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Jitterbug Perfume (Paperback)

~ (Author) "THE CITADEL WAS DARK, and the heroes were sleeping..." (more)
Key Phrases: beet pollen, floral consciousness, hurricane drops, New Orleans, Huxley Anne, Last Laugh Foundation (more...)
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (195 customer reviews)
List Price: $15.00
Price: $10.20 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
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40 new from $8.19 58 used from $2.96

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Amazon Price New from Used from
  Kindle Edition, June 17, 2003 $9.99 -- --
  Paperback, March 31, 1990 $10.20 $8.19 $2.96
  Mass Market Paperback, September 30, 1985 -- $8.75 $0.45

Frequently Bought Together

Jitterbug Perfume + Still Life with Woodpecker + Skinny Legs and All
Price For All Three: $30.60

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  • This item: Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins

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  • Still Life with Woodpecker by Tom Robbins

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  • Skinny Legs and All by Tom Robbins

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Jitterbug Perfume has a large and  exotic cast of characters, all of whom are interested  in immortality and/or perfume... Go see for  yourself; you'll have a good time."--The  Washington Post -- Review


Review

"Jitterbug Perfume has a large and  exotic cast of characters, all of whom are interested  in immortality and/or perfume... Go see for  yourself; you'll have a good time."—Washington Post

“Robbins again celebrates the joy of individual expression and self-reliance. He lays before us the time honored warts and hairs of the world’s philosophies—problems with religion, war, politics, family, marriage and sex—and leaves no twist or turn unstoned. —Saturday Review
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Bantam (April 1, 1990)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0553348981
  • ISBN-13: 978-0553348989
  • Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (195 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #7,084 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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    #2 in  Books > Literature & Fiction > Authors, A-Z > ( R ) > Robbins, Tom

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Tom Robbins
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Front Cover | First Pages | Surprise Me!
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
THE CITADEL WAS DARK, and the heroes were sleeping. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
beet pollen, floral consciousness, hurricane drops, genius waitress, whale mask, perfect taco, incense shop, jasmine oil, base note
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New Orleans, Huxley Anne, Last Laugh Foundation, Mardi Gras, Bingo Pajama, Wiggs Dannyboy, Madame Devalier, Parfumerie Devalier, V'lu Jackson, Wolfgang Morgenstern, French Quarter, Lily Devalier, Quelle Blague, Kama Sutra, New Wave, Baton Rouge, Ellen Cherry, New York, Royal Street, Daughters of the Daily Special, Effecto Partido, King of the Bean, Lord Aelfric, Garden District, Jesus Christ
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Citations (learn more)
This book cites 12 books:
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55 books cite this book:
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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Jitterbug Perfume
86% buy the item featured on this page:
Jitterbug Perfume 4.6 out of 5 stars (195)
$10.20
Another Roadside Attraction
5% buy
Another Roadside Attraction 4.3 out of 5 stars (80)
$10.08
Still Life with Woodpecker
4% buy
Still Life with Woodpecker 4.3 out of 5 stars (171)
$10.20
Skinny Legs and All
3% buy
Skinny Legs and All 4.5 out of 5 stars (114)
$10.20
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Customer Reviews

195 Reviews
5 star:
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4 star:
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3 star:
 (10)
2 star:
 (6)
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Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (195 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
93 of 100 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars characters, setting, plot, language, WRITING...it's all here, January 27, 2003
By L. Rephann "curious about everything" (Brooklyn, New York United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This is my first Robbins' reading, recommended by a good friend with great taste in books. This book has just about everything I could ever ask for in a read: amazing, memorable characters that are so strange and unique that they feel all too real; dialouge lovingly rendered for each character; a wild ride across the globe, through history, customs, food, clothing, mating rituals, social class, and mythology; an amazingly intricate and creative plot that eventually ties up in the end; and finally, a grand theme that serves as the foundation to this whole wonderful, wild, imaginative, freeing ride.

One gets the feeling that Robbins had a grand time writing this book. I was laughing out loud on one page, underlining passages of exquisite wisdom the next. Everything flows so naturally; the feel of this book is LIGHT, airy, featherweight. Yet like a drone or mantra, its rhythm and texture winds its way into you until you have been relaxed by Robbins' prose into another mindscape: HIS, or perhaps, yours, expanded.

Robbins is a master of metaphors. And comedy. And when he combines the two, you WILL be re-reading passages wondering "how did he do that?" Robbins is truly a master and has a strong, unique, comedic, wise, wild, creative voice. Highly recommended. I guess I will soon be reading "Jitterbug Perfume" for a second, third, fourth, etc. time.

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40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Tom Robbins is a genius!, July 1, 1999
By A Customer
If you have not discovered Tom Robbins yet, RUN don't walk to the bookstore or library. I have read every novel this man has put out and I can't wait for the next one. Jitterbug Perfume is by far the best, though. It's about a king who fears growing old, not because of the usual reasons, but because in his kingdom, the rules require the king to be put to death as soon as he starts to show signs of aging. When King Alobar wakes up with a gray hair in his beard, it's time to move on. He fakes his death with the help of his favorite wife and goes off into the pre-Christian world to find the secret of youth. From ancient Rome to modern New Orleans, he meets a cast of incredible characters and finds the love of his life who follows him through the ages. This is a book I've had to buy a few times, since I've loaned it out to people who loved it as much as I did. That's ok. I don't mind contributing to the best author I've seen in a long time.
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A gem..., November 2, 2002
By M. Nichols (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
Damn, if Tom Robbins' "Jitterbug Perfume" isn't one of the most original, beautifully written books I've ever discovered! It is a novel that manages to be classical, comical, and comtemporary at the same time. To say that the plot involves a century-hoping effort to bottle and market the spirit of youth is like saying "Being John Malcovich" is the story of an actor's life.

Part of what makes this book irresistable is its clever and lyrical language. Robbins describes a character getting out of a spring this way: "when he surfaced, spewing and sputtering, dead leaves and the addresses of a dozen hibernating frogs strewn throughout his beard...". He describes one character's internal experience this way: "... inside her swelling head... a music was rising, a happiness was rising; her dumpy old heart was rising, made buoyant and girlish again, a lost beach ball blown miles across a levee, illuminated by heat lightening."

The book is amazing, really. I'm not sure I've ever seen a more unusual plot handled so deftly, or read a book with as full a canvas of unusual characters and locations. Most of all, the language will keep you hooked from sentence to sentence. There could be no plot at all and you would still keep reading.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars hard to take
Have you ever had someone lend you a book, tell you it's great and that you'll love it, then when you start reading it, you think the lender must really have no idea of your... Read more
Published 8 days ago by ingonyama

4.0 out of 5 stars review
recieved this book quickly. seller was honest with the description and condition of the book. i wasnt worried about the book not being in perfect condition, just happy that the... Read more
Published 1 month ago by K. Carlson

5.0 out of 5 stars Please don't read this book ...

IF YOU DON'T:

1.Want to imagine what it felt like to be king or king's wife
2. Read more
Published 2 months ago by brainhoney

5.0 out of 5 stars Tom Robbins
What can I say Tom Robbins is one of the best living American authors and will never let you down and this book is my favorite. Always a good read from beginning to end. Read more
Published 3 months ago by jimisrisingsun

5.0 out of 5 stars Quick arrival, good condition
Received the book very quickly and well since it happens to be the best book I've ever read..I'm happy!
Published 3 months ago by Daniela Radu

5.0 out of 5 stars Quantum philosophy of life
I read Jitterbug Perfume about 20 years ago. I have just reread it again, and underlined a good bit of it. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Stanley North

5.0 out of 5 stars this is book about finding god!
plucky finds god ands brings him in to the his friends life.all character in the book are great,this book describes the way honesty would expect to find Jesus . Read more
Published 5 months ago by JAMES VALESH

5.0 out of 5 stars There a but a few choice words to describe the emotion this book forces you to manifest.
Tom Robbins' Jitterbug Perfume makes you vomit epiphanic ideals down your pants and makes u sit down to savor the moment. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Sir Anthony Rodik

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow.
Amazingly well written and different from anything else I have read. It was a really fun and quick read. It is magical yet gets into deep concepts as well.
Published 7 months ago by T. Mayfield

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful and entertaining read
I was manning a Slow Food booth at an environmental fair, using the beets from a CSA box as paper weights as it was breezy, when someone stopped by to chat, saw the beets and... Read more
Published 8 months ago by P. A. Fink

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