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The Rum Diary
 
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The Rum Diary (Paperback)

by Hunter S. Thompson (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 224 pages
  • Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC; New edition edition (28 May 1999)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0747542945
  • ISBN-13: 978-0747542940
  • Product Dimensions: 17.2 x 11 x 1.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 143,072 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #15 in  Books > Fiction > Cult Authors > Thompson, Hunter S.

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Product Description

Review
'Remarkable - a genuine, 100% proof discovery of great literary importance' Mail on Sunday 'Hilarious, utterly real and tragic A lithe, well-crafted gem of a novel which leaves the reader disturbed and grinning in a way that makes people sitting nearby change seats' Scotland on Sunday 'Crackling, twisted, searing, paced to a deft prose rhythm a shot of Gonzo with a rum chaser' San Francisco Chronicle 'Wild, witty, angry, cynical and sarcastic A funny book that will make your life seem boring by comparison' Scene --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Scotland on Sunday
‘Hilarious, utterly real and tragic … A lithe, well-crafted gem of a novel which leaves the reader disturbed and grinning’ --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Customer Reviews

25 Reviews
5 star:
 (17)
4 star:
 (7)
3 star:
 (1)
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Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (25 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Gonzo, 9 Jul 2007
By T. J. Cox "Psychohawk" (Leamington Spa, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Rum Diary (Bloomsbury Classic Reads) (Paperback)
Hunter makes you feel in this short novel that you are the protagonist, and that it is you who is experiencing the craziness of Carribbean nights and parties, the rum, the fear, the uncertainty, the laissez-faire article writing, the beautiful girl. It is an adventure, and one worth having. If you are looking for escapism, this is it. If you are looking for quality writing, this is it. If you're looking for a good story, this is it.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Shimmering Hot, 29 April 2005
This review is from: The Rum Diary (Bloomsbury Classic Reads) (Paperback)
For your next beach holiday, forget your suntan lotion + order this. There is enough sun, sand + Caribbean rum in this novel to keep you going through the winter.
You may have heard of Thompson's "FEAR & LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS" which was made into a film with Johnny Depp + Benicio Del Toro in 1998. This, Thompson's first novel, bares some similarities, although the drug intake is a little tamer + the general feel of the book is a little more laidback.
It chronicles the drunken antics of budding journalist Paul Kemp during the late 50s in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Kemp is a thinly disguised Thompson, (the novel being very close to autobiographical), who starts work for the San Juan Daily News, a paper which is constantly on the brink of bankruptcy due to its corrupt, degenerate + drug addled staff.
It is because of the town's gradual intake of American greedmongers + social misfits that there is a growing sense of unrest among the locals who have begun to want the paper + its staff off the island.
To add to this cocktail are the sultriest, most maddening charms to appear on a written page, in the shape of hard-partying but tragic blonde Chenault, the girlfriend of one of Kemp's colleagues. The summer heat + mounting tension become more enveloping + intense with every turn of the page, masterfully turning Kemp's copious consumption of rum into a thoroughly riveting read..
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Thompson at his cynical best, 7 April 2002
By A Customer
This novel was written by Thompson in 1959, when he was only 22 and was probably yet to put the words "fear" and "loathing" into a sentence together. Only recently was the manuscript found and published, and well worth the 40 year wait it is, this is the great Hunter S. showing very definite early signs of his full potential and brilliance. Paul Kemp is how Thompson saw himself in 10 years time; drinking heavily and sweating a lot in some hot foreign paradise. He first arrives in Puerto rico after an alcohol fueled wrestling match on a plane with an old man who obstructs his view of a young blonde he has his eye on, and the first thing his new employer does is to ask him if he is a pervert, telling him that one more pervert at the newspaper would be the last straw. you can almost hear Kemp asking himself what the hell he is doing here amidst his laid back commentary. Along the way he befriends a terminal cynic, a mad bisexual, and a massive violent nut, who enjoys twisting heads...and these are just his fellow journalists. Thompson here lays out exactly how hard it is to survive and make a healthy living in a place like Puerto Rico, and all through a cloud of rum. Sheer Brilliance
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Exciting
The Rum Diary is an exciting read, a book I know I will dip in and out of again and again. When the book arrived (in the middle of my college exams) I couldn't stop myself from... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Mary Claire

5.0 out of 5 stars An exciting short read!
*CONTAINS NO SPOILERS!* I bought this book for my boyfriend who is a huge Hunter S. Thompson fan. We have both read this book now and agree that is an exciting read. Read more
Published 6 months ago by S. M. Brown

5.0 out of 5 stars This book,a sip of something and your imagination is all you need.
This is such a wicked read,from the start to finish I could not put it down.
Situations where you could see yourself and react the same way pulls you in within the first... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Stephen A. Mc Donagh

4.0 out of 5 stars Mixed bag.....
I bought this book on a whim and found that it was pretty damn'd good to be fair... then there's the but! Read more
Published 12 months ago by M. Bloxham

5.0 out of 5 stars Welcome to Puerto Rico "where men sweat 24 hours a day"
A sweaty paranoid yet pretty laid back year in Hunter S. Thompson's life has produced this rum-soaked, beautifully written work of literature that I can't recommend highly... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Myshkin

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent. Hunter Thompson on top form.
For anyone who has come across 'Fear and Loathing', and wants to read more by Hunter Thompson, this is an ideal next step. Read more
Published on 21 Mar 2007 by Mr. RW Abbotson

5.0 out of 5 stars Get One, It Is Your Round
Written before Hunter became the notorious drug-addled Gonzo, when he was, well, knocking back the booze instead, 'The Rum Diary' could actually be his finest work. Read more
Published on 21 Dec 2006 by Crazy Cat

4.0 out of 5 stars Thompsons first book
'TRD' was written in 1959 (though not published until the 1990s) and tells the story of Hunter Thompson's time working for a newspaper in Puerto Rico. Read more
Published on 31 Dec 2005 by Depressaholic

3.0 out of 5 stars hmm
The good reviews we see now are a little misleading; if you want to read everything Hunter did then by all means get this, but it really is nothing special (he conceded as much... Read more
Published on 19 Sep 2005 by Mr. R. R. Allen

4.0 out of 5 stars Thompson's imaginary Gonzo.
Having read a few of the good doctor's writings and ramblings, I at last came to the "lost novel" that is The Rum Diary. Read more
Published on 17 Aug 2005 by gonzoagp

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