Rating: 
Summary: A Must Read For All Parrott Heads!
Review: After completely enjoying the short stories in Tales From Margaritaville, I wasn't sure what to expect from Where Is Joe Merchant. I was pleasantly surprised at how good this book really was and how quickly I got wrapped up in it. I'm a big Jimmy Buffett fan, so this was a must read for me. His writing is surprisingly good. Mr. Buffett has a great ability to suck you into a story and make you feel like you are there with the characters. It's not Pulitzer Prize material, but is a very enjoyable read.
Rating: 
Summary: Fans dig it, but is it good?
Review: Colorful characters and some excellent settings. The plot is weak and the ending was poor. Mostly read (and rated?) by his fans. If you love the music, you may be entertained by some of the references between the songs and the book.
Rating:
Summary: Loved It
Review: Indiana Jones meets Magnum PI with Sky King thrown in for good measure. If you like Buffett's style of storytelling through his songs, you'll love this book. It's like an extended rock opera. In fact, it would make one heck of a rock opera. Of course, you're probably a Parrot Head and know this already...
Rating:
Summary: Yes, I am a pirate....parrothead....phan....
Review: Right up front, I'll admit to being a true Parrothead. Have all the albums/CD's, but never read the books. Then, a kind friend heard I was under the weather and sent me her copy of WHERE IS JOE MERCHANT. I've read a lot of what's been posted here, and I can agree with the people *including some professional reviewers* who say Buffett's style is a little sloppy. However, what he lacks in style, he certainly makes up for in substance. I loved the stories about: (1)Frank Bama -- bruised and battered pilot with a commitment phobia; (2) Trevor Kane - Frank's beautiful ex-girlfriend whose family tree is so full of nuts that her last name should be PECAN or WALNUT or ALMOND. Trevor's looking for her lost brother, the supposedly dead rock 'n roller Joe Merchant; (3) Colonel Cairo who's looking for his lost arm, a treasure trove and control of Joe Merchant's fortunes; (4) Desdemona, macaroon-maker extraordinaire, who has been receiving instructions from 'the generators' on how to build a space ship; and (5) more subplots than a Robert Altman movie. There's plenty of blood, guts and action to keep even a Steven King fan interested. One of Frank's best buddies blows up a fleet of jet skis, and while it's funny on the page, it makes the reader think about man's impact on the pristine ocean. With Desdemona, Buffett even throws in some new age cosmic jokes, with hilarious results. There is a twist, however, and it caught me completely by surprise. I had to go back and re-read the passage several times before it sunk in. If you're looking for the tight, compact style of Hemingway or if you're into stream of consciousness like Faulkner, this book is probably not for you. However, if you want a good story peopled with lots of interesting characters who are flawed but wonderfully written, and if you've ever wanted to just chuck it all and live in the Keys, you will probably devour WHERE IS JOE MERCHANT as quickly as I did and you'll be wanting more Frank and Trevor stories. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: a book to entertain everyone
Review: i'm not a big reader. i find it very difficult to get caught up in a book, but this one did it for me. buffett's story and style has the ability to bring out the dreamer in anyone. there is one detail toward the end i found too far-fetched to be thrown into an otherwise feasible plot... aside from that, the book was outstanding. a must-read for anyone looking for a modern day huck finn.
Rating:
Summary: A SAD DAY
Review: Aye, me hearties, 'twas a sad, sad day when our hero penned this tripe. I love Jimmy's music as much as the next Parrothead. Nobody does what he does better. Sigh. Mr B never met a piece of clever wordplay he didn't love. I suspect he has them catalogued and cross-referenced like a vaudevillian's joke library. And they make fine hooks onto which a tunesmith can attach his melodies. So be it. But when they are sprinkled, like powdered sugar,with calculated monotony over the narrative of this book, it's enough to (...) off a Parrothead but good. The dialogue is flat, no sense of suspense or believability is ever reached. It's a real slog through the mangroves. Two thoughts kept interrupting my attempt to concentrate on the story: here is yet another pop ego run seriously amok, and/or here is a cynical stab by JB, Inc., to repackage the old stuff and separate even more moolah from the faithful. I assume the movie rights have already been sold, probably "pre-sold", and the man is laughing all the way to the bank. Jimmy, the world needs more fruitcakes and less (sic) bakers. Elmore Leonard you ain't.
Rating:
Summary: A book to change your life.
Review: I was in the Marine Corps when introduced to this book by a couple of friends. Both had read the book growing up and had read it several times since. During our down time as well as when not in the field we would have a book with us to read in some of the sparse moments we had to ourselves at times. One day I was given this book to read and told that it was "a book to change your life." I laughed at the idea, but have always been accepting of other points of view. When I was done though, I did feel different...it is some what difficult to describe, only that life was a bit more vibrant and tangible for me. I have read it three times since I finished it a year ago. It's affects will very for others, but it is one of my absolute favorites of all time!
Rating:
Summary: A Fascinating Mystery Only Jimmy Buffett Could Have Written
Review: Being a mystery author whose detective is a serious Jimmy Buffett fan, I was fascinated by Jimmy Buffett's attempt at mystery writing. In WHERE IS JOE MERCHANT?, the parrothead-in-chief has succeeded masterfully. His novel is a rambling tale involving a missing rock musician, a few lovely ladies, several obsessed Caribbean characters, and the fascinating world of the tropics. Buffett spins a wonderful tale that his fans will love and those who are not yet his fans will also enjoy. It is a top-flight mystery. Read it on the beach with a lime-enriched Corona or a salt-rimmed margarita within your easy reach.
Rating: 
Summary: Nobody but Buffett
Review: Nobody but Jimmy Buffett could have written this book. A piece of classic literature it's not, but as far as a book to sit on the beach with... it's perfect.
Rating: 
Summary: Couldn't hang on to find Merchant!
Review: I am a die hard Buffett fan so I'll give it 3 stars, but I really couldn't keep reading this one. I will attempt again but the different stories were not coming together for me. I've read better Buffett (A Pirate Looks at Fifty)!!!
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