Wild Ducks Flying Backward

Robbins calls himself a "romantic Zen hedonist" and a "stray dog in the banquet halls of culture." If only this audio presentation of his short stories, essays, and poems were as interesting as his self-proclaimed titles. Aside from a one-dimensional introduction read by Debra Winger, Robbins reads every word. His delivery is dull, his pace excruciatingly slow, and his presentation lacking in vocal dynamics. He even starts each piece by saying, "This next one is entitled . . . ." One can only imagine how the delivery of his eccentric observations might have been improved by a professional narrator. This effort is disappointing. M.R.E. (c) AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine