Rating: 
Summary: Great, fast-paced read
Review: A really good book. I was suprised at how good it was, considering it's Barry's first novel. Nicely done, well-paced, with great dialog.
No, it's not like his columns, although you do see some parallels in the situations his characters enter. And there's the same twisted take on Miami.
I guess a few people got this book and found out that Dave took the liberty of using coarser language for some of his coarser characters. Which is smart, given the premise and setting for the story. Can't recommend this one enough -- if I had to some it up in one analogy, I'd say it's a lighter, funnier "Get Shorty".
Rating:
Summary: Miami's slyest booster (sort of)
Review: As the many readers of his column know, Dave Barry has a sideways sort of sense of humor. And, as much as he loves Miami, he's certainly not blind to the failings of his home town, where gun-ownership is a given. His first novel is part Marx Brothers, part Carl Hiaasen, part Goofy-on-dope, all set in the Miami suburb of Coconut Grove. Eliot Arnold is an ex-newsman struggling to make it with his small advertising agency, while his teenaged son, Matt, plays "Killer" with squirt guns. Matt's intended victim, Jenny, is the daughter of Arthur Herk, vice-president and bag man for a thoroughly corrupt and murderous local corporation, whose days may be numbered as a result of his not-bright embezzling. And there's Puggy, a street person living in a tree in the Herk's walled yard, who has a thing for their illegal maid, Nina. Puggy also works (sort of) for two Russian ex-army chislers who own a run-down bar as a front for their arms-dealing operation. And there's Snake and Eddie, small-time grifters who decide to make a big score -- bigger than they know, unfortunately. And there's FBI agents and assorted cops and several overlapping love stories and a very suspicious metal suitcase. (Now I've gotta see the movie!)
Rating: 
Summary: Okay, but what I hoped from Dave
Review: Background: grew up in South Florida reading and loving Dave in the Miami Herald but I live many states away now. I found out after reading the book that it was made into a movie starring Tim Allen. I'm sort of a movie buff but still had never heard of the movie and to date I've never seen it.Pretty good book, but not what I had hoped from Dave Barry. I guess this was his first foray into a full novel. The frog is the best part and it is pretty much what one would expect from a goofy, South Florida tale. It has lots of funny moments, but I really don't know if non-Dave Barry fans could enjoy it because the end story leaves alot to be desired. Nonetheless, if you get if for cheap, it's a quick read and it's funny.
Rating:
Summary: Fast Beach/Airplane Reading and Instantly Forgettable
Review: Dave Barry - Columnist: Awesome. Dave Barry - novelist: so-so.
I began the book with high expectations: to laugh through the 300+ pages; perhaps even with tears in my eyes. What I experienced was an occasional guffaw every 100 pages or so.
Ok, the book does move fast. If you can keep track of the gazillion characters (well, maybe 20) and their motivations, you can have fun with the book. Don't expect deep, thought-provoking, multi-layered characters. These are Florida residents we're dealing with. :-) What you get is a screwball race running on high octane that doesn't slow down until the last page.
Rating: 
Summary: A fun ride
Review: Dave Barry, writing his first novel, had no right to come up with something this good. I'm not saying it's literature; it is simply one of the most entertaining books I've listened to in a long time. It's easy to follow and knock-down funny, especially in the beginning. I picked this up from the library to listen to on a long road trip. My attention was held the entire time. Something like this is perfect for those trips, because while you're laughing, you're not thinking, "I've still got six hundred miles to go." Barry's characters are some of the most offbeat I've met since Carl Hiaasen (whose territory he admits invading, and who also worked at the Miami Herald) and Elmore Leonard. Original it's not, fun it is. Dick Hill's reading is part of the fun. While his women all sound like Dave Foley (Kids in the Hall) and some of his characterizations are over-the-top, I still enjoyed his work. He often would surprise me with his choice of voices and I was always able to tell one character from another. The ending tests credibility quite a bit--and the humor flags while trying to wrap things up--but it's all in fun and I was able to suspend disbelief in order to make it to a very satisfying epilogue. For a nice break between bouts of Russo, Updike, and Chabon, pick this up and give your brain a rest.
Rating:
Summary: One of the funniest books I've read in a long time.
Review: Humorist Dave Barry shows a real flair for fiction in this comedic thriller set in Miami. From the moment the action begins with homeless kind hearted Puggy stepping off the bus and into employment as a paid illegal voter, the laughs and the action never really stop. The narrative focuses on a comedy of errors as Russian arms dealers (who moonlight as owners of the infamous Jolly Jackal bar), careworn Eliot Arnold (owner of his own faltering public relations firm and ad agency), his son Matt (who is trying to "kill" - i.e. squirt with a water gun as part of a teenage game - the beautiful Jenny, daughter of much abused Anna Herk, who is married to the scummy and evil Arthur Herk, and various other oddball and nefarious characters come together in a complicated plot that simultaneously keeps you on the edge of your seat and laughing out loud. As he does in his columns, Barry takes just the right mix of fantasy and impossibility and then mixes it with real life ironies and contradictions to come up with a funny, yet scary scenario that you know could actually happen, especially after the events of the last year after the terrorist attacks of September 11. Barry's characters are a bit over the top, yet they are still believable in the sense that we've all seen their like before. He has the talent of making you care about what happens to them, even if in some cases you actively want them hurt. I recommend the book to anyone who likes Carl Hiassen, Elmore Leonard, Janet Evanovich, P. G. Wodehouse, and other practitioners of the mix of crime and comedy. I sincerely hope that we see more novels from Barry's pen (or typewriter) soon! And I wouldn't mind seeing some of the same characters return in some sort of sequel. Especially the "killer toad". Maximum 5 stars all the way.
Rating:
Summary: a great humor/crime novel!!!
Review: I found Dave Barry's novel, Big Trouble, a very entertaining story down to the last page. The book is filled with action and witty humor throughout. The book is a light-hearted crime novel - a storyline of a robbery, with comic relief where it is needed.
Dave Barry creates a wall of characters in the story, which makes the book read a little faster, as he is jumping from character through character throughout the book. The only problem with this is that although the large amount of people in the story adds to the plot's depth, it is easy to get lost between the character's names and what's happening to whom.
Even with this mild flaw, though, the story still reads well and the plot flows brilliantly. Dave Barry takes completely different characters who have nothing to do with each other and then pulls them together through a series of events. At first, no plot seemed evident to me, but as you read on, everything begins to fit in, and then the adventure starts!
The story is a very original one involving a nuclear bomb, a game called killer, a large toad, a homeless man, a bar that's purpose is not to sell drinks, and two hitmen, two police officers, two high schoolers, two FBI agents, and two "veterans". It seems like it would be impossible to write a book incorporating such a wide variety of ideas and thoughts and yet still keeping it an interesting story, but somehow, Dave Barry manages to pull it off.
I find this story very hard to describe in a few short sentences, as there is just SO much that goes on in it. It takes place in Miami, where a victim of attempted murder tries to buy a bomb to get the attention of the feds in some crazy plan of his. It just so happens that two amateur robbers were about to commit their crime in the place where the bomb was being illegally purchased. When the robbers see all of his money they assume him to be a drug kingpin and take him hostage. As the story goes on more characters get involved, until they are all in one big dangerous mess.
I found the ending a little weak, though. Without giving anything away, I think Dave Barry could have added a couple more pages to sum it up just a little better, but my overall impression was still excellent, despite the short ending.
If you're the kind of person who looks for a moral, or the kind of person who wants to "get something out of a book", I think you DEFINITELY need to approach this book with a different attitude. This is the type of book involving hallucinogenic toads and squirt guns-you'll find no moral here, this book was written to make you laugh! Besides, too many books are too serious anyway, it's good to take a break from that.
I have read his newer novel also,(Tricky Business) and I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys this book. I have also noticed they made a movie from this book, but I have not seen it yet, so I'm not sure how accurately it really follows the book. I highly recommend this book to people who would enjoy a fun-to-read crime story. The only reason why I gave this book "4 stars" out of five, was for the confusing amounts of characters and the abrupt ending. Don't let that discourage you though, if this book sounds appealing to you, give it a chance, I'm almost certain you'll love it!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Sorry, not funny
Review: I have been a fan of Dave Barry since his early books (Bad Habits). Therefore, I purchased this novel inmediatly, expecting the usual barrel of laughs. Well, it is not. The book is a little painful to read. By example, Barry fills holes on the dialogue with the expression "Oh, Jesus" (not used by just one characther, but by most of them). He cannot keep a conversation flowing smoothly. The other point is that the book turns into an action movie, as if Mr. Barry was thinking about the potential of selling movie rights. Dave is a witty observer of human nature and the cultural absurdities, but the story does not give space to these strenghts. An scene in which a woman is humilliated while some crooks expose and touch her breasts is unnecesary and ruins the "fun environment". Once again, it seems more concerned with giving Hollywood producers some skin. Anyway, there are some funny characthers and situations, and Dave Barry is able to make a complicated plot easy to follow. I did not enjoyed "Big Trouble", but if Mr. Barry writes another novel, I am willing to give it a try.
Rating:
Summary: still funny after all these years
Review: I read this book when it was first published and laughed my head-off. I purchased this book for my book snob friends (and my extremely finicky brother)and they all laughed until the tears poured. I just reread the book to see how it ages and it is still one of the funniest pieces of pulp to ever grace these hands. Just release your mind, suspend your sense of reality and let go for a few hours with this book. It will make everything going on in your life seem so normal and serene.
One word of caution - empty your bladder before you begin the adventure!!
Rating:
Summary: Okay, but what I hoped from Dave
Review: May I first say that I am a fan of Barry's? I love his columns and his comedy books. I didn't like this in the least. It reaks of rookieness. The characters are so flat and predictable that you will not be able to attach to them. The plot is empty and very, very boring. And, worst of all, he seems to try and make up for it with distasteful humor. I'm no prude, but this is pretty vulgar stuff, and the payoff in humour is lacking. Barry is a great columnist, but his fiction is bottom of the barrell, please don't bother.
|
