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13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
I'm a Hiaasen fan and expected more..., 4 Oct 2001
By A Customer
Hiaasen is a great (funny) writer, always picking aspects of his native America that he finds quirky or amusing, and then through commentary shares those thoughts with us, and hopefully we laugh with him. Stormy Weather is no different in what it tries to achieve. He's picked up a subject that will cause chaos (hurricanes do that), chooses a handful of (possibly stereotypical) characters, throws in a leading lady and a hero who's lost his way, a big cash settlement, and bingo! A Hiaasen novel. The ideas are good, individual elements are good (the shock collar is class), but as a novel it didn't keep me interested. Hiaasen has produced better, Native Tongue is a wonderful uncomplicated read that will make you laugh from the beginning. Lucky You is a little slower to start with but picks up with great speed and nice twists. Sick Puppy is top notch (can't fault it!), but this offering is too slow (and clunky if I'm honest!). Some claim that his writing lacks imagination and tension, that he is too formulaic , but it depends what you want? From a comedy read like Hiaasen I want a read with topics that I can easily identify, and then use his imagination on top of these topics to build a wacky and colourful world. I'm not particulary after tension from Hiaasen, if I want that I'll turn to Elmore Leonard or James Ellroy. And yes, he is formulaic to the extend that he knows what good building blocks are for his novels. Beyond the foundations is where his creativity flourishes, and he is no longer formulaic. No, Hiaasen is there to make me laugh, and for the most part he does that by getting his foundations set and then letting his imagination run wild. Don't get me wrong, Stormy Weather did make me laugh out loud many times, but it didn't work for me as a whole. If you've never read Hiaasen before then choose Native Tongue or Sick Puppy as your entry point, then come back to this later. You'll probably like it more than I did (just look at the other reviews, they all love it!).
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by Carl Hiaasen
by Carl Hiaasen
by Carl Hiaasen
by Carl Hiaasen
by Carl Hiaasen
