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karinlib's review
2.0
Djibouti, by Elmore Leonard is the first book have read by this author, and I think it will be my last. I wasn't very Impressed it.
dobbydoo22's review
3.0
The narrative style was definitely "different" (or maybe typical of Elmore Leonard, this is the first book I've ready by him), and took closer attention than conventional novels, but it was interesting. It ties in some real-world events with the fictional adventures and misadventures of a documentary filmmaker, her assistant, and the Somali pirates they're filming, among other fairly colorful characters.
pegasusjones's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A very solid entry from Elmore Leonard, who is invigorated by a fresh setting and different kinds of criminals -- replacing mob guys and bank thieves with pirates and jihadists -- yet tells a story with the same punchy vim that serves as his calling card. Great characters exchange great dialogue (albeit not reaching the peaks found in some of his other works) and their adventures coalesce in a finale more satisfying than usual. Some of the story beats and characters work better in synopsis than execution, but even still the execution is deft.
Exciting, funny, and stylishly told, Djibouti is a wonderfully entertaining read.
Exciting, funny, and stylishly told, Djibouti is a wonderfully entertaining read.
nuclearranter's review
4.0
Leonard still write dialogue like no one else, and the characters were interesting and fun. The plot is a bit trickier than his last effort, Road Dogs, but I'm not sure it quite lives up to its predecessor. Plus, it's always fun when Leonard leaves his standard territories of Detroit and Miami.
ckahoe's review
The story line didn't hold my interest and I couldn't connect with the characters.
joeholmes's review
4.0
85 years old and still cranking out the sharpest, funniest, scariest dialog of anyone writing. And he fills Djibouti will dialog, taking his time laying out the plot and getting to the heart of the story; it's not until probably 2/3 of the way through the book that we even know who the bad guy is. Leonard is one of those rare writers who knows that it's all about the people and how they talk and think and bounce off each other, and the plot is there only to give them all a reason to slip a pistol into their jeans ... and talk some more. After The Hot Kid, Djibouti is the best Leonard in a while.
bridge_overbooked's review
1.0
One of the worst books I've ever read. At page 30 I had to stop and read reviews because there were already several super racist remarks and wanted to see if that was important to the plot somehow? It absolutely was not. Would not recommend.
"Djibouti" is a crime novel set in the Horn of Africa, where documentary filmmaker Dara Barr and her partner Xavier LeBo investigate piracy off the coast of Somalia. The story takes an unexpected turn when they cross paths with Jama Raisuli, a Somali pirate leader with an interest in Hollywood movies. Filled with Leonard's signature dialogue, the novel combines elements of crime, adventure, and satire against the backdrop of geopolitical tensions in the region.
"Djibouti" is a crime novel set in the Horn of Africa, where documentary filmmaker Dara Barr and her partner Xavier LeBo investigate piracy off the coast of Somalia. The story takes an unexpected turn when they cross paths with Jama Raisuli, a Somali pirate leader with an interest in Hollywood movies. Filled with Leonard's signature dialogue, the novel combines elements of crime, adventure, and satire against the backdrop of geopolitical tensions in the region.
bookguyinva2022's review
3.0
Not his best and I'm still not sure what the story line was. But I love saying the word Djibouti.
ericbuscemi's review
3.0
An interesting premise -- Somali pirates, a sexy documentary filmmaker, Al-Quaeda terrorists, a billionaire playboy that fancies himself a spy, and a highly explosive LNG tanker -- that gets a bit bogged down in its execution.
I found the middle of the book littered with too much talking about action than actual action, breaking the cardinal "show, don't tell" rule of writing. The book did, however, pick up in the final act and had a strong ending.
I can't escape the feeling this book was written almost solely to be optioned as a movie, and after some quick Google searching, I found this review, which says:
I found the middle of the book littered with too much talking about action than actual action, breaking the cardinal "show, don't tell" rule of writing. The book did, however, pick up in the final act and had a strong ending.
I can't escape the feeling this book was written almost solely to be optioned as a movie, and after some quick Google searching, I found this review, which says:
You don’t have to read between the lines to tell how badly Leonard aches for a film treatment. Word is he wants “Hurt Locker’’ director Kathryn Bigelow. There would be plenty of action, color, and atmosphere. Whether those would compensate for a lack of characters who matter is a question.
ardaigle's review
2.0
I'm a pretty big Elmore Leonard fan. I have only read one of his books "Cat Chaser" but I adore "Justified," which is based on some of his short stories. He creates amazing characters and dialogue and is prolific as a crime fiction writer. His books have been made into some exceptional movies: Out of Sight, Get Shorty, and Jackie Brown. I was excited to introduce him to my book club, as none of the other members had read anything by him, and to make a long story short...it didn't go well.
I didn't even like it! And no one else liked it either. But we had good cheese and conversation, so it wasn't all for naught. Also, I do not think you should judge Leanord solely on his book. It was his second to last novel (published in 2010, and he died in 2013) so I don't think it is indicative of his body of work.
This book has all the markings for success in my eyes: great bad-ass female documentary filmmaker protagonist, mystery, freakin' pirates! However, the biggest problem with this book, as agreed upon by my club peeps was that it would have made an excellent movie. He "told" when he should have "shown." Often times the two main characters were found, reviewing footage of what they had taped, and having conversations about what had happened. This storytelling technique was similar to when someone runs down a list of everything that happened in their day: even if their day was interesting, hearing it all spooled together is tedious and not as interesting as seeing the action unfold. Also, we were not a fan of the "will they won't they" relationship between the 30ish year old protagonist and her 72 year old camera man/jack of all trades. It just didn't do much for the story, and mostly left us confused.
So, I'm sad to say I didn't like this book, but there are many more that he has penned so I'm going to dig around for some of his early novels as I am sure they will not disappoint.
I didn't even like it! And no one else liked it either. But we had good cheese and conversation, so it wasn't all for naught. Also, I do not think you should judge Leanord solely on his book. It was his second to last novel (published in 2010, and he died in 2013) so I don't think it is indicative of his body of work.
This book has all the markings for success in my eyes: great bad-ass female documentary filmmaker protagonist, mystery, freakin' pirates! However, the biggest problem with this book, as agreed upon by my club peeps was that it would have made an excellent movie. He "told" when he should have "shown." Often times the two main characters were found, reviewing footage of what they had taped, and having conversations about what had happened. This storytelling technique was similar to when someone runs down a list of everything that happened in their day: even if their day was interesting, hearing it all spooled together is tedious and not as interesting as seeing the action unfold. Also, we were not a fan of the "will they won't they" relationship between the 30ish year old protagonist and her 72 year old camera man/jack of all trades. It just didn't do much for the story, and mostly left us confused.
So, I'm sad to say I didn't like this book, but there are many more that he has penned so I'm going to dig around for some of his early novels as I am sure they will not disappoint.