Stormy Weather

This is the second Hiaasen novel I've read, and based on the word-of-mouth about him in general and the reviews for this book in particular, I felt especially let down. My giving it 3 stars is actually generous.

Perhaps the book was just built up too much, or maybe I'm just jaded, but this novel never really engaged me. I could have put it down after 100 pages and not felt bad or any lack of "closure" for not knowing what happens. Then again, I enjoy "quirky" and "off-beat" literature, and this struck me as a mainstream book **trying** to be off-beat for mainstream readers. Maybe I just have a higher threshold for such stuff.

There are several reasons why this didn't click with me. First and foremost, almost every character in here annoyed me. Let me be clear and clarify/contrast that: a well-written book designs antagonists that we are obviously not supposed to like and secretly hope they get a "come-uppance". That isn't what happened here: everyone (heroes and villains) were simply irritating--without actually being **interesting**, and I simply wished they'd go away so someone more interessting would come along.

Going hand-in-hand with that, the antagonists consistently suffered from "willful stupidity" -- they would do dumb things that were obviously dumb and served no purpose except plot convenience, because if they had a few more brain cells to rub together they wouldn't be in whatever situation there was and the book would grind to a halt. That may or may not be lazy writing, but to me it's certainly frustrating: I enjoy my villains to have a mind and a master plan that's interesting.

Lastly, the book is about 100 pages longer than it needs to be, and since it had already worn out its welcome by that point it seemed especially tedious to me. Again, I could have walked away from this by then with a clean conscience, but the only thing preventing me from doing so was that there wasn't anything else handy for me to read at the time.

I can see why mainstream readers might think Hiaasen in general and this book in particular are funny and off-beat, but since I read a lot of that type of stuff anyway, this is a sub-par offering. For instance, Tim Dorsey does the same type of thing, but much, much better.

I've read almost every Hiassen book I could get my hands on, after my initiation with what I still think is Hiassen's top masterpiece of satire: "Skin Tight"[[ASIN:0446695696 Skin Tight]] and not one has disappointed.
But in "Stormy Weather" Hiassen absolutely outdid himself with 1. his villain Snapper, and Snapper's fate in the end. 2. The relentless hilarity of the scenes at the hurricane site featuring Snapper and Edie, and 3. in the way he painted his female protagonist Edie...She is top contender for 1st prize in Hiassen's gallery of the 'lovable "bad girl" Her "type" is very effectively delivered to us in many of his other tales--this girl IS bad...she'll do just about anything it takes to get rich and famous..BUT she draws some lines in selling her soul, and when she joins the ranks of female vigilantes, and turns on her villain pals, look out! In this book's cool ex of this Hiassen signature plot twist, Edie's pal Snapper makes the huge mistake of trying to ride THIS vamp! Cause the designing girl may forgive and collude with the crooks for money, but cuts them into little pieces and feeds them to the crocodiles when they foolishly try to con her in a pathetic male predator sally driven by their grandiose ego! (another fave ex of this female 'antiheroine' is found in Skinny Dip"[[ASIN:0446615129 Skinny Dip]]) Edie is the Queen of these designing babes turned heroines! This book is a very good Hiassen meal!

I first stumbled onto this gem while keeping my wife company in the hospital. Lying there ill she was not appreciating my outbursts of laughter as I tore through this book. A laugh a minute and some zany characters make this story a must read

The cast of characters in this book are so odd and out there, I found myself wondering how the heck Carl was going to put them all together. The crazy one-eyed Everglades living former Governor, the skull juggling lost son, a maniac who is little more evil than Manson, a hot trailerpark chick who knows her only asset is her body and a newlywed who thinks about his job more than his new wife? Three-quarters into this book I couldn't figure out how they would all tie in together and how it would resolve. The storyline was wildly engaging and I must admit, I didn't like the ending but overall it was a fun ride. I enjoyed it enough to try another one of his books.

I have read sooo many of his books, as he is my FAVORITE author. I am from the Florida Keys, which I am sure has a lot to do with my love of his writing. This is the one that ALWAYS stands out as the BEST. Its a MUST READ for Hiaasen lovers and newcomers alike. I have had to purchase this book more than once because I keep lending it out and that person lends it out to the next and poof! it's gone! I can read this book over and over still laugh out loud!

With everyone else raving about how funny this book was I bought it. I was not disappointed with the story, but it really wasn't all that humorous. Dave Barry has a much better feel for humor, especially in Florida. Still, I will read other Hiassen books. I will simply change my expectations to drama rather than humor. That's why I gave it a 4 instead of a 5; false advertising.

Carl Hiaasen books are an interesting thing. The formula is pretty much the same each time. Greed, environmental protection, despicable villains, and offbeat quirky “heroes”. And despite the similarity, the novels vary greatly in quality. “Stormy Weather” is one of Hiaasen’s okay efforts. Not among the best of his I have read, but not down there with the worst.
This novel features the reoccurring character of Skink, I think this is the 3rd book (in terms of publication order) in which Skink appeared. The main villain in this piece is a real scumbag named Snapper. There is not much to the character, but you loathe him almost from the get go.
This text is not too successful in pulling together the myriad plot lines. I think that is the greatest weakness of this book. The plots look to have gotten away from Hiaasen a little, and he never seemed to know how to bring them together in a satisfying manner. Another weakness is the overlong ending. It is drawn out. It could have ended 20 pages earlier than it did, and the book would have suffered nothing for it.
Not as engaging and fun as other Hiaasen, but not a stinker. Just there. Good for a mindless fun read, and we all need those.

I was getting bored with Rosie Dunne and I couldn’t get past the first chapter of The Fault in Our Stars so I decided to pick up a light and fast read. I’ve read some of Hiaasen’s books before so I can say I’m at least familiar with his formula. The ones I’ve read (Skin Tight, Sick Puppy, and Basket Case) feature the following elements:

1. Two major storylines (protagonist side / antagonist side) that eventually converge late into the book;
2. Some subplots from those storylines;
3. The Sunshine State as the main setting;
4. Weird and dangerous adventures leading to the answers that are a lot of fun to watch from a third person’s perspective; and
5. Satisfying sequences of bad guys getting a taste of their idiocy in the most ironic of ways

When I decided to read Stormy Weather, I was definitely looking forward to seeing the aforementioned plot elements again in action, tagging along in the hunt as it takes the boredom out of my fruitless nights and afternoons. I would say that this book had the first 4, but for some reason it fell too short of #5. It would have been fine if the other factors overcompensated for one flaw, but the whole story, the characters, the conflict, and even the resolution just weren’t at par with the excitement I felt when I chased for answers with Hiaasen’s other protagonists.

I suppose it primarily has something to do with the characters –– they were just too many. Because they were too many, I think they can be blamed for the slower-than-usual reading pace that I experienced with this book. I was surprised to find myself grunting in frustration every few chapters because keeping track of them became tedious. It was a pain to read especially when you’re at a point where the story seems to be finally picking up, but then you’re forced to slow down once again because of some side character’s flowery backstory. It sucks because you know this will be irrelevant in the end since they’re goners from the very start.

As for the bad guys, their endings just weren’t as show-stopping as it was in Sick Puppy or Skin Tight. Overall I guess what threw this book off are the inconsistent pacing, the less than relatable protagonists and antagonists, their lack of truly relevant backstories and motivations, and the unrewarding and forgettable conclusions Hiaasen has written for both the good guys and the bad guys. A record-breaking hurricane would have made an interesting backdrop for any story, but I suppose it just sent things flying in all directions for Stormy Weather at best.

I love Carl Hiaasen and his quirky collection of Florida's strangest. I have read several, but not all of Hiassen's tales of the weird and wacky in Florida. And especially like Skink. However, this book seemed a notch below his other books. The things like the psychedelic toad habit for Skink seemed out of place. The long truck ride where Skink makes no effort to overcome the captors seemed illogical. The "tie me to the bridge so I can experience the hurricane" episode seemed illogical too. The human skull juggler, as hero - what's the deal with that? Hiaasen seemed to try too hard to make every character weirder than needed.

I love, love, LOVE Carl Hiaasen! This book did not disappoint!

My father has been reading Mr. Hiaasen's books for years and years now. He recommended them to me and gave me Skinny Dip to read first. From the first page I was hooked! I have now read almost all of his books. He is so funny! The writing is some of the best I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Stormy Weather was one of my favorites. It had everything! From wild, thieving monkeys, to criminals, to con-artists, to gangsters, to the always present normal couple of characters. And of course you have to pay homage to "The Captain"!

Bottom line is that this man is a genious and I will read ANYTHING he every writes!