What a truly fun trip this has been!

The characters in this adventure are outrageously wacky, yet they possess a warmth and authenticity that is truly touching. Each one has their own unique quirks and personalities that add to the charm of the story.

The story itself is filled with bizarre and unexpected twists and turns, but in a way that is not only fun but also highly interesting. It keeps the reader engaged from beginning to end, constantly wondering what will happen next.

All in all, this is a delightful story that is sure to bring a smile to your face and a sense of joy to your heart. It is a fun read that you will not want to put down. Whether you are looking for a lighthearted escape or simply a good story to enjoy, this one has it all.

I like to playfully refer to Carl Hiaasen as the chronicler of #FloridaMan. However, Hiaasen has been engaged in his craft for many decades. In fact, he was writing long before there was such a hashtag or even before hashtags existed at all.

His comic-crime novels, which are set in Florida and are filled with eccentric characters, are always highly entertaining. Very few writers have the ability to make me burst out laughing while I'm reading, but Hiaasen is one of them.

My favorite among his works is the series featuring Skink (also known as Clinton Tyree, the former Governor of Florida who resigned in disgust due to the rampant corruption). Nevertheless, his other novels are also great sources of fun. Nature Girl is no different. It is highly recommended.

I believe that Hiaasen's unique writing style and his ability to create such vivid and humorous stories make his books a must-read for anyone who enjoys a good laugh and an engaging crime novel.

I couldn't complete this particular work, but it was a personal matter and had nothing to do with the narrator or Hiaasen's excellent storytelling.

The main character, Honey, is afflicted with a severe mental illness and refuses to take her medication, which results in numerous problems throughout the story. This aspect is particularly off-putting for me, as I myself manage bipolar disorder.

Adding to that, she has a 14-year-old son who essentially serves as her caretaker and the main victim of her erratic behavior. It brings back too many memories of my own childhood, when I had to care for my mother (and siblings) because she also refused medication and made our lives a living nightmare.

I simply couldn't overlook these elements to enjoy the story, so I decided to move on to another Hiaasen audiobook. And just like all of his other works, I'm thoroughly enjoying it!

Over the long holiday weekend, I made up my mind to squeeze in as much of my last-minute summer reading as I feasibly could.

By the time I sat down to pen this review, the anticipation of an early fall cool front had rapidly waned. It appears that the unforgiving Texas heat is set to linger for a while.

I perused my bookshelf in search of that ideal book to fulfill my craving for one more summer read, and promptly zeroed in on Nature Girl by Carl Hiaasen. I had thoroughly enjoyed his book Bad Monkey, so I was confident that his Florida-based blend of humor and mystery would far exceed my expectations.

Honey Santana is on a determined mission. As she sat down for dinner with her son, the house phone rang. Her son implored her to ignore it, but Honey was utterly fed up with these calls disrupting their family meals. She was not about to passively endure this annoyance. Honey picked up the phone and gave the caller a piece of her mind. What she didn't anticipate was the man on the other end to engage in a verbal altercation. He used words that no professional telemarketer should utter, let alone any respectful individual. Honey swiftly reached out to the man's manager and conveyed her disgust at the offensive language he had employed. For most people, that would have been the end of the matter, but Honey is no ordinary person. She desires revenge.

Boyd Shreave is essentially a failure in every aspect. The wretched man couldn't even retain his job as a telemarketer. He allowed his pride to get the better of him and committed the cardinal sin of mouthing off to a potential customer. At least he still has Eugenia, his former co-worker and current mistress. Boyd is prepared to leave his wife and embark on a new life, but Eugenia doesn't share the same sentiment. With the convenience of the couple working together no longer present, she sees little rationale in continuing their relationship. When Boyd presents her with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to vacation in Florida and canoe through the wetlands, Eugenia decides to prolong their romance, at least for the weekend. What could possibly go awry?

Nature Girl has all the elements of a perfect summer read. Hiaasen expertly weaves together satire, crime, and captivating characters into a story that you simply won't want to put down. The shifting perspectives between each character offer variety and add a touch of suspense that counterbalances the more humorous premise. It also provides the reader with insights into every motivation of the characters, enabling us to know what is transpiring before some of the other cast members. All of the threads in this book converge in a gratifying conclusion that teeters precariously close to the brink of absurdity. It's all in good fun, though, and that's precisely what I seek from my summer reading. Nature Girl was an ideal way to spend the final moments of the summer holiday.

Waaaaaaay too much absurdity going on.

We selected this for a book club read with the intention of finding something light and funny. However, it only marginally fulfilled the funny aspect.

None of the characters were fully developed. They seemed rather one-dimensional and lacked depth.

Moreover, the situations should not have overlapped as they did. It gave the impression that the author had leftover partial characters from their other books that didn't quite fit anywhere else, so they were all haphazardly jammed together in this one.

As a result, the story felt disjointed and lacking in cohesion. It was a disappointment considering our initial expectations.

Perhaps with more careful character development and a more coherent plot, this could have been a more enjoyable read.

But as it stands, it fails to truly engage the reader and leaves a lot to be desired.

Overall, it was a mediocre choice for our book club, and we will likely be more cautious in our selections in the future.

Mapcap offers a biting satire on South Florida culture, with its typical ecological theme.

It thoroughly roasts the greed, lust, and crass values that pervade American society. The characters, despite being rather pathetic, are presented in such a way that Hiassen manages to elicit sympathy from the reader for the completely absurd situations they find themselves in.

Hiassen's writing style is both humorous and thought-provoking, as he uses the backdrop of South Florida to explore larger issues of human nature and the consequences of our actions.

Whether it's the corrupt politicians, the greedy developers, or the hapless tourists, each character is a caricature of a certain aspect of American society.

Through his satire, Hiassen forces us to look at ourselves and question our own values and behaviors.

Overall, Mapcap is a must-read for anyone who enjoys a good laugh and a dose of social commentary.

Funny and interesting characters can truly make a story come alive. They bring a unique charm and entertainment value that keeps the readers engaged. However, at times, these characters can also be a bit confusing. Their actions and behaviors might not always be straightforward, leaving the audience scratching their heads.

Despite this confusion, there is something undeniably appealing about these complex characters. They add depth and dimension to the narrative, making it more thought-provoking and engaging. In fact, these characters have the potential to be even more captivating if they were brought to life on the big screen.

As a movie, the funny and interesting characters could be presented in a more vivid and dynamic way. The visual medium would allow for a more immersive experience, enabling the audience to better understand and connect with the characters. The confusion that sometimes arises could also be enhanced in a movie, adding an element of mystery and suspense that would keep the viewers on the edge of their seats.

Fiction - Comic

Another highly entertaining book showcases Hiaasen's characteristic zany and diverse characters. Their paths intersect, leading to uproarious outcomes. The underlying message about man's greed and folly ruining Earth's precious ecological structure deeply resonates with me.

In "Nature Girl," Hiaasen takes aim at both telemarketers and those who destroy habitats and pollute Earth's water and land. Honey Santana is an outstanding woman, a six-foot-tall beauty who shares custody of her son, Fry, with her ex-husband Perry. Honey has a terrible day at work in the fish market when her woman-crazy married boss attempts to grope her breast. She strikes him in a particularly sensitive area with a wooden mallet used for cracking stone-crab claws and then quits her job.

During dinner with her son, yet another telemarketer calls, and she insults the man, who retaliates with insults of his own. This triggers one of Honey's unrestrained obsessive episodes, in which she tracks down the caller and devises an extremely elaborate revenge plan.

As always, it is outrageously funny. Hiaasen's underlying theme of eco-destruction, especially in Florida, is presented rather than simply stated. He never preaches but instead seamlessly weaves this theme into his stories and characters.

3 1/2 stars

My cat decided to be mischievous and jumped right onto my keyboard, deleting an entire paragraph of my review. Argh! What a frustrating moment.

So, I ended up bumping up the rating for the laughs it gave me at the end. The story started off slowly. This was mainly because we were introduced to and got to know several characters, which was a gradual build. It's the story of all of them and how their lives became intertwined on an island off the Everglades. There's the slightly nutty mom who wants to teach a lesson to a telemarketer who insults her after she complains about being interrupted during dinner with her son. Then there's her son, the ex-father (as the mother calls him), the telemarketer and his wife and mistress, the private investigator hired by the wife, the Floridian American Native who just wants a quiet place, and the sorority girl who attaches herself to him. And let's not forget the crazy, obsessive boss of the crazy mom. In the end, it turns out that the island isn't quite the quiet place the American Native was hoping for, and getting lost in the islands isn't as easy as it seems.

This book was really fun in the end, but it was a bit of a struggle to get there. Hiaasen truly knows how to bring his characters to life. I don't feel like he's demeaning women or portraying them from a male perspective. I could sense that a woman could have easily created these female characters. Just coming off of "Blackbirds" by Chuck Wending, I really appreciate the difference. They are in much different genres, so I'm not sure if it's entirely fair to compare, but I ended up loving these women, even the sorority student, Jill. All the characters, even the men, kind of annoyed me in the beginning, but they grew on me.

This is my third or fourth Hiaasen book. I think if I read too many of these crazy character-driven stories in a row, I might get tired of them. But reading one every year hits the spot and tickles my funny bone. I don't think I've read one without laughing.

Different and fun, Hiaasen's writing style is always irreverent. He presents ideas in a unique and engaging way that often hits home. We all know that telemarketers can be a real pain, and this book captures that sentiment perfectly. It's a lighthearted read that will make you laugh out loud while also making you think about the absurdities of modern life. Hiaasen's characters are vivid and memorable, and the plot is full of twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Whether you're a fan of his previous work or new to his writing, you're sure to love this book. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride!

A Silly, Entertaining Read

This book is a silly, easy read that brings a smile to your face.

It gives the impression that Hiaasen came up with a whole bunch of really wacky characters, perhaps half a dozen or more, and then constructed a story around them.

However, despite its somewhat haphazard nature, it is light, humorous, and has a satisfying ending.

It's the perfect choice for someone like me who is dealing with a cold and doesn't want to put in too much effort to be entertained.

The wacky characters add an element of fun and absurdity to the story, making it an enjoyable escape from reality.

The light-hearted humor keeps you engaged from start to finish, and the satisfying ending ties up all the loose ends nicely.

If you're looking for a quick, easy read that will make you laugh and forget about your troubles for a while, this book is definitely worth checking out.

It took a somewhat longer period than the norm to establish a connection with these characters. However, as I progressed halfway through, I found myself completely immersed.

Here, all the typical Hiassen joys and virtues were on full display. The vivid and unique characterizations immediately grabbed my attention. Each character seemed to have their own distinct personality and backstory, which added depth and complexity to the narrative.

The story itself was filled with the kind of humor and wit that Hiassen is known for. There were moments that made me laugh out loud, while also having underlying themes that made me think.

Overall, despite the initial difficulty in connecting, by the halfway point, I was thoroughly enjoying the experience and looking forward to seeing how the story would unfold.

It was clear that Hiassen had once again crafted a captivating and engaging work that would keep readers hooked until the very end.