Reviews

The Stench of Honolulu: A Tropical Adventure by Jack Handey

marynguyen's review

funny slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

bigmacspookdadd's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

wtf did I just listen to 😂

katiebtatton's review

3.0

The Stench of Honolulu is the flimsy plot line of Jack Handey (yes, that Jack Handey of Deep Thoughts fame) used to tell goofy, dry, out-there, hysterically silly jokes. The book is almost painful in its awkwardness, but more than once I laughed out loud (while in the waiting room of the mechanic with several strangers close by), which redeemed it significantly.

"Doctor Ponzari was seated at a table in his flower garden. As soon as I saw him I could tell that he was pure evil. I've only had that feeling a few times in my life. I'd say about forty or forty-five times. My mailman is pure evil.

He was wearing a crisp linen suit. I wondered how many hundreds of people had died making it. His movements were elegant and refined, like some evil shit-bird from Hell. He was eating a banana, elegantly."

How do you not love that? The book reminded me of the silliness in the Wimpy Kid series, but for grownups. The unnamed narrator is base and obvious and just so.....Jack Handey. Three stars for sentimentality regarding keys and lava, two and a half on stand alone merit.

rgag86's review

2.0

I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't this. There were a few lines that were actually laugh out loud funny, but mostly I was just disappointed.

eletricjb's review

3.0

Ridiculous on purpose is not my favorite kind of ridiculous. See Modelland for my favorite kind. Still, quick read and somewhat entertaining.

mamareads82's review against another edition

funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

erincataldi's review against another edition

2.0

Handey, Jack. The Stench of Honolulu. 3 CDs. unabridged. 3 hrs. Hachette Audio. 2013. ISBN 9781619693609. $24.98.

American humorist, Jack Handey, narrates his zany and ridiculous travel novel filled with tongue and cheek humor and hilarious adventures. "Wrong Way Slurps" and his companion Don head to Hawaii, to find the fabled golden monkey. Their journey is not an easy one though, they encounter turtle men, horrible smells, angry natives, and a pelican god; according to the narrator this is no tourist attraction, this is a hellhole! Told by a reliably unreliable narrator this absurd adventure will have the listener laughing uncontrollably. Narrated by Jack Handey himself, the humor is always present and the story (or lack thereof) flows smoothly from his sarcastic and witty voice. For fans of ridiculous travel literature and absurd laugh out loud literature. - Erin Cataldi, Franklin College, Franklin, IN

fiestada's review

Not even finishing this.

edgiles4's review

4.0

If you're a fan of Jack Handey and his brilliantly absurd humor, then you'll very much enjoy this book. Otherwise, you will probably think it's the worst thing you've ever read. There's probably little (if any) middle ground.

lspargo's review

2.0

I was disappointed by this book. I like Jack Handey's deep thoughts, and I think he's funny, but I don't think his style translates well to a novel. I'm not sure what I expected from him. Almost every paragraph was like a Jack Handey quote, with a punch line, and it got tiring. The storyline was kind of juvenile, and I felt like I was reading the lyrics to a really long Weird Al song. Even though I like Weird Al and I like Jack Handey, it was just too much and I ended up just thinking it was kind of stupid.