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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
More like 3.5 stars. A vignette of a dark hopeless world full of drunks, con artists & thieves...set against a tropical background both beautiful & doomed. Do people actually live like this?? Probably, but since most of us are far removed from anything closely resembling it we can't help but read the story & watch the way we rubber-neck at traffic accidents. You can't wait to see what happens next!
A drunken journalist moves to Puerto Rico write for an american newspaper. There he frequents a bar, falls in love with his best friend's whore, and gets involved in a murder plot.
I haven't read anything else by Hunter S. Thompson, but i certainly will. His style reminds me of Kerouac and Burroughs, and even though there isn't a lot going on outwardly, the writing makes it worth it - even though I think this is one of those books that are better when read out loud.
It's definetly one of those books that simultaneously make you want to go on a drunken backpacking trip through the caribbean, as well as never drink again. My friends all know which one i feel more like doing.
I haven't read anything else by Hunter S. Thompson, but i certainly will. His style reminds me of Kerouac and Burroughs, and even though there isn't a lot going on outwardly, the writing makes it worth it - even though I think this is one of those books that are better when read out loud.
It's definetly one of those books that simultaneously make you want to go on a drunken backpacking trip through the caribbean, as well as never drink again. My friends all know which one i feel more like doing.
adventurous
My second go at a Thompson book and at least I finished this one but he is not for me. Loathesome male characters abound with little or no redeeming features. This book just rambled on with no plot. Just felt drunk at the end of it.
A boozy ride in a hot clime full of despondency and crime.
A little disappointing - if you were ever wondering what HST would be like with all the binge drinking but very little of the writing talent, this will sate your curiosity.
Gonzo writer, Hunter S. Thompson sends us on a banal adventure of journalist Paul Kemp. There's nothing beautiful in this book, there is no deeper love story, and none of the characters learn much of anything except how to appreciate rum and drink rum and get drunk on rum and travel to drink more rum and get shitfaced on rum and appreciate pubic hair on a girl high off her mind while they sip down paper cups filled with–you got it!–rum. And despite that I don't appreciate the marvels that alcohol brings, I want to visit Puerto Rico regardless.
Thompson has a way with words, even with his dry prose. Any true reader will find something to love about this book. I have to assume the rest of you only wanted to read the book after watching the Johnny Depp flick.
Thompson has a way with words, even with his dry prose. Any true reader will find something to love about this book. I have to assume the rest of you only wanted to read the book after watching the Johnny Depp flick.
Paul Kemp is an American journalist in Puerto Rico. At first he was happy to finally be free of his boring American life he left behind. Time passes by while in a foreign land where he doesn't speak the language. He hangs with a fellow journalist who brings trouble for them. Paul's lack of confidence to stand up for himself continues to lead him into these troubled situations (that and bottles of rum!). He ends up blaming his dislike on Puerto Rico on the Puerto Ricans instead of his own choices. Although it's interesting to see the life of a journalist. The places he has the opportunity to see and write about are beautiful places. There was a fleeting moment where he finally saw the beauty of Puerto Rico, but it was crushed by the bad company of the fellow journalist and others when they crashed the moment.
Incerpt: "I never thought I'd live to see thirty. I don't know why, but for some reason I just didn't...I hope to God I never make it to forty--I wouldn't know what to do with myself."
"You might. We're over the hump. The ride gets pretty ugly from here on in."
Incerpt: "I never thought I'd live to see thirty. I don't know why, but for some reason I just didn't...I hope to God I never make it to forty--I wouldn't know what to do with myself."
"You might. We're over the hump. The ride gets pretty ugly from here on in."
adventurous
funny
reflective
medium-paced
It's violent and maniacal, and for such a short novel captures its setting really well.