Rating: 
Summary: Good lightweight read - a bit short
Review: I was at the Newark train station waiting for a train to Boston. The trip is about 4 hours. I didn't have anything to read, so I went to the newstand at the train station, and I picked up Big Trouble. I started reading as the train pulled out, and somewhere between Providence and Boston I finished the book. It was quite entertaining and made the trip go by very quickly. However, it seems a bit short for $, Still, Barry has a style and a sense of humor that make you forget you are on a train or wherever you are and focus you on the entertaining story that is taking place. I laughed out loud a couple of times, and people on the train asked me what I was reading and said that they had to get it too. Some of the characters remind me of people I've come across before in the real world. The satirical way in which they are represented cracked me up. I recommend buying this, and only wish that the book cost less since it was so short.
Rating:
Summary: A pretty darn good yarn...
Review: Ok, let's just get the obvious over with...yes, this in exactly the same "neighborhood" (if not "house") as Carl Hiaasen. Having said that, think Hiaasen as in "Stormy Weather," "Lucky You," or "Sick Puppy," or even "Native Tongue." It is, not to be blasphemous or anything, better than Hiaasen's work(s) in "Tourist Season" or "Double Whammy." I've been reading Barry for over ten years now, and his typical sarcasm and wit shines through every page of this one. Sometimes it gets a bit over-the-top....in other words, there are times when just a few sentences (commenting on some idiosyncratic or esoteric facet of life) would have sufficed...yet Barry, in his usual news article form, goes on and on and on. Those who know Barry know what I'm talking about. It's those sentences in which he uses about 25 commas, 10 colons, 8 semi-colons, 6 hyphens, 5 "...." (look who's talking...), and 30 parentheticals.
That's a bit much and it, at times, makes for long-windedness that ventures far beyond the story-line and amounts to a more of a Andy Rooney-esque commentary ("did'ya ever notice how..."). But, that critique aside, and aside from the (now)quintessentially Hiaasen type yarn, this is vintage Barry. It is funny, intriguing, and really makes you hate to put the book down. I found that I read it in two sittings. All in all, very enjoyable. The characters are absolutely hilarious, and, as in Hiaasen's work, leave you dying to know how they get what's coming to them. Also, for more in this vein, check out the later-works of Hiaasen mentioned above. In addition, for another Florida-mystery-spoof-type road that is a little less travelled, look into the works of Tim Dorsey. His "Florida Road Kill" and "Hammerhead Ranch Motel" are pretty dam* good....even by the godfather's (Hiaasen's) standards.
Rating: 
Summary: Not typical Barry
Review: When I heard that Dave Barry had written a novel, I had visions of a wacky, irreverent, mockery of the traditional mystery novel. I expected lots of madcap logic, and witty self-references ("Hey, didn't we do this in Chapter 3?"). Sadly, the book was nothing like what I had imagined. One of Dave Barry's greatest skills is his ridiculous exagerations of everyday life ("My boat was made in the Lincoln Administration", etc), but unfortunately, he does not get to use this talent much in "Big Trouble". This book takes itself too seriously, which is something I would not expect from Barry. His characters are too round, when I was expecting broad stereotypes. This is not a line you would normally see in a review, but I found the book was just too... logical for my liking. There are jokes, yes, and many are funny, but not once did I laugh wildly like a crazy person, which is something I usually do when reading his columns. The actual story is quite good, and it is very compelling. You really want to get to the end as fast as possible- and I mean that in a positive way. I agree that much of the subject matter is disturbing (even more so after Sept. 11), but I suppose it is all part of life, and we have to accept it. Overall, it's a pretty good book, but if you're a die-hard Barry fan, prepare for a disapointment, as this is not the same Barry you know and love.
Rating:
Summary: "Big Trouble" is right.
Review: I can't deny that this book made me laugh out loud. I can't deny that I found the ending pretty fitting, which apparently many other readers didn't. However, I have to agree that the subject matter was too dark for Barry's style. He tries to adjust the style and make it work, but it just never happens. The tone is awkward and the plot appears convoluted because the author doesn't know where he's going, as opposed to being convoluted to entertain the reader. Overall, this was not a bad first attempt. But it was very obviously a first attempt.
Rating:
Summary: A few comments
Review: This is Dave Barry's first attempt at a full-length novel, and it's actually pretty decent. It's not in the same league as the best that Carl Hiaasen or Chris Moore have turned out, but I think that would be unfair to expect that in a first attempt. it still shows Barry can turn out a funny novel that is worth reading, and knowing Barry, that he'll probably improve and be able to do even better next time. If you've exhausted Hiassen, Moore, Fitzhugh, and Welter and are looking for something more in the same vein, Barry's book is definitely worth your time and money.
Rating:
Summary: Reads Differently Now...
Review: I was drawn in at first to this fast-paced, funny book, but I could not finish reading it. Unfortunately, the events of last week have changed our perspective on things like airport security, highjackers, and bombs. The novel builds towards a climax involving all three. Through no fault of the author, this joke just isn't funny anymore.
Rating: 
Summary: Big Bore
Review: Not a chuckle anywhere. The characters dull and moronic, story line non-existent, and romance wooden. When the boy touches the girl, the author ejaculates Whoa! over and over again as if he did not add Whoa! (in italics and with exclamation point!) then the moronic reader whould not get the significance. I have always found Dave Barry's humor weak and insipid. This book just shows off his talents at their peak. Absolutely stupid book, waste of money.
Rating:
Summary: Really Good, but not quite great
Review: Hey, I just became a fan of Dave Barry about five months ago after I read one of his columns for the first time. After that I continued to read them every week and started flipping through his books everytime I stopped by the book store. Finally I decided I might as well buy one and seeing as I knew there was going to be a movie coming out based on it soon, and it was one of his recent books, I decided to start with Big Trouble.
This book is really really funny! I read in just three days ( one day only for an hour, so really only two ) I could not put it down, it was just so interesting and had som many characters and interweaving plots and interactions. I was actually very impressed with it, since it was Barry's first shot at writing a novel after at the time sixteen years of writing columns. It had a great plot and even good descriptions, so all in all, even if it wasn't funny, it would still be an interesting read.
But fact remains it is funny and definatly the funniest novel I ever read. My only problems with it were 'A ' Maybe I am just naive but I thought alot of it to be unnescessirly obscene 'B' at times it seemed like it repeated alot of the same gags over and over, such as people getting nailed the...er....groins and 'C' It seemed like some of the characters toward the end were kind of left stranded while others were focused on alittle to much.
So needless to say, those three reasons are the only reasons that didn't give this book five stars, but four stars is really good nonetheless and so is this book, so if your a fan of Dave Barry, or just in the mood for a good laugh, then pick up this book soon.
Rating: 
Summary: Fun, fun, fun!
Review: Don't just walk -- RUN to get this book! It's wonderful! It's not just a good read -- it's un-put-downable. It's not just funny -- it's hilarious, fall-off-your-chair bonkers. It's not just entertaining -- it's captivatingly silly. The characters aren't just offbeat -- they're downright bizarre. Once the thing is set up, it's non-stop action. Remember how "Pulp Fiction" brought together a lot of different story lines and bizarre charcters into one connected plot? Well, Dave's done it here, too, but I like the way it works better because it isn't mean-spirited. It's genuine fun. It reminds me of Donald Westlake's "comic crime" novels. Man, Dave, who knew you could write fiction like this? More! But, dude, why is there a crocodile on the cover? What is THAT about?
Rating:
Summary: First exposure to Dave Barry-I enjoyed the experience
Review: As I began to read I was amused at the number of things going on but soon began to tire of the different scenerios. After getting past that I completely enjoyed the zany events Dave put in this laughable mystery story. Even though I was able to figure out the ending by the time I hit the next to the last chapter I was still waiting to see how it all turned out. Far fetched yes, don't buy it if you expect there to be any reality in the events. The circumstances that had to happen all at once show how the author thinks, I sure would not want a battle of wits I am sure that I would come out on the bottom. I recommend this to any one that wants to sit and just enjoy the story. The language is a bit rough would not encourage a young adolescent to read it, but these days I am sure that they heard it all.
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