Customer Reviews

Drive Like Hell: A Novel

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Dallas Hudgens has pulled off quite a coup: for once we can read about a dysfunctional family with enjoyment and not depression. Because the characters are so well developed, their particular eccentricities and challenges are understandable and poignant. Luke, a 16 year old, is at the cusp of true manhood, being shaped by his mother and brother, and although his father has left the family, he has cast a long shadow of influence over Luke as well.
All these forces pull Luke in different directions as he copes with one of the most important (from a teenager's perspective) events in his life -- getting his first license. Hudgens does a great job of picking an event and process (the driving test, the responsibility that comes with driving, the fear of losing the license, etc.) that mirrors the entry into adulthood.
Luke is a study in contrasts, often somewhat older than his years and at other times the impetuous teenager, thinking only of the moment. Hudgens has marvelously captured the feeling of growing up. His style reminds me of Carl Hiassen, with the same quality of characterization, but without the zaniness. The prose is compelling and beautifully captures the essence and spirit of the time and place. Highly recommended.

I loved this book. I read it while on Spring Break with my kids and I enjoyed every minute of it. Hudgens is a great first time author with a real talent for (i) being funny, and (ii) slowly building compelling characters. There is even a little action and love interest thrown in for good measure. He also has a great ear for dialogue -- particularly Southern-inspired dialogue. However, you don't have to come from the South to enjoy it (I am from PA). I look forward to a sequel where Luke follows his dream and becomes a bail bondsman!

Wow. I could not put this book down. From the first page to the last, I couldn't believe the twists, turns and fast-paced action. it's the seventies, man, in all its polyester and hardrock glory. it is more than that. this book has soul, sass and all the longing of a GREAT country music ballad. yes, it's funny but when you're laughing along with the wonderful characters you're also nodding in recognition. AS i told my friends: Buy it, Read it, Love it like hell.

This novel had me in laughing fits before the end of the first page. I am not an English professor, but I love to read the likes of Christopher Moore, Bill Fitzhugh, etc. Dallas Hudgens fits well with this group, the difference being that he uses the South as a backdrop instead of a punchline. I lived in Georgia for eight years, and this book has jarred loose a lot of memories for me. The comedy is nicely contrasted with raw aggression around every turn, and it is hard to put this book down. Even if you have nothing to do with the South, this is an interesting story with many suprises. The charachters are distinct and vivid, and not hard to remember. If you are from Atlanta or the surrounding area, you'll be able to smell some of the scenes from this book. I can't wait to see what this guy writes next.

Journalist Dallas Hudgens's debut novel "Drive Like Hell" is a paean to the best and worst aspects of "redneck" culture. Immediately down-to-earth and pleasantly honest, this undertone never fades throughout the 322 pages, and the characters' interplay is almost ensemble.

The protagonist is a teenager in early 1980's Georgia named Luke Fulmer. The story is at heart a coming-of-age for Luke, as he struggles to deal with, understand and protect the lifestyle and people he loves. Throughout the novel, driving and cars are a major undercurrent to Luke's life. Luke was hooked on racing and classic cars from the moment his errant dad came back into his life at age 10 and introduced him to the finer points of street racing (in addition to petty larceny and boozing). The loss of Luke's license after an auto theft near the beginning of the story never really goes away, and it is his anxiety over this loss and burning desire to get it back that pervade and define Luke's mood and actions in many ways. Cars are ubiquitous in this story, from the speedway to a series of unfortunate and interesting events along the way.

The characters that populate the heady landscape of the story are often over-the-top, though never pretentious or fake. From Luke's struggling mother to his punk older brother, the smart and mysterious girlfriend, the chef at the hotel where he works and the country cops and everyone in between, it is a pleasure to read about these people and many others, and the positive and negative effects they have on Luke. There are even well-woven cameos by real-life celebrities Jack Nicklaus and Paul Newmann!

The book is full of everything that defines daily country life for many: racing, wrestling, and many other things. Unfortunately, what the book seems to lack is any kind of arc. Certainly we see Luke develop somewhat in the year or so that it spans, but there is little to no climax, and at the end, though I was far from disappointed, I took stock for a second and realized that the story was really more a series of interesting events than a plot with a conflict, climax and resolution for Luke. Having said that, the events of the novel, often Tarantinian in their raw power and aggression, are quite enjoyable to read and we can't help but feel like we are a little keener on what exactly it means to be a "redneck."

Four stars for great characters and events, minus the one for lack of climax in the story. This novel is a pleasure and many will rightfully look forward to future contributions by Dallas Hudgens.

The worst crime a coming-of-age novel can commit is to take itself too seriously, and of that charge Dallas Hudgens' "Drive Like Hell" is most definitely not guilty. In a literary landscape full of self-important teenagers dried out by their own inward-looking portentousness, Luke Fulmer is a welcome alternative. Luke's story is full of hard situations, and Hudgens never ignores or downplays the difficult truths, but this is one author whose work is as funny and entertaining as it is meaningful and wonderfully written. A career worth watching.

From beggining to end this book couldn't have been much more interesting, unless I was riding along too!!! Marvelously written, 100% entertainment from cover to cover. Ir would make for an excellent screenplay, even though you couldn't make it better than this book.
It is supposedly fiction, but you wouldn't really know from his descriptions.

This book grabs you and sucks you in from the first page. By page 10, I couldn't put it down. Well written and entertaining, uniquely insightful about growing up male and Southern. I'd recommend this for anyone - my girlfriends loved it, my brother tried to steal it from me.

I never dreamed that I would grow to care for the redneck crew that inhabit the pages of Drive Like Hell. What captured me was Dallas Hudgens' ability to take me inside the heart and mind of an adolescent boy and to show me the humor and sensitivity that reside there. What had me rereading many of the pages was the sheer beauty of the author's words. He describes scenes with such richness and precision that he has you breathing the same air as the characters in his novel. And, as with all great reads, he has you lusting for a sequel!

it's better than the book i wrote (i haven't written one) but having said that, i choked this down. i really grew up like this (except for the sex) and didn't find the story worthy of fiction. he also threw in scenes where they didn't support the story. But, he can sustain the narrative flow and I'd read more of his stuff because he's poised for a better read.