Stormy Weather by Carl Hiaasen Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Stormy Weather
Book Review: Loved Stormy Weather!
Summary: 5 Stars
I love, love, LOVE Carl Hiaasen! This book did not disappoint!
My father has been reading Mr. Hiaasen's books for years and years now. He recommended them to me and gave me Skinny Dip to read first. From the first page I was hooked! I have now read almost all of his books. He is so funny! The writing is some of the best I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Stormy Weather was one of my favorites. It had everything! From wild, thieving monkeys, to criminals, to con-artists, to gangsters, to the always present normal couple of characters. And of course you have to pay homage to "The Captain"!
Bottom line is that this man is a genious and I will read ANYTHING he every writes!
Book Review: More fun than a roller coaster!
Summary: 5 Stars
[...] I appreciate Carl Hiaasen's brand of humor. Like all of his books, Stormy Weather is satire at its best. It is dark at points, outrageous at others, and over-the-top. It is pure fun; more fun than my first roller coaster ride!
Mr. Hiaasen has an active imagination which allows him to create delightfully memorable characters. He is consistent in this regard in all of his books. I haven't read one that has disappointed me yet and I have read at least six of them. There's no need for me to get into the plot. The story tells itself in an engaging way.
In this troubled world we live in, it is nice to have an escape. This book did it for me. I trust it will do the same for you.
Davis Aujourd'hui, author of "The Misadventures of Sister Mary Olga Fortitude"
Book Review: One of Hiassen's better books
Summary: 4 Stars
short review - a great summer read and a very good Carl book, which means Florida and odd characters.Book Review: Stormy
Summary: 4 Stars
THE SETUP
A hurricane devastates South Florida.. Newlywed tourists Max and Bernie Lamb drive down from Disney World, because Max is obsessed with making home movies of the damage and devastation. Eddie Marsh who has been trolling for Kennedys in Palm Beach, teams up with ex-con Snapper (aka Lester Madox Parsons), to pull an insurance con. That's the setup.
THE OTHER MAJOR CHARACTERS
Avila - a former (crooked, of that's not a redundancy) Dade County building inspector
Tony Torres - a crooked house trailer salesman
Skink (do not confuse with "Snapper") -aka Clinton Tyree - recluse ex-governor of Florida
Jim Tile - a Florida Highway Patrolman, and friend of Skink
Brenda Roarke - policewoman, Jim Tile's girlfriend
Augustine - an insurance-settlement-wealthy semi-retired guy, somewhat a young version of Skink.
Ira Jackson - a NYC thug who had purchased a house trailer for his mother (killed in the storm) from Tony Torres
Fred Dove - property insurance adjuster, seduced by Eddie Marsh.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
"Stormy Weather" fairly accurately describes South Florida in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew in 1992--with the exception that the chaos and desperation are understated. Simply driving to friends or relatives (or trying to return home) was no easy matter with major highways full of trees, downed live electric lines, and no traffic lights. Whole subdivisions were inaccessible to ice-trucks and other relief when it finally came. The incredibly oppressive heat and humidity after the storm, for weeks without electricity are not described. For the few lucky who had generators, gasoline was hard to find, because the local gas stations were closed for lack of electricity to run the pumps. Dozens of fires were caused by overheated generators and many other deaths by related accidents. Much of the county was without water. As for the people, it's a numbers game, with a population of 5 million, there has to be (and are) thousands as insane as the characters in "Stormy Weather", and like California, South Florida has way more than its fair share of crazies.
CAVEATS
"Stormy Weather" is a slow roller-coaster ride--lacking clear buildup, climax, and resolution. Often slow--the end is welcome.
"Stormy Weather" is not quite so surreal as most other adult Hiaasen novels, mostly because the real actual historic situation was surreal.
VERDICT
An entertaining read, filled with bizarre characters.
Book Review: Stormy Weather
Summary: 5 Stars
One of Hiaasen's best yet. I found it hard to put down and chuckled at the colorful characters all the way through.