'Jitterbug Perfume' by Tom Robbins is a whimsical and eccentric novel that weaves together multiple storylines revolving around immortality, perfume-making, and the love story of Alobar and Kudra. The book is known for its unique blend of mythology, romance, humor, and eccentricity, with characters pursuing the quest for eternal life and the perfect perfume recipe. Robbins' writing style is characterized by clever similes, witty humor, and imaginative storytelling, creating a fantastical world where beets, immortality, and New Orleans perfumeries play central roles.

Characters:

The characters represent a diverse cast, each with distinct motivations and stories that enrich the narrative's exploration of immortality and the human experience.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is characterized by imaginative language, inventive humor, and a philosophy that cleverly intertwines with the plot.

Plot/Storyline:

The narrative weaves together four distinct strands, each of which explores themes of immortality and scent, culminating in a shared discovery that connects characters across time.

Setting:

The book's settings range from medieval Europe to contemporary urban landscapes, enhancing the narrative's exploration of time and existential themes.

Pacing:

While initially engaging, the pacing becomes inconsistent, particularly mid-narrative, before resolving as the stories converge.

Blacksmiths hammered the Edge Serpent on the anvils of their closed eyelids. Wheelwrights rolled it, tail in mouth, down the cart roads of their slumber. Cooks roasted it in dream pits, seamstresses s...

Notes:

The book begins with the line, "The beet is the most intense of vegetables," which sets a whimsical tone.

It features four narratives that intertwine, combining themes of immortality, love, and scent.

One narrative follows Alobar, a king from 10th century Bohemia, seeking immortality and escaping his death sentence.

Another narrative involves Priscilla, a waitress in Seattle, who is creating a special perfume in her chemistry lab.

Lily Devalier and her assistant V Lu Jackson work on perfecting jasmine scent in New Orleans.

The story highlights characters receiving mysterious gifts of beet plants, linking their fates to the vegetable.

Robbins uses lush prose, puns, and metaphors to weave humor and serious themes together in a unique way.

The narrative includes the ancient god Pan, who struggles to remain relevant in a changing world dominated by Christianity.

There's a focus on the philosophy of desire, happiness, and the nature of reality throughout the book.

The book's humor is often compared to absurdist writers like Douglas Adams and Kurt Vonnegut, making it both entertaining and thought-provoking.

Jitterbug Perfume explores the connection between scent and human experience, reflecting on mortality and living fully.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Content warnings include explicit sexual content and potentially triggering philosophical discussions.

Has Romance?

The book contains strong romantic elements, particularly between the characters Alobar and Kudra.

From The Publisher:

Jitterbug Perfume

is an epic.

Which is to say, it begins in the forests of ancient Bohemia and doesn't conclude until nine o'clock tonight (Paris time).

It is a saga, as well. A saga must have a hero, and the hero of this one is a janitor with a missing bottle.

The bottle is blue, very, very old, and embossed with the image of a goat-horned god.

If the liquid in the bottle actually is the secret essence of the universe, as some folks seem to think, it had better be discovered soon because it is leaking and there is only a drop or two left.

Ratings (31)

Incredible (9)
Loved It (12)
Liked It (6)
It Was OK (3)
Hated It (1)

Reader Stats (72):

Read It (34)
Want To Read (30)
Did Not Finish (2)
Not Interested (6)

What can you read after
Jitterbug Perfume?

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About the Author:

Tom Robbins has been called "a vital natural resource" by the Oregonian, "one of the wildest and most entertaining novelists in the world" by the Financial Times of London, and "the most dangerous writer in the world today" by Fernanda Pivano of Italy's Corriere…

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