The Rum Diary

Rating:
Summary: Tame as Dental Floss.
Review: What happened to Mr. Gonzo? This book could be read by third graders. It is silly, try-to-puff-out your skinny chest type of stuff. Mr. Hunter, actually drinks rum in this novel. Daring. Makes love to two women. Scandolous. If Thompson's name was not attached to this "novel," it would never have been published. In short, it is Ernie Hem's dental floss.

Rating:
Summary: The non-menacing Rum Diary
Review: A good coherent, witty, charming novel about a jaunt in puerto Rico gone wrong. Thompson's brilliance is seen early on as he explains to all the fine details what went wrong, what's going wrong, and what he'll think'll go wrong in this fun book.

Rating:
Summary: A book for all graduates!!
Review: I read this book in two sittings. This is a great book for anyone who has recently graduated from college or is at transition point in their life. Thompson does an excellent job of explainning the internal conflicts one has when in a new and different society. I enjoyed this the most about his story, for I can relate perfectly (I'm a resent university graduate who has been living in Argentina for 5 months) and agree with his interpretations.His description's of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean are painted brightly but not too much to be obnoxiously exaggerated. In comparison to "Fear and Loathing", I find "The Rum Diary" less abrassive and certainly easier to relate too. I enjoyed "Fear and Loathing" very much but isn't a book which makes you think all to much. It makes you think about going out and getting a drink. Thompson also expresses the confusion one feels when getting old and shows the mental weight it has on a person. This is a good book which is a must read by anyone between the age of 20-35.

Rating:
Summary: What is pre-Gonzo Gonzo? The Rum Diary tells all.
Review: HST¹s "long lost" first novel is a preview of the raw (and excellent) prose he would publish in the decades to follow. Through the protagonist Paul Kemp¹s rum-soaked evolution from reporter to fugative in booming 1959 Puerto Rico, HST brings forth all the talents for humor, cynicism, and blow-you-away narrative that come to the fore in Fear and Loathing... Unlike the more journalistic Hell¹s Angels, The Run Diary has the feel of HST¹s short pieces, and while the prose is uneven at times, when it kicks in it has the fresh bite of a tequila shot. For readers unfamiliar with Thompson¹s work, I recommend reading this alongside Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas. The diary will set you up for Fear¹s pay off. And while I can see why no 1960¹s era publisher would touch this first novel, it is more than ready to fit into HST¹s legacy as a trully great American author.

Rating:
Summary: Well at least the damn thing is finished
Review: We've all been rooting for Thompson to finish what he has called his "failed novel." It's not really a failure, but it does have flaws. The characters are pretty one-dimensional caricatures, based loosely on a bunch of real-life ink-stained wretches (it wasn't hard to spot William Kennedy's ghost). There doesn't seem to be any plot to the thing, just a series of mildly rattling incidents amongst some filthy scribes (well, STOP the presses for THAT one, Jack), nothing like the sort of Truly Alarming Thing that pops up every paragraph in the Vegas or campaign books. Thompson does demonstrate a keen, clear eye for color and description. But the narrative (and dialogue) are hokey and contrived, much like one of those newspaper films out of the 1930s. The endless scenes in the bar are tiresome. Still, any Thompson is better than no Thompson. It was overall a pleasant read. This was a breath of fresh air compared to Better Than Sex, possibly his worst work ever. Thompson ought to move to an island for his next book, rather than continue to soak up the clammy, cynical clime of Aspen.

Rating:
Summary: A damn fine book.
Review: Thompson takes a break from his harsh criticism of American politics and false dreams to tell a quaint little story about a rootless journalist in Puerto Rico whose day consists primarily of waking up and drinking rum. You almost don't notice at first how much drinking goes on because it's usually mentioned so matter-of-factly, but after a while the repitition drives home. I wouldn't be so quick as others to congratulate Thompson's mastery of fiction, though; I have a sneaking suspicion that most of this stuff actually happened to him.

Rating:
Summary: a wild romp by a madman in training
Review: A Tarrantino cast of booze sodden journalists trying to put together an American newspaper down in Puerto Rico. How they ever get a story written is beyond me. Lives lived at a maddening pace on the edge of the precipice. Civilization unhinged. A sweat-soaked, drug-addled tropical nightmare and an affront to decency. Doc's readers would have it no other way.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant!
Review: Brilliant! Thomas surprises us with his witty, saterical look at Puerto Rico at the end of the 50's in the spirit of classic Hemingway. This guy can write fiction and it makes me wonder what else he has hidden in his trunks.

Rating:
Summary: At long last, after snippets in SoD
Review: At long last! I can't wait to hear it, this strange saga of HST's, esp. after reading parts of it in Songs of the Doomed and Proud Highway. Look me up under yahoo, I'm The Great Thompson Hunt. And of course 5 stars, it's prob. going to be vintage pre-gonzo HST.

Rating:
Summary: Good read
Review: I bought this book after reading Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and hearing that The Rum Diary is being adapted into a film, again starring Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro. Anyway, I felt the book was amazing! The story sucked me right in and had a sense of fantasy and bitter reality all in one. It's also humorous and biting in sarcasm, a great read. It's made me a new die-hard Hunter fan, I've read several books of his since.