Brilliant as always

I’ve recently returned to Carl Hiaasen whose books I read a few of 20 years ago. Now I’m working my way through the Skink series. Hilarious and environmentally hard-hitting, This one’s a cracker, The narrator is really good too. Highly recommended.

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Classic Hiaasen!

Great story and narration. Very funny as usual. Mr H. hits just the right blend between conservation and tomfoolery. A cast of characters that always leaves you snickering.

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Hiaasen at his best

Had us in stitches from start to finish.
Although his stories deal with the profoundly serious issues surrounding greedy and thoughtless environmental destruction in Florida (and he gets that message over very effectively) he manages to do it with huge dollops of humour and pathos.
Can’t wait to hear about Skinks next adventures!

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Ridiculous but you have to love it.

I love Carl Hiaasen's novels for the extremity of the characters, the ridiculous situations and the fact that the wrongs always seem to be righted. They remind me of how pantomimes compare with serious plays. I have read that they are based on true events and can imagine that with his journalistic past he is able to create novels based on the stories that he would have loved to be able to write. The themes in his novels are recurrent, the environment, corruption, big business, the desicration of the everglades and justice eventually being dished out by the downtrodden underdog. Native Tongue does not dissapoint and delivers all these within the context of a tacky theme park run by an ex mobster who is under the witness protection program. Serious Themes - Delightful Sillyness

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4 people found this helpful

Funny and horribly perceptive

Hiassen is unnervingly observant of human behaviour. Narratives of excellent and charmingly crafted characters (caricatures?) weave together in a crescendo of ludicrous nefariousness. George Wilson's perfect dry delivery made it impossible not to laugh out loud.

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Couldn't get into it

So sorry to say this book lacked the sparkle of the other Hiaasen's I've read, or perhaps it was just the narrator who didn't bring the characters to life. Gave it a good 2 hr go, then gave up.

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Really wanted to love it, but ....

I had high hopes for this after enjoying Double Whammy as much as I did (one of my favourite books of all time, ever - listen to it if you haven't already), but Native Tongue seemed to lack the apparently effortless brilliance of its predecessor and it seemed to be trying hard almost all the way through. I found it a bit of a slog to get going at first and I had to make myself persevere, but it got better as it went on: there were some golden moments and I did laugh out loud a couple of times.

I'm hoping this one is just a bit of a turkey and that normal service will be resumed with the next book in the series.

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