Still Life with Woodpecker

A book where an outlaw is the hero

"Sharks are the criminals of the sea. Dolphins are the outlaws." Most people view outlaws as outlandish and destructive people, but only few have been able to phonetically explain what depth and "laws" an outlaw must live by. In the story Still Life with a Woodpecker written by Tom Robbins, he is remarkable in his ability to make such deep ideas come out at a humorous level and yet still be thought of in a serious way. The story involves two abstract and opposite people who meet, love, and hate each other in a mere 3 pages. The characters, romance, and morals to this novel make it a classic.
The main character is a woman named Leigh-Cheri, but she is no ordinary actually she is a princess living hidden in the United States. She strictly believes in peace amongst everything, and just wants no one to feel any harm. She lived in solitude for a while due to her miscarriage as a cheerleader at a football game, and in her embarrassment dropped out of school. Now the second character is known as the Woodpecker. He loves dynamite and feels that everything can be fixed if dynamite is used correctly. He lives outside the law, and feels that it is his duty to go against the government for government to exist. He is a very intellectual individual and strange man. He is quoted saying, "The lung of the smoker is a naked virgin thrown as a sacrifice into the god fire", which just shows his abstract views on things.
I have never really been a fan of romance novels, but the romance in this is very different and deeper than most love we see in movies and shows. The Woodpecker and Princess meet at a peace fest in Hawaii under strange circumstances. He was trying to blow up part of the fest, but placed the dynamite in the wrong location. After she places him under citizen's arrest he woos her without even trying. It is very humorous how they both have very strong beliefs in different things and yet love overcame them.
Although most themes within the story were underlying ones they were still apparent in the novel. For example, "Funny how we think of romance as always involving two, when the romance of solitude can be ever so much more delicious and intense" this was said by the Woodpecker when he had lost someone he loved. It really shows that a person can live without a partner as long as they love themselves. Also he talks about how outlaws are actually a necessity to society, but somehow not part of society. This really shows how our world is today if you think about it.
In Conclusion, Still Life with a Woodpecker is a great read for anyone who loves an easy read with a deep story and an occasional laugh. I would highly recommend it.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

LOVE

I love this book. So far I have purchased atleast 3 copies and borrowed it twice (somehow mine keep disappearing.) It took me all of two days to read it, for the simple fact that I simply couldn't put it down. I adore Tom Robbins, and have also read Even Cowgirls, Another Roadside Attraction, and Fierce Invailds Home from Hot Climates; and I can honestly say that of them all, this book is my favorite and will always remain close to my heart.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

If you're feeling a bit down on love,

Engaging in 'Still Life' should cure such ailments, if only temporarily (which is far better than Never, mind you). As an avid Robbins fan, I can confidentally say that 'Still Life' is my favorite book of his- if not my favorite book that I've ever had the pleasure of reading. The quirky, witty writing style, in a bit of a stream-of-consciousness form (yet not overly so), hooked me immediately, and the unique nature of the book, characters, and love story is brilliant. A truly remarkable read.

Not a bad book in his canon

There's no such thing as a bad Robbins book, my favorite being EVEN COWGIRLS, which, if you haven't read, you must. STILL LIFE is my second fav. Weird, quirky, and full of insight into the human condition and all its foibles, this is one of my favorite all-time books.

Disobey the sad, sick androids

In this fable and romance set in the late 20th century, humorist Tom Robbins pulls out all the literary stops as he plays with language and narrative. He interrupts the story to sermonize and explain a bit too much for my taste. Still, I enjoy his unconventional style and countercultural mindset. Without giving any of the plot away, I think this unconventional book about a princess and an outlaw can be best summarized by what one of the lead characters says near the end: 'Ah, Leigh-Cheri, life is too short for us to be deprived of any one of its joys by the sad, sick androids who control laws and economics.' Indeed.

had the potential of being a great storyline

as with the first reviewer i agree, this book wasnt as great as his previous works. the only one that i have read besides still life with woodpecker is skinny legs and all and that book just resonated with exitement, thrill, and laughter. i found still life with woodpecker to be lacking in many areas of the storyline. for one thing, there wasnt any daffying style humor that i was accustom to know him having in his works. second, i found that the main character (leigh-cheri) was quite familar to another of his characters in a completely different novel (ellen-cherry charles). for those who are familiar with the latter character, as you are reading this book its sort of hard to get into the storyline of still life with woodpecker. another disappointment was the structure of the format of the book; mainly, the placements of a prologue, several interludes, and an epilogue. all of which are highly annoying and didnt seem best fitted in a tom robbins novel. they just didnt belong there. the constant mentioning of his Remington SL3 and whether or not it was up for the task of taking on such a story was just out of place. the way the interludes and god the end, it gave me the impression that he must of been drunk or on a hangover when he was actually working on this novel. all in all, i think that if a reader were to attempt to enjoy this novel that he/she should read this book within one or two sit ins. maybe that will change the pace and drama of the storyline and actually make the mentioning of the Remington SL3 seem relevant. its a quite funny storyline when you think about it but there were definitely room for that robbinesque swagger. there are still some questions that i would have loved to have seen pertinent to the outcome of the characters if they would have been incorporated within the story. maybe even making the fate of the constructed pyramid a little more interesting or maybe ending the story with them being rich, deaf, and as an ambassador to the Carefest/Argon convention. also keep in mind that this was a work that he published in 1980, when he was relatively finding himself as a writer and after ten years of evolving one of his most funniest/exhilirating/popular novels was published in 1991. in the end, its best if you read the book and see for yourself. you'll definitely find the woodpecker to be a very comical and vibrant character. p.s. whatever happened to leigh-cheri's love for ralph nader. it would have been so funny if he was mentioned as a proponent to pyramidology and had a crazy idea to have it incorporated as a white house department if he were elected into the next election, as well as the surreptitious govt. study of lunaception and whether the queen of england knew about it all along and carelessly gratifited herself with its discovery. you see, the possibilites of this storyline is endless......

obviously an early work

I usually adore Tom Robbin's work; however, this one didn't quite do it for me. This novel proved just how much he has streamlined (?) his work over the years. I found his descriptions to be way too over done. The interludes and commentary on the the typewrite just got on my nerves.

Reading this never made love stay..

...but even if T.R. told you how it wouldn't matter. We all want to know the secrets of love and explosives and the origin of our species and no one brings us closer than Mr. Robbins. He hears the universe sing and translates it for us to understand, (similar, but not quite like German Opera,)and it resonates.

It's amazing...**spoken from a true red head**

I absolutely loved this book....even when I was reading it I found myself reading parts over and over again. He is a brilliant writer who can make you laugh and yet think deeply on things at the same time.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Damn good book

i skateboard....i dont enjoy reading much but this book had my attention from page 1. i thoroughly enjoyed the humor and the mocking of society and the way we work. the book will make you think and make you laugh at the same time. i liked it. this is all coming from a 16 year old boy who doesnt read much......you figure it out.

A great read

wonderful, i cant recommend this book enough ... tom robbins has an amazing way of being literary without being pretentious ... the ability to be beat in the 21 century without being considered a fossil.

Best Book Ver Written

Still Life... is one of the best books I ever read. I lost my copy to a friend so I have to buy a new one. You can read this book again and again without getting bored. Um..

My Favorite Book

I absolutely love this book. I have read it many times and get something from it each time I read it. It is the only book that has made me laugh out loud while reading it. Listen to the song 'Make Love Stay' by Dan Fogelberg who wrote this song after reading this book. Enjoy!!!

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

What a fascinating book!

This book was recommended to me by my English teacher and I must say it was a great suggestion. This book is full of humor, true love, and complete bs. But it's really entertaining, super funny, and a great summer read- if you haven't tried any thin by Tom Robbins, this is a great starter. READ THIS BOOK!

It is the most extensive awesome book on woodpeckers I have ever seen

The book is better than any other of its type. I have been investigating the woodpecker species Piciodes Villosus, and until I purchased the book I was lost on its symbiotic relationships with the chickadee. Thank You for this book.

A Tom Robbins Original

Writen about a girl who just discovers true love and tries to figure out how to make it stay. Among other things like the meaning to cigerettes.

A great Book

This book is very good.I loved it

the brilliance of Tom Robbins

I just finished reading Still Life With Woodpecker about two days ago and I'm sorry it was over. I have now read all of Tom Robbins' novels and know not what else to read. He is simply the best writer I have ever read. Within the world of his books, you live with the most facinating people - people not too abnormal; they're cleverly odd enough to make them intreiguing. He combines humor, sociology, religion, and history into an exquisite magic carpet that drives you through the Pacific Northwest to other palnnets and back. In his work one discovers the bueauty of the human condition and the life of inanamate objects in a non sappy or pandering way. When you put his books down, the world is a very different place. After reading 'still life', even an anti-smoker is going to want to layout 4 bucks to contemplate a pack of Cammels. (P.S. you don't get the smae effect from a pack of lights, it has to be a pack of regulars). Bon Voyage!

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