🥰🤩❤️ Emma sunshine Queen ☀️👑 Happy Anniversary to my account 7 years 🎂 💞 Feel proud of Emma, been Wonderful in all her projects in more Amazing Mom, Person 🌸🌼 #EmmaRoberts #Emmies
Sending happy vibes from my shelfie to yours! I hope your day is filled with many wonderful pleasantries! . . . . . . . . #shelfie #bookshelf #homelibrary #booksonbooksonbooks #shelflife #guardianbooks #addictedtobooks #met_createchange #booksoftheday #belletristbabe #styleathome #decordailydose #loveyourhabitat #bookshelfie https://www.instagram.com/p/BoMJ6WsDrxd/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1ednmckvtere0
"Love is the ultimate outlaw......I love you for free." - The Quirky Tale of Still Life with Woodpecker by Tim Robbins
Due to the novel's extreme peculiarity, it was almost hard to begin writing the review without sounding like a lunatic. My first Tom Robbins novel has opened an entirely new level of understanding of the insane absurdity in a tale. Yet, no matter how bizzare the story went, it was a crazily fun and liberating experience because sometimes, one might need a break from those heavy-themed litetatures and this book would be a perfect pick for just that particular reason. Reading the book made me feel like I was on a fun road trip with friends, driving mindlessly with a lot of crazy fun in between. There is no summer in my country but I'd have to agree with those who think that this book would be a perfect summer reading. The Hawaii setting in the beginning of the story also helped building that vibe perfectly.
The tale revolved around the life of a princess named Leigh-Cherry who was the daughter of the king and queen of Furstenberg-Barcalona kingdom, King Max and Queen Tilli. Their reign had ended and instead of residing in their homeland, they became a fugitive in the US. The princess had faced typical teenager problems like teenage pregnancy and abortion, which later caused her to swear on celibacy. That until she met this outlaw named Bernard Wrangler (Woodpecker) in a convention. They quickly became lovers despite Bernard's love in blowing up places with his dynamites (literally). These two readheads were head over heels about one another and though their personality clashed in the beginning (outlaw and a law abiding princess) they struggled and moved to the center to find compromise...to make love stay (one of the biggest questions discussed in the story). There were lots or crazy philosophy and conspiracy theories about the moon, lunar and somehow its relation with women's menstruation, the readheads that was believed to be cursed, the planet Argon, the pyramid and its existence both in in a pack of camel cigarette and the dollar, apparently, spluttering around the story which added to the story quirkiness. The ultimate was definitely about love, as one believed love to be the ultimate outlaw (...I love you for free) and the other believed the complete opposite.
The most interesting part, though, was related to the princess complete devotion toward her lover by creating an almost accurate duplication of the lover's prison (you have to find out why Bernard was arrested yourself). She locked herself in the attic, painted the room pitch black, threw the comfortable mattress away, ate with rationed food, peed in a bucket, and accompanied by a pack of Camel cigarette -- she did not even smoke. Her devotion was very superficial and dare I say, stupid if only it was the typical plotted novel. Regardless, it was incredibly superficial, typical plotted or not. But, the highlight, was indeed not that superficial act instead the solitary moment she had during her alone time in which she could sync her body with the moon and understood better about that pack of Camel and the pyramid. Now, though I did not really think those were matter of importance nor did I took it literally, I would say that it was my favorite moment because it gave me the pleasure of understanding more about ourselves during the time when we were alone. Creating the deepest level of intimacy with ourselves until we reached a mind and body synchronisation is not to be overlooked. Hence, this quote expressed by our one and only outlaw, "Funny how we think of romance is always involving two, when the romance of solitude can be ever so much more delicious and intense. Alone, the world offers itself freely to us. To be unmasked, it has no choice.", easily became one of my favorites, among many others.
Most of the time, I found the main male character Bernard to be the most agreeable, apart from his love of dynamite and blowing up places. Sometimes, his beliefs were questionable but most of the time his distinct way in looking at the world earned him the favorite character title. Some of the quotes that I like are, "We are our own dragons as well as our own heroes, and we have to rescue ourselves from ourselves." and "Don't let yourself be victimised by the age you live in. It is not the times that will bring us down, any more than it's society. When you
put the blame on society, then you end up turning to society for the solution...". He could be some kind of a life guru, but he was not crafted to be perfect in the story. He was flawed and, as I have said, some of his beliefs and actions were questionable yet I have learned one valuable thing or two by reading his character.
The story ended tragically but happily because, though the once parted lovers reunited in a pyramid (built by the princess new lover Aben F'iezel), they were actually locked inside for some times with only wine and a cake to live on. What happens next and how the story really ends will be for you to find out.
I probably have spoilt a great part of the story but believe me, no matter how much I have let on, you will still find a whirlpool of arbitrary plot twists and bizzare moments to keep you hooked. Some may even sound like a drunk story that do not even make any sense! Most of the time I wonder whether the writer has intended to send some sort of cryptic messages but some other times I just cruised along with the story -- in which I felt more liberated because it magically unlocked a lot of valves in my brain which previously segregated with many aspects of how the story should go (based on my reading prior knowledge) such as certain plot development or theme or logical progression of writing or other structured stuffs. In my case, I chose to be liberated by simply went along and enjoyed the ride. It's different from what I usually read, but it's worth the journey. Just like that fun road trip analogy, it's crazy fun but it gives us lessons to learn from the simplest or the wierdest or even the most superficial things we encounter during the journey.
[Discovered the book through two actors Sebastian Stan and Emma Roberts. Special love for Emma Roberts for making this page called Belletrist that recommend books every months and hold intervew with authors as well. It is my newfound heaven]
🥰💖 Happy Birthday Emma 🎂🌸🌼 You’re our Sunshine, Queen, Wonderful source of inspiration and Love ☀️
You’re smile give joy to the World 🌎💞✨ it’s a pleasure to admiring you troughs the years, became an Amazing Mom in more Talented Actress 👑💃🎉 #EmmaRoberts #Emmies
