 Mildly amusing, got old fast..., This review is from: Star Island (Hardcover) This latest novel read like an issue of one of the more lurid entertainment magazines -- however in this case, fiction is a bit stranger than truth although some of the current stars do manage to create a lot of mayhem and mischief. Hiaasen has taken a page or two from the tabloids and churned out another trademark romp -- this time focusing on Cherry Pye, a young singer who is poised between rehab and a comeback tour. Unfortunately, she's so out of control that even her handlers can't seem to slow the skid. The other characters in this sometimes funny story include a familiar face -- Skink, formerly known as Clinton Tyree, who had a short-lived term as governor of Florida before he went "green" and bonkers. He's been in several previous novels and hasn't changed a bit. In addition, Hiaasen has given somewhat clever names to the players in this novel including the giant bodyguard Chemo (and his weed-whacker arm), Bang Abbott (one of the paparazzi) who hatches a scheme that goes horribly wrong, the slimy promoter Maury Lykes, and the rest of the cast fill out a bizarre tale that amuses at times but ultimately the joke goes on too long. I really had no empathy for any of the characters, not even the stand in Ann who is supposed to be the one we root for, rose much beyond a stereotype. I think there was just too much going on -- definitely this was tongue in cheek, over-the-top satire of the world of celebrities and the folks who feed off them. Basically the novel was a cliche of all that and although I found it mildly amusing, I wasn't unhappy when I turned the last page and closed the book. I've read all of Carl Hiaasen's novels and probably will read the next one, so I expect other fans of this author and this genre will do so as well. |
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