Rating: 
Summary: Hang On to Your Seats!
Review: A typical family is on their way to the Amazing Kingdom in Florida when suddenly, someone in a blue pickup truck flings something out of the truck and onto the back seat of their rented Chrysler LeBaron. Thus begins the wild and crazy convergence of blue- tongued mango voles, senior citizen eco-guerillas, a burnt-out ex-reporter, two inept thieves, an ex- governor turned ecological avenger, and a former mob informant who is now one of the sleaziest and richest land developers in all of Florida.
When the last two blue-tongued voles in existence are stolen from the Amazing Kingdom, Joe Winder is assigned the task of spinning the story into the standard drivel consistently served up to the media by his bosses. Joe was once an investigative reporter, and he now feels as if he has sold his soul as he fabricates the lies promulgated by the PR machine at his new job. Bud and Danny are the two thieves who stole the voles at the behest of Molly McNamara. Molly is a deceptively innocent-looking senior citizen who hired Bud and Danny to kidnap the voles. She is extremely upset when she discovers that both voles have met untimely ends before reaching her. Molly is the head of Mothers of Wilderness, a group bent on stopping the desecration of Florida's land and animal population by any means available. Francis X. Kingsbury, who owns the Amazing Kingdom, once ratted on the mob and is now living under an assumed name and identity. Francis X struck it rich by developing land in Florida in questionable deals. He then built the Amazing Kingdom - glossy and insipidly cheery on the outside, stinking like a sewer just beneath the surface. And then there is Skink, ex-governor of Florida who now lives a solitary existence in the swamplands, trying to save what little is left of Florida's undeveloped land. He saves Joe's life early on, then wreaks spectacular revenge upon Francis X and his desecration of the land in the climactic ending of the book. We also meet many minor oddball characters along the way, all pursuing their own interests.
While this is a lengthy book, it was easy to read and I often found myself laughing out loud. Carl Hiaasen has a passionate devotion to his beloved Florida and a righteous anger towards those who refuse to acknowledge the value and importance of the fragile ecosystem that sustains it. Joe Winder is the alter ego through whom Mr. Hiaasen can play out his quest for justice and retribution against those who continue to destroy the beauty of the land. I must admit, there are a few scenes that are not for the weak of heart or stomach, and I found myself quickly skimming over them. But I appreciate the author's ability not only to make us laugh, but also to make us think and appeal to our collective conscience about what is happening to our planet and to us as a people. When Bud, one of the thieves, accidentally ends up walking through the nursery of a hospital, he looks at the cooing parents and wonders why people are still having children when the world is in such a mess. More victims, thought Bud Schwartz. Bud then imagines the babies' futures: They would grow up to have automobiles and houses and apartments that would all, eventually, be burglarized by lowlifes such as himself, It is apparent that the author is wearing his heart on his sleeve in this passage as both optimist and cynic. As hope springs forth by the dawning of new life, it bumps up against the reality of our damaged and fractured world. But with Hiaasen leading the charge, there will always be a few laughs to help us along the way.
This is a new paperback edition of Native Tongue, which was originally published in 1991. It is a fun and enjoyable read. And, alas, the theme of environmental devastation is as timely today as it was when it was first written.
Rating: 
Summary: Very reminiscent of Elmore Leonard
Review: After several recommendations by a co-worker who was laughing out loud at both Strip Tease and Stormy Weather, I finally bought a bunch of Hiassen books and this was the first one that I read, and it won't be the last. First off, it is very much like Elmore Leonard. There is a crime story peopled with weird characters more involved in their own personal problems than any crime. There's the unpredictability of the plot and the location of Florida. It is also hilarious.The main difference is that where Leonard is always grounded in the reality of the situations, Hiassen lets loose with characters and situations that continuously border on the surreal. Little old ladies who shoot their hired burglar help fight with IV steroid freaks who chew off their own feet for attention while disgruntled reporters turned publicity writers have to pay $4 a minute to call their phone sex operating girlfriends. There's also the former governor who took off into the swamplands to rescue hapless environmentalists and shoot passing rental cars. And I really don't want to say how the security guard gets killed. You can probably see it coming, but it's still great when it happens. Another fun aspect of this book is the fact that Hiassen has obviously taken his fair share of lousy writing jobs as the publicity writing/phone sex scripts tension builds. THere's also the fact that the main character knows that the Dr. Koocher didn't commit suicide because his suicide note was so poorly written. What detracts from the book is that at times it seems too strained. There is a manic energy that hits a certain plateau and then can't go any farther. It's when it hits that level that you realize how unreal any of these characters are. Up until then you buy them, but then you start wanting a little reality to come in. Besides that this is an hilarious book that is one of the most bizarre crime novels that you are ever going to read.
Rating: 
Summary: Fun But Dopey
Review: After years reading the works Donald Westlake, I branched out, first to Elmore Leonard and now to Carl Hiassen. This work is fun until the strangeness and the improbability of the story bog down the last 50 pages. Hiassen is a slightly better wordsmith than Leonard, and the Florida setting is more vivid than any setting that Westlake uses. But based on this first voyage to Hiassen's world, he's not quite as good as the others. The humor is not as sharp or ironic as a Westlake tale, and the bad guys are not as fun to watch be torn down as in either a Westlake/Stark or a Leonard. Still, there are worse ways to spend a rainy day, and I suspect I will give a few other Hiassen works a try until the next Westlake book comes out.
Rating:
Summary: A review of Carl Hiaasen's NATIVE TONGUE
Review: Although I am that rare creature who was born and bred in Florida, you don't have to be a native Floridian to be taken over by Carl Hiaasen's NATIVE TONGUE. The characters are just too weird to be real and yet, when you think about it, you know you've met people like them, just not quite as overt about it. From the eco-hippie ex-governor of Florida to the guy who meets his dimise in a most unusual aquatic encounter, they will grab you by the throat and won't let go till the last page has been turned. As for the plot, well, it's got more twists and turns than a sailor's knot and a lot more laughs too. The really neat trick that Hiaasen pulls on you is that his fiction gives you the sad truth in a way that keeps you from crying. This has to be the funniest book I've ever read.
Rating:
Summary: Ultra-sleezoid characters
Review: Carl Hiaasen has a delightfully warped mind. "Thank God," his devoted readers will say. Like his others, this book is set in a very bizarre country known as South Florida. And all of his baddie characters are intent on exploiting the environment or scamming tourists. Native Tongue begins with a family vacation being 'disrupted' when a rat - uh, no, a rare weirdo vole - is tossed into their rental car. A convertible: perfect for rat-tossing. Insane and inane but dedicated environmentalists are pitted against the usual bad guys: real estate developers and environment rapists.
Four stars.
Rating:
Summary: Use Your Tongue to Read Out Loud or Just Enjoy this Yourself
Review: Carl Hiaasen may have polished his writing skills to masterpiece quality in his novels published this century but he wasn't far off it back in the early 1990's when this gem Native Tongue was written. The classic simultaneous story telling following the adventures of different characters that all link up and cross paths at sometime during the novel is again brilliantly done here.
The last two blue tongue voles on the face of the planet are stolen from the Amazing Kingdom of Thrills, a Florida theme park by two dim-witted thieves working on behalf of an old lady named Molly and the Mothers of the Wilderness. Joe Winder is the public relations man for the park who is being disillusioned by the greedy unlawful ways of his boss Francis X. Kingsbury. He stumbles upon the truth that the bluetongues were not really what they seemed to be in the first place and is fired with a death sentence on his head to be carried out by the park's steroid addicted ex corrupt cop security guard. What follows is an excellent war of duelling media releases with Joe determined to cause as much damage to the park as he can. When he crosses paths and becomes an ally with an ex governor living in the wilderness as an environmental protector now calling himself Skink the battle reaches new heights.
This is another classic Hiaasen adventure that you have to own. Other great Hiaasen novels are Hoot, Skinny Dip, Lucky You and Sick Puppy to name but a few.
Rating:
Summary: Eco-Terrorism Humorously Takes on Environmental Looters
Review: Does it make you sad to see beautiful trees and lively animals bulldozed out of their natural habitats? Well, it makes many characters in Native Tongue explode with rage . . . and they take commando actions to stop the rampant development in fragile surroundings. It's all done with waggish tongue-in-cheek humor that also lambastes tourists; organized crime; water, theme and animal parks; golf courses; property development; body builders; the Federal witness protection program; the FBI; public relations flacks; reporters; telephone sex; security guards; and of course, the environmentalists themselves.
This story develops in many unexpected ways. You will enjoy the book more if you experience all of the surprises. I suggest that you avoid reading reviews that reveal anything about the plot and characters, other than the themes.
The title of the book itself turns out to be a hilarious play on three different and unexpected aspects of the story. I don't remember a novel whose title was so appropriate for its story, yet gave so little hint about the context in the beginning.
This book came close to being a perfect satire. My only objection was I found that Mr. Hiaasen had overdone the Pedro Luz character in a way that destroyed the good humor I was enjoying while reading the book.
Do something to help nature today!
Rating: 
Summary: Way too Ridiculous
Review: Ex-reporter Joe Winder is now the PR writer for the Amazing Kingdom of Thrills theme park in Key Largo, Florida. Formerly an employee of the competition (Disney), Joe now writes real sweet press releases, you know, the sugar-coated kind. Things get a little interesting at the Rare Animal Pavilion. The rare, treasured and last two surviving specimens of the blue-tongued mango vole (similar to rats, I guess) are carelessly stolen and inevitably killed by two [bumbling] burglars hired by a 70-year-old member of the Wildlife Rescue Corps. Francis X. Kingsbury is a land developer, hiding from his past life in New York. He's the founder, president and chairman of the park. He's the big cheese. He's also developing Falcon Trace, a waterfront home site and golf club. The Wildlife Rescue Corps. is un-thrilled about this land development as well. Unlike Jack Tagger, the main character in Hiaasen's recent novel "Basket Case," Joe Winder, is dragged through the muck and mishaps at the park and into a mystery of multiple levels. His bosses have really pushed him into the investigative driver's seat. Jack Tagger of "Basket Case" takes it upon himself, out of curiosity, to get involved. A member of an old band he liked mysteriously drowns and he really wants to find the truth. Both main characters hold similar jobs, however, and get dragged into a PI position, checking out murders, suicides, looking for evidence and clues, basically sticking their noses where they don't belong and risking their lives for a lousy job. Native Tongue was too far-fetched for me. We've got a vole doctor killed by Orky the Wale, the scene set up like a suicide. A girlfriend who "talks dirty" for a living. (O-kay, that I believe.) And, Dickie the Dolphin has a helluva romp in his tank with a beautiful TV reporter. Far-fetched is fine, but this was really ridiculous. I had a few laughs, I admit, but I wouldn't recommend this one.
Rating:
Summary: Probably Hiaasen's best book.
Review: For a long time now, Carl Hiaasen has been writing books that make you both laugh and tear out your hair. This one, involving the mysterious blue tongued voles, is one of his best. He walks that line between narrative and social commentary seamlessly. He is one of the few writers who can make me laugh out loud. I consumed this book in a day. I loved every minute of it
Rating:
Summary: Hiaasen attacks Florida theme parks; Mickey ain't smiling!
Review: For those who love DisneyWorld, Epcot and the other Florida 'kingdoms' I must warn you that Carl Hiaasen, the native Floridian who hates just about everything worth hating, tears apart the organisers and operators of these eco-unfriendly institutions with 'Native Tongue'. Fans of Carl Hiaasen will be pleased to know that some of his favorite characters from his other books, include the unforgettable Skink, live on in this book. However for this Hiaasen fan I found 'Native Tongue' to be surprisingly flat. Hiaasen's books normally contain a complicated and outrageous plot, bizarre characters and great one-liners. However in 'Native Tongue' we have a plot centered on a fictious south Florida theme park where renegade environmentalists try to overthrow its crooked owner. Complicated? No. Outrageous? Marginally. Bizarre characters abound, but Hiaasen has forgetten to give them the one-liners which so enliven his other works. Bottom line: a passably enjoyable read but Hiaasen fans will be somewhat disappointed. Hiaasen neophytes should start with 'Skin Tight' instead.
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