A Pirate Looks At Fifty

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Summary: "How I spent my winter vacation", Jimmy Buffett-style
Review: Only someone with the motivation - and means - of Jimmy Buffett could have pulled off such an effort without it sounding like the ramblings of a spoiled rock star. Fortunately, Buffett the author is as talented as Buffett the songwriter; Parrotheads everywhere will no doubt laud this work, both for its insights into Buffett's life, as well as for its obvious value as a travelogue. We join Jimmy as he celebrates reaching the half-century mark in such exotic locales as Costa Rica, Cartaghena, the Amazon and the farthest reaches of the Carribbean island chain. His observations about life in these parts and the balance that he attempts to maintain as father/husband/rock star/pilot/fly fisherman make for entertaining reading, and his writing style - in brief "stream of consciousness" bursts - is as straightfoward and enjoyable as a cold beer (or rum drink!) on a hot summer day.

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Summary: Jimmy Buffett does it again...
Review: Jimmy Buffetts newest book, "A Pirate Looks at Fifty", is full of wit and wisdom, as only Jimmy can tell it. This non-fiction book centers aroun Jimmy's 50th birthday, and his adventures and thoughts surrounding it. A must for any Parrothead!

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Summary: A Pleasant but Empty Book
Review: I like biographies and I'm a Jimmy Buffett fan but I just couldn't get interested in this book. He uses his sea-plane and travels as the literary vehicle for this book but his heart just doesn't seem to be in the whole thing. My guess is that if he wasn't on the hook to produce another book this one would not have been written.

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Summary: Looking for his lost shaker of salt
Review: I find many of his song lyrics more rewarding and although this is not his best book, I do think it is worth the read. Browsing through various stores, I have found Buffett's CDs under such music-genres as Reggae, Country, Popular, Rock and Folk. Trying to classify this book into genres raises similar problems. Part auto-biography, part travel-log, part history, but totally Buffett this book takes the reader on an time-eccentric journey throughout Central and Southern America. Parrotheads will see and read about familiar things such as sea planes, guitars, Colombian guns, Costa Rican hide-outs, American ex-patriots, the lure of the ocean, and the lure of a fishing rod as well as GPS and a laptop computer. Don't think of it as a novel but rather as another trip through Margaritaville.

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Summary: A must read!!
Review: This book is incredible for everyone form Parrotheads to individuals who are looking for ultimate happiness in the world. Jimmy illustrates the trials and tribulations of a twenty-something "kid" who is trapped in a 50 year olds body, and truly enjoying it!

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Summary: meandering
Review: Good entertaining reading if you are a Jimmy Buffet fan

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Summary: Jimmy takes you along for the ride!
Review: Jimmy Buffett takes us along with him on his 50th birthday adventure to the islands and Central America. Along the way we share his memories and hear about the origins of many of his songs. Lots of fun for ParrotHeads or just travel buffs. Very enjoyable reading.

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Summary: Found out things a diehard Parrothead didn't know.
Review: I not only learned how some of my favorite songs got their names, but also got a glimpse of the reall "Jimmy"-- not just a guy who I love to hear sing. The chapters refelect most of his fans attention span-- 1-3 pages-- that's it. I got married two months ago to Jimmy's Blue Heaven Rendezvous song-- what a memory. What a Man. Read this book!

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Summary: The Best Jimmy Buffet Book Yet
Review: This book truly captures the parrothead spirit. The fact that it is told by the man living the life makes it that much better. The events which take place in the story make his music even more enjoyable. There is so much behind the three minute songs he's written. The book is fun to read, and carries a wide range of emotions, whether dramatic or heart-warming. This book is definately the best of those authored by Jimmy himself.

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Summary: has good spots, and bad spots, and going half-mad spots....
Review: As much as I love Jimmy Buffett, I really could care less what he carries in his airplane, or about his misadventures in buying a backpack. He says in the prologue that he writes in a "stream- of-consciousness" style, and that is certainly accurate. I only wish he had focussed more attention to details such as his meeting with Bob Dylan rather than describing the hassles of going through customs. I also kept waiting for him to go into being shot at in Jamaica, only to be left high and dry, reading about a bad club sandwich. Anyway, enough of my complaints. Jimmy Buffett is a wonderful, if somewhat drifty, writer. The eloquence and humor with which he composes songs is evident throughout the book. His story about his coming to grips with his father's struggle with Alzheimer's was one of the more touching accounts I have ever read. There are also many poignant moments between the man and his children which is always nice to see. There is a balance between the interesting and the inconsequential in this book, I would say the former outweighing the latter. It is more of a random sampling of anecdotes than a straightforward autobiography (Jimmy seems to be reluctant to cover any of the same ground as last year's unauthorized biography). And like his songs,it is a quick, easy to digest, and still leaves the audience with a few points to ponder.