The Deep Blue Good-by by John D. MacDonald Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Deep Blue Good-by
Book Review: Deep Blue Goodbye
Summary: 3 Stars
This is the first Travis McGee book I have read, and it will likely be my last. The writing style is pretty good, but I find myself unable to care about the McGee character. I would not want to be him, as he seems to be living an empty, going-nowhere life. His lack of morals, especially related to sex, turns me off.Book Review: Easy Reading
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a great book! John MacDonald is an amazing author who creates very vivid and easygoing characters. Travis McGee is my hero. MacDonald puts a unique spin on life and makes a very accurate portrayal of Florida in his story. A must read for any mystery lover. It's very easy reading and besides, Jimmy Buffett read the whole series so it must be good!Book Review: Even Better the Second Time Around
Summary: 5 Stars
I read this book for the first time back in December. Now, while waiting for "A Tan and Sandy Silence" to arrive, I went back and read it again. It was even better the second time around. The first read, I ripped right through just to see what happened. With MacDonald's writing this was easy to do. The second time, I slowed it down and really soaked it all up
What makes this book so good, I my eyes, is that there is so much packed into to the comparatively short work. First, and foremost, there's Travis McGee himself. He describes himself as a beach bum, but in truth he's more the "knight" that he so disparagingly calls himself. He doesn't like to get emotionally involved in his work, but he always does, and it take it's toll. Trav's reaction to the events at the end of the book really stuck with me. (Side note, (to all the claims of sexism): McGee may always be out "saving the weak-willed women of the world", but, at least in this book, Travis is saved/redeemed in the end by one of those women he set out to save.)
The other characters are spot on. I felt they all rang true, like somebody I could have known. I'll admit, that I have never known anyone like "Junior"(the villain). But because all the other characters seemed real, his nastiness was easily acceptable.
Second, I loved the philosophical ramblings. They seem almost thrown in at random, but they are never really distracting from the story. I enjoy these because, whether or not I agree with them, they do make me stop and think. That in itself, forty plus years later, lifts this book above the average "pulp" novel.
The last thing I really liked about this book was the simple descriptions of interesting things I'll never really know about. From the "Busted Flush"(McGee's houseboat) to the streets of Fort Lauderdale to fencing gemstones in NYC. All the little details drew me into the story and have kept me coming back for more.
All in all, I would say that this book, and some of the others in the series that follow, are some of the best books I have ever read. They made me feel, and hit on many levels. I just can't praise them highly enough.
Book Review: Good start to a good series
Summary: 4 Stars
After consistently seeing John D. MacDonald plugged as an influence and inspiration by so many present-day authors (particularly one of my favorites, Randy Wayne White), I finally decided to see what all the fuss was about. (Sidenote: I even caught an interview with Karl Rove of all people in which he said that both he and George W. Bush were big fans of the Travis McGee books.)
THE DEEP BLUE GOOD-BY is the first in MacDonald's extensive Travis McGee series. McGee is a war veteran and beach bum who lives in Ft. Lauderdale aboard a houseboat ('The Busted Flush') that he won in a poker game. When he needs money he takes on jobs helping people retrieve things that have been lost or stolen, and in return he takes a cut, sort of like a PI but a little less legal. (Kind of reminds me of F. Paul Wilson's Repairman Jack.) DEEP BLUE is a first-person narrative, tough-guy-with-a-good-heart-helping-damsels-in-distress story.
I particularly liked MacDonald's use of setting. I grew up in South Florida a little bit later than the time in which this book is set, so it was neat to read a story set there in the early Sixties and see how it has and hasn't changed. Also, I enjoyed McGee's internal monologues, particularly the ones about Florida and how it can be such a strange place.
On the down side, I found the story a bit on the formulaic and predictable side -- if you've read a lot of Spillane, Hammet, Chandler, Ross MacDonald, etc, you'll probably think so, too. Also, I thought the dialogue sounded dated (even taking into account this story was written forty years ago), like dialogue in 1930s and '40s movies. It just didn't sound natural, didn't sound like how real people talk, to my ears, and I read lots of old books and watch lots of old movies. The dialogue sometimes made the characters into caricatures.
Still and all, worth reading if you like crime thrillers, or if you like Florida fiction -- definitely any fan of Carl Hiaasen or Randy Wayne White needs to read some John D. MacDonald if they haven't already, if nothing else to see where these authors got some of their inspiration.
Book Review: Good writing - not so good material
Summary: 3 Stars
While the writing was excellent, the material lacked interest for me. For a thriller/action/mystery there was very little sleuthing and very little action. Three-quarters of the book dealt with seven broken women coming to Travis McGee for a word of philosophy and sexual healing. This was a treatise on women's self worth, as explained through the cavalier Jimmy-Buffet lenses of Travis McGee.