Island of the Sequined Love Nun [Hardcover]

Christopher Moore (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1997

A pilot for the Mary Jean Cosmetics Corporation - a hopeless geek trapped in a cool guy's body - Tucker Case's troubles begin one very drunk morning at the Seattle airport Holiday Inn Lounge. Surrendering to the strident will of a call girl who wants desperately to join the Mile High Club, he proceeds to crash his shocking pink jet on the runway - totaling the plane and seriously damaging the organ that got him into this mess in the first place. Now, with his flying license revoked, his job and manhood demolished, facing a possible prison term or, worse, the murderous wrath of Mary Jean Dobbins and her corporate goons, Tuck has to run for his life toward the only employment opportunity left for him: piloting a Lear jet for a shady medical missionary and a sexy, naturally blond High Priestess on the remotest of Micronesian island hells. But first he has to get there, encountering spies, cannibals, journalists, and would-be bitch goddesses every step of the way. Traveling with his Filipino transvestite navigator and a fruit bat companion, Roberto, Tuck braves shark-infested waters and a typhoon before reaching the dark heart of a tropical paradise - all before his first day of work.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Pilot Tucker Case has a weakness--well, Tuck really has two--and the combination of drinking and sex in the cockpit of the pink Mary Jean Cosmetics Learjet puts him on the front page of papers all over the planet. But he finds another job with a mysterious employer--someone with a brand-new Lear 45-- who's willing to pay Tuck generously and ask no questions about his record. The jet and job are on Alualu, a speck in the Pacific Ocean, and Tucker has nowhere else to go. But first he has to get to Alualu, and once there, he faces a hurricane, Shark People, atypical missionaries, and boredom ... and the responsibilities assigned to him by Capt. Vincent Bennidetti, U.S. Air Force, deceased bomber pilot and present-day deity of the Shark People.

From Library Journal

Here's a recipe for one very funny book: Take Tucker Case, a disgraced airline pilot whose unseemly in-flight behavior has destroyed his career (along with a pink Lear jet) and damaged what's politely called his manhood. Add Kimi, a Filipino transvestite navigator, and a talking fruit bat named Roberto and send the three off in a typhoon to an island in Micronesia (its inhabitants only a generation away from cannibalism) where dastardly deeds are being done by a greedy medical missionary and his beautiful but amoral wife. Toss in a dead World War II aviator who plays cards in heaven with a Jewish carpenter. Stir well. Read fast. Fans of Kurt Vonnegut and Douglas Adams will especially enjoy Moore's (Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story, LJ 8/95) peculiar take on the world. Recommended for general fiction collections.?Nancy Pearl, Washington Ctr. for the Book, Seattle
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow; 1st edition (August 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 038097505X
• ISBN-13: 978-0380975051
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (173 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #327,787 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Christopher Moore is the author of eleven previous novels: Practical Demonkeeping, Coyote Blue, Bloodsucking Fiends, Island of the Sequined Love Nun, The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove, Lamb, Fluke, The Stupidest Angel, A Dirty Job, You Suck, and Fool. He lives in San Francisco.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious and surprisingly touching, January 13, 2004

By 

RMurray847 "afilmcritic.com" (Albuquerque, NM United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Island of the Sequined Love Nun (Paperback)

Christopher Moore is simply one of the most inventive and funny writers around. He doesn't take his books "seriously" a la the very funny Kurt Vonnegut. They are feel good novels, and they are WACKY!!! ISLAND OF THE SEQUINED LOVE NUN is one of his better ones, because the main characters are particularly loveably painted for us. Tucker Case, our main character, is a ne'er do well pilot for a Mary Kay kinda corporation, who ruins his career when he takes a girl on the company jet and causes a serious accident. He gets a chance to elude prosecution when he's hired by a mysterious missionary organization to fly their jet from an obscure Micronesian Island to Japan for "medical supplies" for the natives.

I'd really rather not try to summarize more of the plot, because virtually every chapter introduced a new twist or engaging character, and there are A LOT of chapters. The book flies by as Case and his supporting cast go from one dilemna to another.

And as often happens in Moore's books, there are relationships of either love or friendship that develop unexpectedly during the story, and suddenly, we find ourselves not only laughing outloud at the silly antics and outrageous plot turns, but we are caring about the main characters. This is rare in writing that is so flip and over-the-top.

Moore's books are fast-moving and you're sorry when they are over. LOVE NUN is particularly winning, and if you haven't tried Moore before, this is a good place to dive in. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED (not for kids...lots of language and some naughty goings-on.)

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Who says you can't write a hilarious suspense page-turner?, July 15, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Island of the Sequined Love Nun (Hardcover)

Christopher Moore is emerging as one of the most original writers of the decade....easily! In "LOve Nun" he has managed to blend suspense and intrigue in an action-packed story that keeps you doubled over with laughter. Unlikely combination? I'll say, but to read it is to believe it. Moore is a writer whose sharp wit pierces the armor of reason, respectability, and righteousness with constant mirth and good spirits. I can't recommend the book highly enough. I've already given away a dozen "must read" copies to friends. If you haven't read any of Moore's books, fill your shopping cart right now with "Practical Demonkeeping", Coyote Blue, "Bloodsucking Fiends" and "Island of the Sequined Love Nun." You are in for a treat. Call in sick tomorrow and read, read, read and shout with laughter. No, I'm not Moore's father, brother or even brother-in-law. Never met the guy and might even be afraid to go near somebody so goofy, but I can't put his books down.

28 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good & Funny. . .Funny & Good, October 5, 2006

By 

D. Mikels "It's always Happy Hour here" (Skunk Holler) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Island of the Sequined Love Nun (Paperback)

Okay. I like humor. Some people tell me, based on my looks, it's darn good I like humor, 'cause I sure need a sense of it. I like funny movies, funny stories, dirty jokes; what I don't see a whole lot of, are funny books. I mean, laugh-out-loud funny books.

ISLAND OF THE SEQUINED LOVE NUN is a witty exception. I had read Christopher Moore before ("Coyote Blue"), and while I enjoyed his work, his humor was just a tad too quirky (and for me, that's saying something). But with this book, I had a good time from the moment I started reading, right up until I finished the last page. Moore has a great gift of getting inside the heads of his characters, making them react to stuff they don't want to react to, and putting them in situations they don't want to be in. . .and he pulls it off with supreme comedic flair. I won't go into the plot (there are already hundreds of reviews here doing that), but suffice it to say Tucker Case is one likeable, funny bad boy. His adventures (or, more accurately, misadventures) make for a delightful read--a read augmented by the supernatural (a Moore staple), good and evil, and some compelling moments.

But I'm thinking too much (and once again, for me that's saying something); ISLAND OF THE SEQUINED LOVE NUN is a darn funny book. Not only that, it's a good book, a very good book, brilliantly written. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more of this author's work.
--D. Mikels, Author, WALK-0N