Big Trouble

Rating:
Summary: Foul Language Distracts From Weak Story
Review: I was prepared to enjoy Dave Barry's first foray into Novels - I like his columns, and can appreciate the ironic humor. Too bad half way through the book he can't seem to keep it together. In one "plot" line, the same joke is repeated over and over and over. The language slowly goes from bad to worse, and the contrived scenes follow. (One unsettling scene involving a mother and her teenage daughter was more than tasteless, it was appalling how blase it was made to seem, and how unfunny it had become). I was embarassed to have it in the house, lest my children started to read it. In the future I will stick to his material that has been at least edited for newspaper publication.

Rating:
Summary: First stab at fiction
Review: This is Barry's first try at a fiction book, so it's understandable that it doesn't crank out as many laughs as his other books. It's got its fair share of great moments, and the plot is good, but it's not his greatest work. If you're interested in it, then take a look; if not, don't bother.

Rating:
Summary: Difficult to read!
Review: I laugh so hard that I cry, then my glasses fog up, then the words are all blurry. In spite of these problems I highly reccommend Big Trouble.

Rating:
Summary: Can you say funny?
Review: Dave Barry, award winning columnist for the Miami Herald, sets out to write a piece of fiction in this new book, "Big Trouble." Gladly, Dave succeeds. This novel takes place in the city I know so well, (I live here) Miami. This wacky novel involves a many hobos, a rich family, an unsuccesful advertiser and his son, two Russians illegally selling left over war materials from the Cold War, and a lot more crazy psychos.

After Leonard and Henry, two professional killers hired to kill Arthur Herk, a successful businessman, a wacky turn of events occurs when two young men are there to "kill" Arthur's step daughter. This is when all goes crazy. (Read the book to find out what I mean.) This is a great book that is definitley worth reading. Dave Barry did a great job and I look forward to see him write more fiction. A must read!

Happy Reading

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining
Review: This is the most entertaining books I have read for a good long time. I read books primarily for entertainment and have been in a stretch where I have been reading serious fiction. Whew! What a relief to read Big Trouble, a book that is never pretentious enough to make a claim as big fiction. The plot is not necessarily believable, but is off and running in a hurry. Puggy hitches his way down to Florida and becomes connected with the Herk family (the name is not an accident) Arthur Herk is indeed a big jerk, with some serious problems, the largest of which is that he appears to be on someone's hit list. The book quickly moves from what hilarious escapade to another.

If you are ready for a fun light read, this is your book. If you indeed expect to be edified and educated while reading, I advise you to skip it. You most likely will be outraged.

Rating:
Summary: Is this a Florida thing?
Review: Did I miss something here? I picked up this book because all my favorite authors were either dead or dying when it came to the new book arena. So when I read the first few chapters, I figured, "Hey! this is just like my other favorite author who hasn't written a new book since Pathfinder landed!" So I picked it up. Perhaps my expectations were too high. (O.K. yes they were too high.) True, I did find this book humorous but not the kind of humor I wanted. True, I thought the story line was pretty good. But not from what the "reviews" on the back of the cover stated. (I want to know if Stephen King really did fall out of his chair. I must have a fall proof chair, because I sure as heck didn't fall out of my chair.) Have I been reading "Red Dwarf" and "Street Spanish" so much that my humor bone broke?

This must be a Florida thing because I'm just not finding the book "Outrageously Warped." As I thought. Funny, yes. Fall-out-of-my-chair-and-bust-a-few-guts-with-people-thinking-I-forgot-my-prescription-kind-of-funny, no. Sorry Dave Barry. Four stars.

Rating:
Summary: The Best So Far!
Review: I am an avid fan of Dave Barry and I have to say that this is the best so far.I was leary to venture into fiction with him,but it proved to be just as-if not more-funny than his nonfiction.Like all of his books I laughed so hard that I cried,but the best part is,instead of jumping from topic to topic as he does in his nonfiction,you get to follow one train of thought throughout the book.It's definately a must-read for all his fans and hopefully it will bring him an entirely new generation of readers.Believe me,once you read Big Trouble you'll be begging for more!

Rating:
Summary: A funny writer, but not a novelist
Review: Dave Barry is probably the most funny columnist working in America today. And so it's not surprising that "Big Trouble" is filled with amusing lines and witty turns of phrases. The book is also filled with characters -- but there's not a memorable one in the bunch. The characters and plotting is at a sit-com level. A lot happens, but much of the action is predictable or silly. When I finished the book, I kind of shrugged. I love Dave Barry as a humorist, but as a novelist, I found him a waste of time.

Rating:
Summary: Laugh-out-loud funny!
Review: Quirky characters and an over-the-top plot line, set against the backdrop of beautiful, wacky, weird South Florida. --You don't have to be a Floridian to appreciate Barry's offbeat take on life in the Sunshine State. You just have to have a sense of humor... and a box of tissues, beacause you'll laugh so hard you'll cry!

Rating:
Summary: Don't read this in public...
Review: As people will think you are insane from non stop laughter. This is one of the funniest books ever written. Basically, it is a low end Carl Hiassen story about stupid Miami crooks, corrupt contractors, and unlikely heros.

What makes this book different is the absurdity of the situations with Dave's trademark descriptions. Don't miss this one for your next long plane ride.