Rating: 
Summary: If Tony Bourdain cooks as well as he writes...
Review: I'll move to New York and eat at Les Halles twice a week. Mid-week, of course.I loved "Bone in the Throat," and was delighted to find major characters re-appearing in "Gone Bamboo." I read it in an afternoon, and heck! I didn't think it was too hardboiled. In fact,I did cry in a couple of places. Like Elmore Leonard, Bourdain knows how to write dialogue. He also knows how to create characters, and write a pageturning plot. The sense of place, in this case St. Martin, is done so well that I could feel the sand between my toes, smell the barbecue shacks and want to run to the fidge hoping to find a bottle of Red Stripe. Bourdain has a nice touch especially with creating strong female characters. Frances, the female protagonist, is now my idol and role model.
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining ... good beach read
Review: Looking for a good escape while sunning on the beach? Here it is in the guise of cooking guru Anthony Bourdain's novel of a transvestite mafia boss - husband and wife CIA hitmen - seedy St. Maarten - unsuspecting chef and wife - and an ex-mafia boss with a colostomy bag. Bourdain has cooked up a trash-fest of characters and locales that will keep you amusingly occupied for a day or so of fun reading. While somewhat predictable and definitely filled with Bourdain's unique sense of plot development, this was a very easy read. Character development is mostly good although there are some characters who Bourdain develops nicely and then disposes of ... manipulation of the cruelest sort. Those foodies out there hoping for the cooking overtones of Bone in the Throat will be somewhat disappointed (only a few forays into Bourdain's cooking descriptions). Bourdain does do a nice job of setting the scene in St. Maarten though. The ending leaves one hanging to a certain extent ... perhaps there will be a sequel. Being a fan of Bourdain's writing in Kitchen Confidential, A Cook's Tour, Bone in the Throat and Gone Bamboo one can only hope that he continues to explore the seedy underbelly of life more in future fiction. Have fun.
Rating:
Summary: Bourdain Drops a Notch
Review: Maybe three stars is a little low. However in rating a book by an author whose previous work was stellar you can't help but be biased. "Gone Bamboo" is an above average novel with strange characters, a good storyline and some great action. However Bourdain gets away from what made his first book so good. The gangster feel is not as pronounced in this book and the restaurant setting is nonexistent. "Gone Bamboo" is about semi retired hit man Henry Denard and his wife Frances. In the begining Henry is hired for one last hit on a mob boss Charlie Wagons. After botching the job Henry and Frances are hiding out on a tropical island. When who moves in next door Charlie Wagons himself, also hiding from the mob in the witness protection program. Henry know the mafia will come looking for Charlie and realizes that he may be found too. Henry befriends the ex-mobster and when the time comes for conflict the action really gets jumping. The major fault of this novel is that it is hard to like Henry or Frances. They are lazy,drug users, which when the actions starts makes it hard to believe their reactions. If you consider reading this book, I strongly suggest you read "Bone in the Throat" first. There are about a half dozen characters who cross over in this book including Tommy Pagano the main character from "Bone In the Throat".
Rating:
Summary: Fast-paced, really fun book!
Review: Most of the professional reviewers missed the boat on this one. Great dialog, quirky characters, and just enough sex made this a great way to spend a few airplanes rides. I'm ordering his other work, Bone In The Throat, right now!
Rating:
Summary: The ultimate escape read
Review: This book was a complete suprise to me. I picked it up because of the title and the cover, and the blurb inside....When I saw who the author was, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Man, can he write! I mean, it's not a great literary work, but what a story! I haven't been able to put this book down since I opened it. The most amazing thing, I don't even care how it ends! I'm just thoroughly enjoying the atmosphere and the characters. I don't WANT it to end....I want to go live on St. Marteen with Henry and Frances! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for a great vacation read. Especially if you want to think WARM thoughts!
Rating:
Summary: Just a really great read!!!!!
Review: This book was a complete suprise to me. I picked it up because of the title and the cover, and the blurb inside....When I saw who the author was, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Man, can he write! I mean, it's not a great literary work, but what a story! I haven't been able to put this book down since I opened it. The most amazing thing, I don't even care how it ends! I'm just thoroughly enjoying the atmosphere and the characters. I don't WANT it to end....I want to go live on St. Marteen with Henry and Frances! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for a great vacation read. Especially if you want to think WARM thoughts!
Rating:
Summary: Great Stuff!
Review: Tony's second venture into fiction writing is just as good as his first. Once again centered on the mafia, Gone Bamboo leaves out much of the culinary aspect that was present in his first book, Bone in the Throat. This book has the ability to grab the reader and hold him/her in it's grip, constantly turning pages, dying to know what happens next.
Rating:
Summary: Great Stuff!
Review: Tony's second venture into fiction writing is just as good as his first. Once again centered on the mafia, Gone Bamboo leaves out much of the culinary aspect that was present in his first book, Bone in the Throat. This book has the ability to grab the reader and hold him/her in it's grip, constantly turning pages, dying to know what happens next.
Rating:
Summary: In the tradition of Elmore Leonard & laugh out loud funny !
Review: While initially disappointed that "Bamboo" didn't feature the kind of food/chef/NYC atmosphere of his first book; I was knocked out cold by Bourdain's usage of street lingo,various American dialects, and cop-speak in the best Elmore Leonard tradition. Sprinled liberally with hip humour and pop culture it was a great read that I'd love to see in film...and I've got a crush a mile long for the protagonist's lethal wife. What a character!
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