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Big Trouble

Big Trouble

List Price: $27.95
Your Price: $17.61
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Wild!
Review: As a reader of everything Dave Barry has ever written, I can say this is at the top of the list! Hilarious twists and turns which are totally unexpected. His building up of each character, and their many faults, is neatly woven into a spider web of unbelievable adventure in Florida. His imagination runs wild between the good guys, the bad guys, the other bad guys, more good guys, and of course - the cops and the feds. I couldn't put it down. A must for any true Barry fan. I can only hope he continues to write more novels!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good Book
Review: I enjoyed reading this book, and would suggest it to others looking for an entertaining novel . . .and it has lots of laughs . ..If you want to read a book that goes straight to your heart, read Stolen Moments by Barbara Jeanne Fisher. . .It is a beautiful story of unrequited love. . .for certain the love story of the nineties. I intended to give the book a quick read, but I got so caught up in the story that I couldn't put the book down. From the very beginning, I was fully caught up in the heart-wrenching account of Julie Hunter's battle with lupus and her growing love for Don Lipton. This love, in the face of Julie's impending death, makes for a story that covers the range of human emotions. The touches of humor are great, too, they add some nice contrast and lighten things a bit when emotions are running high. I've never read a book more deserving of being published. It has rare depth. Julie's story will remind your readers that life and love are precious and not to be taken for granted. It has had an impact on me, and for that I'm grateful. Stolen Moments is written with so much sensitivity that it made me want to cry. It is a spellbinder. What terrific writing. Barbara does have an exceptional gift! This book was edited by Lupus specialist Dr. Matt Morrow too, and has the latest information on that disease. ..A perfect gift for someone who started college late in life, fell in love too late in life, is living with any illness, or trying to understand a loved one who is. . .A gift to be cherished forever

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A great laugh
Review: Dave Barry certainly knows what buttons to push to get a laugh...from the goats on the highway to Elizabeth Dole trying to steal Arthur's soul, his humor ranges from low to high brow and stays funny all the way through. True, the flavor of some of the humor is unique but that's always been Dave Barry's signature. I enjoyed it, plain and simple. But I will say don't start this book thinking you're going to read a piece of literature to ponder about...read it with a bag of popcorn and a soda (well, scratch the soda - it might end up going through your nose).

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A good trial run, but Dave's way out of his league
Review: The unimaginatively titled "Big Trouble" is an acceptable "practice run" novel for Dave Barry. He shows potential to be a good humor/suspense novelist: the characters are quirky and believable (in a cartoonish fashion), the pacing was done well, and for the most part, it was a really funny book. Unlike some critics, I didn't find the humor to be interfering with the story -- it seemed to come out of the situations naturally, and, well, it worked.

On the other hand, the "plot" left much to be desired. Sure, we ain't expecting Shakespeare here, but the story reads like fragments of an Elmore Leonard novel assembled at random and with no real logical progression; it's like a plot constructed by a 16 year old Leonard fan who's just messing around. But like I said, it's a practice run; his next one will likely be better.

The only thing I really dislike about the book is the use of profanity and the sexual assault scene. Dave seems to have been infected with a case of Tarantino-itis, believing that no dialogue can be "realistic" unless it contains multiple f-words. Similarly, the scene with the creep ripping open the woman's blouse was gratuitous and inappropriate for this kind of novel. What purpose did it serve? If Barry felt like he had to add a titillating scene, why couldn't he have done it in a comedic manner, instead of a disturbing rape-fantasy? Barry's been a successful writer without this kind of stuff before, so why does he think he needs it now?

Overall: a funny, light read that has its problems but shows potential. Just as long as he doesn't quit writing humor columns! In that area, Dave reigns supreme.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Readers--lighten up!
Review: There seem to be a lot of conflicting views about this book--evidently because its detractors expect Literature with a capital L. Wrong! It's fluff, pure and simple--in places laugh-out-loud-funny fluff. We're talking about Dave Barry, folks, not William Faulkner! No, it's NOT in the Carl Hiaasen league, but then, Hiaasen is in a league by himself, one he virtually owns. Nevertheless, Barry has written a fast, engaging, easy-to-read page-turner, the chaotic events of which owe something to the Marx Brothers for their frantic pacing and to Mel Brooks for their outlandishness. Lighten up and just enjoy it!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Like his column, but longer and not as funny
Review: Dave Barry's first novel, Big Trouble begins well with the same off-kilter sense of humor his readers love. As the novel develops, the sense of humor remains, but seems a strange contrast to the relatively unsavory actions and foul language of two of his main characters. I found the stream of swear words distracting and unnecessary. Overall, it was okay light reading, but if you want good Dave Barry, stick to his columns.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A FIRST RATE COMIC NOVEL WITH THE DISTINCTIVE BARRY TOUCH
Review: Dave Barry has already proven himself a Jedi-Master of humor in his nationally syndicated column as well as his numerous non-fiction books that offer ruminations on life in contemporary America. (The less said about "Dave's World," the sitcom supposedly based on his life, the better).

Now Mr. Barry has made the leap to the field of novels and we are all better for it. His first fiction effort, BIG TROUBLE, is a laugh-a-minute story of the confluence of several Miami-based bad guys who all have one thing in common -- their stunning ineptitude.

A homeless man meets two Russian arms dealers, who in turn cross paths with a pair of hapless hitmen, their intended target and his family, not to mention their family dog, Roger.

If BIG TROUBLE fails to make you laugh, then you have surely had your sense of humor shot off in the war.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Nice Book!
Review: I enjoy reading Dave Barry, and have several of his books, andI thought this one was pretty good. Although I didn't like the sexualassault and the overuse of language, the sequence of events in most of the story was very funny, esspecially the Dog vs. Toad wars, and the Sex Pootie song. For the people who think this book isn't funny, they obviously have no appreciation for Barry. That can be expected. I think it is well worth the $20.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Carl Hiassen lite
Review: Um- how can you say anything bad about Dave? Mildly amusing, mild character development, hey- he tried. Dave, we love you; stay with what you know. -Damn funny at the book signing!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Big Trouble
Review: As a proud owner of every Dave Barry book, and an alert reader of his column, I found this book to be pretty funny. Some parts got a little weird, and boring; but I haven't read a novel yet where that doesn't happen. I will admit that I like his humor books better, but for a first-time novelist, it was pretty good. The humor was OK. I bit raw at points. But the point is: It made me laugh. It made a whole lot of other people laugh too. Buy it.


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