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A review by baggman
Coconut Cowboy by Tim Dorsey
3.0
Okay, here we go again! My review and rating of this book (3 stars) is considerably different than a number of other contributing Goodreads members. Up front, I didn't think that the book was bad. But, halfway through it I did begin checking on the number of remaining pages to determine how soon I could move along to another read.
As the book jacket says, the protagonist, Serge, is obsessed with the classic 60's movie Easy Rider. (Yes, I saw the movie and, at the time, thought it close to life changing). Serge devises a plan to finish the journey begun by the movie's heroes cycling through Florida, rather than California, or Arizona. The book follows the adventures of Serge and his buddy Coleman as they visit the towns, and travel the highways and back roads of rural Florida.
Sorry, I realize that the book is supposed to be funny, over the top, exaggerating events and situations, but Serge and Coleman are simply killers. Even when I admittedly chuckled about an event, a few minutes later I was thinking, "Wait, they just killed that guy!" I guess that I'm just too old fashion.
Two confessions before closing: after finishing the book, I felt compelled to re-watch Easy Rider; I'm a longtime resident of Florida. Ten minutes after searching Netflix and starting the movie, I had enough. What was cutting edge in 1969 was corny by today's standards. Sad! Finally, Florida still has more than its share of small-town Rednecks and crazies. In fact, and as far as I'm concerned, Florida has nudged California into second place when it comes to news making crazies and knuckleheads per capita.
While my first thought was for something less, I'll be very kind and give Coconut Cowboy 3 stars. No, I'll not be searching out any other novels by Tim Dorsey featuring Serge and Coleman.
As the book jacket says, the protagonist, Serge, is obsessed with the classic 60's movie Easy Rider. (Yes, I saw the movie and, at the time, thought it close to life changing). Serge devises a plan to finish the journey begun by the movie's heroes cycling through Florida, rather than California, or Arizona. The book follows the adventures of Serge and his buddy Coleman as they visit the towns, and travel the highways and back roads of rural Florida.
Sorry, I realize that the book is supposed to be funny, over the top, exaggerating events and situations, but Serge and Coleman are simply killers. Even when I admittedly chuckled about an event, a few minutes later I was thinking, "Wait, they just killed that guy!" I guess that I'm just too old fashion.
Two confessions before closing: after finishing the book, I felt compelled to re-watch Easy Rider; I'm a longtime resident of Florida. Ten minutes after searching Netflix and starting the movie, I had enough. What was cutting edge in 1969 was corny by today's standards. Sad! Finally, Florida still has more than its share of small-town Rednecks and crazies. In fact, and as far as I'm concerned, Florida has nudged California into second place when it comes to news making crazies and knuckleheads per capita.
While my first thought was for something less, I'll be very kind and give Coconut Cowboy 3 stars. No, I'll not be searching out any other novels by Tim Dorsey featuring Serge and Coleman.