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3.25 AVERAGE
3.25 AVERAGE
I think I cracked it: late period Elmore Leonard is essentially “letters to Playboy” done by someone way overqualified for the job. I mean it’s impressive that in his late 70s his wit didn’t diminish or sound try-hard, but there is definitely a comfortable groove he settled into with his red-blooded women all lookin’ to party (heterosexually, of course).
The story has a weird dip, starting out with Honey Deal and her Himmler-obsessed ex-husband-to-be Walter, then jumping to Carl Webster who’s on the lookout for two escaped German POWs Jurgen and Otto while also giving us a bunch of anecdotes about other POWs (Max Stephan, I think?) who are vaguely related to Jurgen and Otto who themselves are only spoken of for quite a while. I only learned afterwards that Jurgen and Otto escaped in a Carl Webster novella that only got collected and published in non-magazine form a couple years after this book, which was the reason for this weird infodump.
Okay so AFTER that, we’re introduced to a spy ring with a Contessa called Vera and her gender-bendy servant Bohdan. Bohdan is a guy who loves wearing dresses and make-up and looks so good that even the KKK guys and nazi spies are constantly telling him what a babe he is. His ruse as a gay guy started when Vera’s husband caught them fooling around back in the old country, but his love for dressing up is real. Bohdan is the most pro-active “bad guy” in a book featuring nazis, nazi sympathizers and KKK guys which is… unfortunate.
Looking at his whole oeuvre (which, whew, I think I almost entirely covered by now) I think Leonard was a pretty progressive guy for his age, so the “pretty boy cross-dressin’ pervert” bad guy outta JK Rowling’s nightmares – especially when we have to consider two nazis who ain’t so bad – sticks out like a sore thumb.
Especially Otto, the hardcore guy, who is a proud member of the SS (!!) and gets away (!!!) and hooks up with a hot Jewish chick (!!!!!) makes me think it’s good Elmore was reaching the end of his career here.
The story has a weird dip, starting out with Honey Deal and her Himmler-obsessed ex-husband-to-be Walter, then jumping to Carl Webster who’s on the lookout for two escaped German POWs Jurgen and Otto while also giving us a bunch of anecdotes about other POWs (Max Stephan, I think?) who are vaguely related to Jurgen and Otto who themselves are only spoken of for quite a while. I only learned afterwards that Jurgen and Otto escaped in a Carl Webster novella that only got collected and published in non-magazine form a couple years after this book, which was the reason for this weird infodump.
Okay so AFTER that, we’re introduced to a spy ring with a Contessa called Vera and her gender-bendy servant Bohdan. Bohdan is a guy who loves wearing dresses and make-up and looks so good that even the KKK guys and nazi spies are constantly telling him what a babe he is. His ruse as a gay guy started when Vera’s husband caught them fooling around back in the old country, but his love for dressing up is real. Bohdan is the most pro-active “bad guy” in a book featuring nazis, nazi sympathizers and KKK guys which is… unfortunate.
Looking at his whole oeuvre (which, whew, I think I almost entirely covered by now) I think Leonard was a pretty progressive guy for his age, so the “pretty boy cross-dressin’ pervert” bad guy outta JK Rowling’s nightmares – especially when we have to consider two nazis who ain’t so bad – sticks out like a sore thumb.
Especially Otto, the hardcore guy, who is a proud member of the SS (!!) and gets away (!!!) and hooks up with a hot Jewish chick (!!!!!) makes me think it’s good Elmore was reaching the end of his career here.
A silly story with snappy dialogue that sounds ready-made for the movie that will no doubt follow. Entertaining, but not what I'd call... memorable.
I gave this 5 stars because it's an Elmore Leonard book, and if you're a Leonard fan that's all you need to know. The "Hot Kid" Carl Webster is back, this time chasing escaped Nazis loose in Detroit near the end of WWII. Dialogue drives the plot in this novel (as in all Leonard's books), and the firecracker female lead Honey Deal more than holds her own in the smart sexy conversations between the two lead characters. I think we'll be seeing more of Miss Deal.
3.5 -super fun spy novel. I love the humor that Elmore Leonard includes in his narrative. I found it highly entertaining.
Detroit during WWII. A man who believes he is Heinrich Himmler’s twin, two escaped German POWs, an FBI agent and a Federal Marshal, a rustler just out of prison, a southern bigot, a Polish countess and her gay lover, plus Honey, who used to be married to Walter, the butcher who believes he and Himmler were separated at birth. What a lovely mix. What could possibly go wrong? Classic Leonard with good characterization and crisp dialogue. A fun read.
Honey Deal is a fun loving girl trying to make her way in Detroit during the Second World War. Her ex-husband is a proud Nazi and a lookalike of Heinrich Himmler. That has attracted the attention of the FBI. The famous Hot Kid of the Marshals, Carl Webster, comes to Detroit to find two escaped German POWs. One of the POWs is a childhood friend of Honey’s ex.
What follows is a delightful romp with some wonderful character. Leonard is known for his memorable characters, a he just keeps them coming here. There is Honey Deal, a feisty young woman from Harlan County, Kentucky. Walter, Honey’s ex, is a Nazi sympathizer who believes that he is the twin brother of Heinrich Himmler, separated at birth. Walter’s circle includes a KKK leader from Georgia and a rich Anti-Semitic gynecologist. Add to that group a fake Polish Countess who is really a German spy and her cross-dressing lover. Let’s not forget the two POWs. There is Jurgen, Walter’s childhood friend, who just wants the war to end so he can become a cowboy, and Otto, an SS officer who loves Hemingway and other American fiction.
If it sounds crazy, it is. Up In Honey’s Room is one of those delightful Leonard books that you can read over and over again.
fast-paced
I listened to the audio version, and the narrator's performance is all that kept me from giving up. This is the only Elmore Leonard book that I have felt was an utter waste of time.
Like most Elmore Leonard books, this one involves the seamy underbelly of society, in this case Nazis living in Detroit at the end of WWII. The plot didn't move very quickly and meandered around. You weren't sure where some of the character's loyalties laid. It was fun to read but probably not his best book.