B is for Beer
“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
An Amazon.com Top 10 Book for Food Lit
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.
Praise