Stormy Weather
by Carl Hiaasen
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Book Summary Information
Author: Carl HiaasenEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2001-03-01
ISBN: 0446677167
Number of pages: 416
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Book Reviews of Stormy Weather
Book Review: Stormy
Summary: 4 Stars
THE SETUP
A hurricane devastates South Florida.. Newlywed tourists Max and Bernie Lamb drive down from Disney World, because Max is obsessed with making home movies of the damage and devastation. Eddie Marsh who has been trolling for Kennedys in Palm Beach, teams up with ex-con Snapper (aka Lester Madox Parsons), to pull an insurance con. That's the setup.
THE OTHER MAJOR CHARACTERS
Avila - a former (crooked, of that's not a redundancy) Dade County building inspector
Tony Torres - a crooked house trailer salesman
Skink (do not confuse with "Snapper") -aka Clinton Tyree - recluse ex-governor of Florida
Jim Tile - a Florida Highway Patrolman, and friend of Skink
Brenda Roarke - policewoman, Jim Tile's girlfriend
Augustine - an insurance-settlement-wealthy semi-retired guy, somewhat a young version of Skink.
Ira Jackson - a NYC thug who had purchased a house trailer for his mother (killed in the storm) from Tony Torres
Fred Dove - property insurance adjuster, seduced by Eddie Marsh.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
"Stormy Weather" fairly accurately describes South Florida in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew in 1992--with the exception that the chaos and desperation are understated. Simply driving to friends or relatives (or trying to return home) was no easy matter with major highways full of trees, downed live electric lines, and no traffic lights. Whole subdivisions were inaccessible to ice-trucks and other relief when it finally came. The incredibly oppressive heat and humidity after the storm, for weeks without electricity are not described. For the few lucky who had generators, gasoline was hard to find, because the local gas stations were closed for lack of electricity to run the pumps. Dozens of fires were caused by overheated generators and many other deaths by related accidents. Much of the county was without water. As for the people, it's a numbers game, with a population of 5 million, there has to be (and are) thousands as insane as the characters in "Stormy Weather", and like California, South Florida has way more than its fair share of crazies.
CAVEATS
"Stormy Weather" is a slow roller-coaster ride--lacking clear buildup, climax, and resolution. Often slow--the end is welcome.
"Stormy Weather" is not quite so surreal as most other adult Hiaasen novels, mostly because the real actual historic situation was surreal.
VERDICT
An entertaining read, filled with bizarre characters.
Summary of Stormy Weather
A hilarious new novel of greed and corruption from the bestselling author of "Strip Tease". The story focuses on southern Florida at the height of the tourist season, when a ferocious hurricane hits--luring con artists, carpetbaggers, and would-be saviors like hyenas to the lion's kill. "Hiaasen himself is a one-man force of nature".Literature & Fiction Books
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