo as sex.
It’s a kind of largely unpremeditated side-stepping, and part of the reason is that most parents are themselves uninformed. Even if mommy and daddy have more than a clue about beer’s ingredients and how it’s brewed, they know nothing of its history, let alone the rich psychological, philosophical, and mythic associations bubbling beneath the surface of its wide appeal.
Q: So, children need to know the “meaning” of beer?
A: Well, at the very least they need a clearer understanding of why their dad keeps a second refrigerator in the garage, and why he stays up late out there on school nights with his shirt off, listening to Aerosmith.
Q: Of course. How would you compare B Is for Beer to your previous nine books of fiction?
A: At 126 pages, it’s shorter. It’s illustrated. And it’s less complex, although considerably more complicated than Poopie the Pukey Puppy.
Q: What will you possibly do for an encore?
A: Not my problem. I’ve decided to take advantage of outsourcing. My next novel will be written by a couple of guys in Bangalore.
From Publishers Weekly
In his children's book for grown-ups/grown-up book for children, Robbins (Even Cowgirls Get the Blues) takes readers on a whimsical tour of all things beer, written in the language of a bedtime story. Factoids about everything from how beer is made to the number of gallons of beer sold globally each year (36 billion) are woven into this story about six-year-old Gracie Perkel, who craves time with her beer-guzzling Uncle Moe. When Moe disappoints Gracie, she reaches for a drink and is visited by the Beer Fairy, who flies her through the Seam and offers an education about life and, of course, beer. The drive to inform the reader about malt and hops is sometimes relentless, and the language can be frustratingly dumbed-down (If you're unfamiliar with the word podiatrist, you're not alone. Fortunately for Gracie [and now for you], Uncle Moe was quick to define podiatrist as a doctor who investigates and treats disorders of the feet. A foot specialist). Still, the premise and execution of this unique book lends itself to moments of real humor. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
"Kids at heart, and anyone bemused by Robbins' previous novels, will guzzle down Robbins' latest brew." (Denver Post )
".whimsical, absurdist." (New York Post )
Customer Reviews
Seriously bad writing
As a Tom Robbins fan who has eagerly awaited each of his books since he burst forth with "Another Roadside Attraction" in 1971, I am sorely disappointed. "B Is for Beer" is touted as "A Children's Book for Grown-ups" and "A Grown-up Book for Children." It is neither. At one point I surmised that he had started a book commissioned by the beer industry for people who want to know how beer is made. As the book got more and more boring I decided that could never have been his intent.
If you are a contrarian reader who is powerfully addicted to his writing, go ahead and buy it. I don't know how to warn you so you will save your money. It is just seriously bad writing.
Tom, you charmed us into holding on for four to six years between novels after we learned that it took you that long to release each one with its glorious metaphors, similies and crazy plots. It's been six years since "Villa Incognito" was put to the press in 2003. It is time for another. "Wild Ducks Flying Backwards" in 2005 wasn't even a novel and "B is for Beer" is a watered-down novella about which you say many people warned you "that I couldn't or shouldn't, or wouldn't bloody dare." Okay Tom, you proved that you could get it published. Now it's time to write something that again really scours the far reaches of your imagination and takes us on exotic (and erotic) journeys.
This morality tale is as flat as a Budweiser opened and left in a Seattle backyard for weeks to attract parched raccoons that don't know there are better ways to enjoy brewski.
W is for Whimsy
For Robbins fans waiting, yearning, for the next great Robbins novel, this is not it. Sorry.
It is, however, exactly what it professes to be. A children's book for grown-ups, and a grown-up book for children. (Which is what I based this review on, vs. comparing it to other Robbins books ... there's no comparison.) The writing is definitely child-like in its tone.
Gracie is practically six-years-old when she develops a curiosity about beer. As Robbins will do, he leads us on a delightful, whimsical discovery about - yes, Beer. The book is filled with Robbins's humor, philosophy, and magical writing.
I had a dumb grin on my face the whole time I was reading the book (less than two hours from start to finish) and I laughed out loud several times.
This tantalizing taste of Robbins's words has definitely left me with a craving for more Robbins. And perhaps a Red Stripe.
Friends don't let friends write drunk
Tom Robbins is one of my top five favorite authors. Kurt Vonnegut (deceased) , Edward Abbey (deceased) , Carl Sagan (deceased), and Tim Callahan are the other four.
I anxiously awaited this new work by Robbins, and Amazon delivered it to me right after publication, but what a waste of time and paper.
Let me start by saying the novel (more of a novella) is only 125 pages long. If you throw in the 12 point font, double spaces on every line, and quad spacing after every paragraph, this is a very short book and could have been a piece of non-fiction in a magazine.
Forty pages into this inane work, we have learned that the protagonist (a 5 year old girl) is curious about beer, and her curmudgeon uncle will take her to visit a brewery. That's it. One-third of the way through this book, that's all we get.
On the other hand, I am glad it was short and only cost $12.
Come on Tom! I have read Another Roadside Attraction three times! The same with Only Cowgirls Get the Blues, and Still Life with Woodpecker twice. I have read (and have mostly first editions of) all your novels. But this? This is just as bad as Jimmy Buffet's latest piece of work, which was another major disappointment.
