Still Life With Woodpecker by Tom Robbins had been sitting on my shelf unread for nearly a decade before I finally picked it up. I think I would have loved it had I read it when I first meant to, sometime in my mid 20's when I was more interested in long poetic digressions. Now, I found it to be pretty good, but frustrating. It's a whimsical, melancholic fairy-tale-like story with political and romantic themes that are very resonant now, despite being written some four decades ago.
I found some of the wacky similes and metaphors charming, ie “She wandered the room like a vacuum cleaner with insomnia.” Others just seemed trite. (no one old enough for a driver's license is giggling at the mention of Mrs. Claus's dildo.). Overall, I do recommend it, but I don't feel a strong urge to read another of Robbins' books. I think I get the idea.
