Native Tongue

Rating:
Summary: VERY FUNNY
Review: There is no doubt Carl Hiaasen is hilarious. In fact, he may be the funniest man writing mysteries. This is by far his funniest book, and I've read them all. The only catch, he's a bigot of the worst sort. Under the guise of attacking special interest groups and racists, he shows the same narrow minded, arrogant and at times extremely misinformed opinions about anyone or anything that doesn't agree with his political views. And be assured they are extremely liberal. So it's Carl's special interests vs. other special interests, and what's the difference? I think my biggest concern is he clearly advocates terrorism or vigilantism to accomplish goals. Nonetheless, the guy is damned funny, very clever and an excellent read. Just search between the lines, it's so typically liberal and transparent, with the end justifying the means.

Rating:
Summary: The funniest book by a great author.
Review: This book is HANDS DOWN, one of the funniest pieces of literature ever.

Some reviews have ripped on Native Tongue's almost cartoony characters and too wild plot. But this book is as brilliant as Stanley Kubrik's Dr. Strangelove: as biting in it's subject matter and as wild in character and story.

This is the best.

Rating:
Summary: Hiaasen, where the unexpected and unaccepted reign!!
Review: This is classic Hiaasen, serious eco-message, whacky characters and a fast pace that pulls it all together!
When a former journalist takes a position as a publicist for an entertainment company he finds himself party to a big con job, and that is just the beginning. This story brings together Skink, the former Florida governor turned eco-terrorist/hermit, and Jim Tile, a Highway Patrol officer, a slimy con who is in the witness protection program, a little ole granny who shoots people to make a point and a young woman in a raccoon costume. When more land begins to undergo development in the Florida Keys, and endangered animals and people start disappearing you know Hiaaasen will take you on another crazy ride where the unexpected and the unaccepted reign!

Rating:
Summary: Hiaasen's A Genius!!
Review: This is my first Hiaasen novel, and I read it in two days during the approach of Hurricane Bonnie. I just couldn't put it down! The whole thing is so unrealistic, that you can't help but believe that everything in the entire book is true. This world is just that wacky! And it has something for everyone... Mystery, murder, comedy, sex, passion and a cause. I can't wait to receive my next Hiaasen novel!

Rating:
Summary: Slapstick in South Florida
Review: This is probably his funniest book (so far) but is not the best written. It is slapstick, improbable, but great fun and an easy read; well worth buying.

Rating:
Summary: A Feast of Laughs
Review: This is the first Hiassan book that I ever read and I can remember laughing out loud almost from the first page. The surrealistic plot hardly seems exaggerated at all considering what south Florida has become in the last few decades. The weird characters and improbable plot somehow become totally believable in Hiassan's deft hands. Despite the laughs, Hiassan never loses sight of his more serious purpose - highlighting what crass and tastless overdevelopment have meant for his state.

A great book by a real American original. I recommend it (and all of Hiassan's books) to anyone who needs a healthy - and serious - laugh.

Rating:
Summary: A Pleasant Surprize
Review: This was my first Hiaasen book (and I purchased it used for a dollar)so i wasn't expecting much. i usually like cozy mysteries, however, in this case I was glad to make an exception. The book was wry and wonderfully funny. Three dimensional oddball characters and crazy situations (written smartly). None too deep, I felt like I was on a particularly manic Spring Break. Nothing wrong with that!

Rating:
Summary: One of the two funniest books I've ever read - Clever!
Review: This was my first Hiaasen book, and it was so funny and thought provoking that I rushed to read his others. None have measured up to Native Tongue. Native Tongue & Catch-22 are the only books I've ever read that were so riotiously funny that I had to lay the book down because tears were running down my face. His characters are perfect, I've met people like some of them. I liked it so much that I've bought it as presents for my friends and family. My brother loved it and wanted to read more Hiaasen.

Rating:
Summary: Native Tongue, A Whimsical Mystery by Carl Hiaasen
Review: When it come to satire, Carl Hiaasen, a tongue in cheek editorialist for the Miami Herald is a master. Likewise with his dozen or so improbable novels.

This review is about my personal favorite novel from the amusingly wacky mind of Hiaasen, so if you like your mysteries with an off the wall, absurd slant, (more loony than mystery) read on.

The central villain of Native Tongue is Francis X. Kingsbury, he, the boorish owner of a shabby second-rate nature theme park, Amazing Kingdom of Thrills Theme Park, who, with jealous eyes, aspires to be a competitor for Disney World, and consequently, has plans to further rape the environment with an ostentatious condo development and adjoining golf-course.

Our protagonist, who may be a vicarious creation of our author, is Joe Winder a former journalist, who initially goes to work as a PR/Damage Control man for the Amazing Kingdom of Thrills Park. His boss Kingsbury happens to be in a government witness protection program for ratting on John Gotti.

Our Story starts out when a pair of Blue Tongued Mango Voles, an extremely rare endangered species, are stolen from a pavilion at the theme park. The Voles one of the park's premier exhibits strongly resemble rats with a blue tongue. Shortly thereafter a series of murder and mayhem begin and our hero is inextricably drawn in to investigate.

Along the way we get to see a plethora of nutty characters, starting with every Hiaasen fan's favorite, Skink, a former Governor of Florida turned eco-terrorist/hermit. Other wacky characters include, Grandma, a 70-year-old pistol packing member of the Wildlife Rescue Corps, A girlfriend who "talks dirty" for a living, a heavy handed gun loving Sheriff's Deputy and a young woman in a raccoon costume, not to mention Dickie the Dolphin has a helluva romp in his tank with a beautiful TV reporter and Orky the Wale, who kills the Voles doctor, which is subsequently set up like a suicide.

Sound like fun? It is, so I won't spoil it for you. Read the book!

Native Tongue was Hiassen's fourth solo novel and as with the others is set in his home state of Florida. While Hiaasen's wit is undeniable, there is an underlying agenda in his books. It is obvious that Mr. Hiassen is a conservationist and is not happy with the wanton rapid, seemingly unregulated development taking place in Florida.

Hiassen's writing is amazingly simple and straight forward.
Being an editorialist this is a man that knows how to write. His preposterous stories are so interesting that the pages just wiz by. His characters are also unbelievably interesting if not outright Wacky. For Instance the six foot five, ex-Governor Skink who Hiaasen seems to reprise in most of his novels is a beloved character, sort of like F. Paul Wilson's Repairman Jack. For those of you who are not familiar with Skink, it's a funny story. When he was governor his liberal conservationist programs were thwarted by the legislature at every turn. Rumor had it that he just flipped out. He did get so disgusted that he walked out of the Governorship and from time to time is spotted in the Everglades sporting a shower cap.

If you are in the mood for a light entertaining read I highly recommend Hiaasen, especially Native Tongue

Rating:
Summary: Great Carl Hiaasen
Review: You know, when an author puts out a number or series of books, there are bound to be favorites. Unrelated, I always found Robert Parker's "Searching for Rachel Wallace" to be my favorite Spenser, Nelson DeMille's "Up Country" my favorite DeMille and my favorite Follet, easily "The Pillars." And this is my favorite Hiaasen.

"Striptease" is funny and in it's own way riveting as is "Skin Tight." But "Native Tongue" raises the bar on well written wackiness. I would tell you about the plot but I'm not sure there is one. Just watch Joe Winder, a frustrated Carl Hiaasen in his own right, and wait for the appearance of Governor Skink. That's ex-Governor Skink. 5 Stars. Larry Scantlebury