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The Rum Diary
The Rum Diary
Author: Hunter S. Thompson
Begun in 1959 by a then-twenty-two-year-old Hunter S. Thompson, The Rum Diary is a brilliantly tangled love story of jealousy, treachery and violent alcoholic lust in the Caribbean boomtown that was San Juan, Puerto Rico, in the late 1950s. Exuberant and mad, youthful and energetic, The Rum Diary is an outrageous, drunken romp in the spirit of T...  more »
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ISBN-13: 9780684856476
ISBN-10: 0684856476
Pages: 224
Rating:
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 73

3.8 stars, based on 73 ratings
Publisher: Simon Schuster
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover, Audio Cassette, Audio CD
Members Wishing: 0
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Top Member Book Reviews

srhen avatar reviewed The Rum Diary on + 10 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
If you like HST this book will most likely be a disappointment. It is an early attempt at writing before Thompson found his voice. When I read it I kept thinking of "Deer Park", and why not everyone wanted to write like Mailer in the 60's. Completely missing are the linguistic acrobatics that I usually associate with Thompson's work. They are making a film from this book and it might be fun because they doctored up the script to be more interesting.(Pun intended) Always remember "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.'
depplover28 avatar reviewed The Rum Diary on + 13 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I liked this book for the crazy things that happen as usual in Thompson's novels, but this one did not settle right with me. I felt like it could have been a lot better than it actually was, and yet I'm not sure how. I realize this is one of Thompson's first novels, so that's probably why this novel seemed different for me.
I have seen the new movie based on the book, and I was very surprised to not find that a lot of the material from the movie was not written in the novel. I didn't like the movie very much, though, so I'm not surprised I didn't like the novel.
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captaintoni avatar reviewed The Rum Diary on + 8 more book reviews
I'm sorry that I hated this. I'm a huge HST fan and could barely make it through this...and it's hardly a few hundred pages. It's the beginnings of talent, a work in progress...and it's really obvious. It's one of those books where you finish it, blink a few times, and say, "nothing happened." If you're looking to get into Hunter S. Thompson and don't know where to start, this definitely isn't it. Get yourself a copy of Hells Angels and see the Doctor really at work.
subtlenerd avatar reviewed The Rum Diary on + 29 more book reviews
Awash in alcohol, HST's novel is not as over the top as his later efforts but still is an interesting page-turner with hints of his "gonzo' style beginning to appear.


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