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B is for Beer: A Children’s Book for Grown-Ups, a Grown-Up Book for Children Audiobook
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(3.00) - 2,739 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
A Children's Book About Beer?
Yes, believe it or not—but B Is for Beer is also a book for adults, and bear in mind that it's the work of maverick bestselling novelist Tom Robbins, inter-nationally known for his ability to both seriously illuminate and comically entertain.
nce upon a time (right about now) there was a planet (how about this one?) whose inhabitants consumed thirty-six billion gallons of beer each year (it's a fact, you can Google it). Among those affected, each in his or her own way, by all the bubbles, burps, and foam, was a smart, wide-eyed, adventurous kindergartner named Gracie; her distracted mommy; her insensitive dad; her non-conformist uncle; and a magical, butt-kicking intruder from a world within our world.
Populated by the aforementioned characters—and as charming as it may be subversive—B Is for Beer involves readers, young and old, in a surprising, far-reaching investigation into the limits of reality, the transformative powers of children, and, of course, the ultimate meaning of a tall, cold brewski.
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"what fun! despite the dual claims on the cover, this is definitely a book for grownups. as with all Robbins books, the fun is the vehicle for ruminations about the meaning of life and love, and how to care for them, among other Big Questions."
— Dennis (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“The cover of this audiobook reads ‘performed by Laura Silverman,’ as opposed to ‘read by Laura Silverman,’ for a reason: Her cotton-candy voice is full of almost-musical playfulness. It runs the danger of being cloying, but given the uniqueness of the literary device Robbins uses to tell the story, Silverman’s tone is strangely appealing: This is a ‘children’s book’ seen from the eyes of a precocious kindergartener named Gracie that uses beer as the universal metaphor for life itself. Although this is shorter than much of Robbins’s work, he hasn’t lost his gift for astute, and somewhat mocking, cultural observations.“
— AudioFile -
“Whimsical, absurdist.”
— New York Post -
“Kids at heart, and anyone bemused by Robbins’ previous novels, will guzzle down Robbins’ latest brew.”
— Denver Post
Awards
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A New York Times bestseller
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An Amazon.com Top 10 Book for Food Lit
B is for Beer Listener Reviews
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" i mean... i dunno.... it's not that good. "
— Valerie, 2/8/2014 -
" I gave this book 2 stars because it does describe the brewing process in Leyman terms "fairy" well, but over all this book is really silly and I am not sure who I would even recommend it too. The cover says "A Children's Book for Grown-ups" but it is too stupid for most grown-ups and it says "A grown-up book for Children" but i dont know if I want my 7 year old reading about drinking and brewing beer. Too each his own but this book was just strange. "
— Quinn, 2/6/2014 -
" A story about beer as only Tom Robbins can tell it. "
— Bernadette, 2/1/2014 -
" Cute. Not quite sure how the publishers went for it, but what the hell do I know. "
— Nate, 1/28/2014 -
" Good, but not Robbins best. Reads like a children's story aimed at adults. Interesting if you have no idea about how beer is made. I have been supporting the existence of beer fairies for decades, so I was pleased when one showed up. "
— Mikey, 1/25/2014 -
" While entirely readable, it felt really uneven, dancing around topics without making a distinct decision as to what kind of book it was. I liked the flavor of the writing enough to where I'll check out some of his other work, but this one just wasn't for me. "
— Dave, 1/21/2014 -
" Funny, irreverent and not for children! "
— akaellen, 1/19/2014 -
" This is such a sweet story about beer. I learned a lot about how beer is made and the amount consumed yearly. So, if any child or adult want to know about the amber liquid (beer) just give them a copy of this book. "
— Marjorie, 1/18/2014 -
" I do like Red hook. This was funny and weird. My best guess is that I liked it. Now I would like a beer! "
— Melissa, 1/15/2014 -
" Not your father's Tom Robbins. "
— Daniel, 1/12/2014 -
" A short, fun read. Great for any parent who likes to drink to read to their kids. "
— Matt, 1/1/2014 -
" Tom, Tom, Tom. You used to be such a good writer. What happened? Run out of juice? "
— Marc, 12/21/2013 -
" The worst Tom Robbins yet. I had high hopes for this book but it was thoroughly disappointing. Don't bother. "
— Laura, 12/16/2013 -
" why was this in the adult section? i honestly can't believe i wasted my time reading this book. it should be in the pre-teen section. although the Beer Fairy was amusing, I KNEW they were real!! And I have a new favourite quote: "this is where the so-so hits the go-go and lets loose the mojo." "
— Lillian, 12/7/2013 -
" Reminded me of Lemony Snicket, except much more sarcastic. "
— Leah, 12/1/2013 -
" Probably the best children's book about beer I've ever read. Funny at times, but just not much there. Red it in an hour or so, and definitely worth the time it took "
— Bill, 9/27/2013 -
" It was pretty cute. Six-year-olds getting trashed makes for good storytelling. "
— Vanessa, 4/13/2013 -
" An entertaining and quick read about beer! Any kids book for adults/adult book for kids-especially if written by Tom Robbins-can't go wrong! "
— Natalie, 6/27/2012 -
" You really could let your kid read this. Cute. "
— Kathleen, 3/11/2012 -
" This is not my favorite Tom Robbins book, but I love the Uncle Moe character and the line "Every time a person goes to the mall, she loses a little piece of her soul." "
— Hester, 11/11/2011 -
" Silly...just what I would expect from Tom Robbins. Not empressed by the illustrations. "
— Gaye, 10/4/2011 -
" Fun children's tale for us all. Teaches us an awful lot about beer. "
— Krista, 10/2/2011 -
" i love the metaphors and imagery in all of robbins' work "
— Holly, 6/15/2011 -
" Fun easy read. I read it in my tent on a rainy afternoon during Telluride Bluegrass. Perfect. "
— Maggie, 6/8/2011 -
" A children's book about beer by the nutty Tom Robbins. Silly little thing... "
— Amos, 5/3/2011 -
" "the ordinary world is only the foam on top of the real world, the deeper world..." <br/>beer as we all know is made of the five elements: earth, air, water, fire, and mystery, and this gentle little tale will illustrate that for you. "
— Tuck, 4/14/2011 -
" Not his best.An odd premise,A childrens book about Beer?sounds like someone bet that he couldn't. "
— Tom, 4/12/2011 -
" Quick, cute, fun, and all about beer! "
— Krissy, 4/3/2011 -
" Sort of a children's book, but I was glad I didn't read it to the kids yet... Although they loved the title! I thought it was pretty good, but didn't totally love it. Definitely inspires one to move to Costa Rica. Only took about two hours to read. "
— Emily, 3/21/2011 -
" Fun children's tale for us all. Teaches us an awful lot about beer. "
— Krista, 3/14/2011 -
" Pretty fun book, but some errors with regard to <br/>how beer is actually made. "
— John, 2/14/2011 -
" Ughgh, I thought this book was very lame. Maybe I would have liked it a tiny bit more if I had read it rather than listened to the audiobook, but I doubt it. S is for Stupid. "
— Rebecca, 2/13/2011 -
" Eh, not to my taste. Well written, I just wasn't interested. "
— Flitterkit, 2/11/2011 -
" A surprisingly fun, lighthearted read. Don't expect it to be a challenging read though. "
— Georgie, 2/9/2011 -
" Cute and silly, a light tom robbins read. "
— Jennifer, 2/6/2011
About Tom Robbins
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 della Sera. A Southerner by birth, Robbins has lived in and around Seattle since 1962. He is the author of eight novels.
About Laura Silverman
Laura Silverman is a voice talent and audiobook narrator.