The Rum Diary : A Novel

Rating:
Summary: REST IN PEACE
Review: We will be expecting regular dispatches from beyond the grave.

Good night, Hunter.

Rating:
Summary: the dance
Review: A fun read about a man trying to find his reward for a lifetime of rebellion. The book introduces several very flawed characters with strong personalities and has them run a paper in Puerto Rico. The main character, Paul Kemp is a rebel hero that reads people very well but doesn't get overly neurotic about trying to help them or change them. Underlying it all is Kemp's sense of a wasted past and a more wasted future, and his search for the reward that would make it all worth while. Don't let all the nhilism fool you, the balls of rebellion pull through and the book is a riot!




Rating:
Summary: Hunter's First!
Review: I couldn't believe that this was Hunter's first novel. It is one of his best.

The setting is 1960's Puerto Rico. Paul Kemp a drifting journalist is trying to figure his life out. Moving from one newspaper to the next. He makes his newest home in Puerto Rico, working for a dysfunctional english newspaper.

The plot revolves around the characters trying to find themselves and what they want out of life. They, mainly the journalists are always looking for the 'next big thing'. Of course this is Hunter S. Thompson we are talking about here, so most of the story is a drunken romp through San Juan and the troubles they get into along the way. But the actual main plot sticks together rather well.

This book is a look into Hunter's early genius, which would later produce "Fear and Loathing" and a number of his other books.

This story is great and I recommend it to all.

Rating:
Summary: A Entraining Read
Review: If you are looking for something fun to read, this book is for you. It follows a newspaper writer who becomes intertwined with his fellow journalists and their problems. The book takes you to a different world, and I would recommend it to someone who is interested in escaping into an unusual life.

Rating:
Summary: Pre-caricature HST
Review: In the Rum Diary, Hunter S. Thompson flexes his literary muscles in a way that was matched only by Hell's Angels, in my opinion. It's interesting to see Thompson as a "serious young writer," before he began drugging up and sensationalizing all of his work. Not that I dislike his other works particularly, but how many times can we read about a naked guy on acid with lots of guns, booze and drugs around? I really enjoyed the terse, straight-ahead style of this book. A fun, refreshing read that is good for any young(ish) people who wonder what their future will look like....