Customer Reviews

Naked Came the Manatee

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

Several years ago an editor for The Miami Herald's Tropic magazine came up with an interesting idea. He contacted several well-known and respected Floridian writers to participate in an unusual project. Each one involved would provide a part of a novel written chapter by chapter by a different author. Columnist Dave Barry began the novel by introducing us to a manatee named Booger, and then another author would continue the story. Carl Hiaasen had the daunting task of taking all the loose ends provided by all the participants and creating a plausible conclusion to the story. This project has not been seen in several decades since Agatha Christie and other mystery writers worked on a similar type of storytelling.

During the last few years groups of authors have worked on similar projects like this and given their profits to charities. The problem is that some of these writers are not interested in writing a good story but finding a way to trip up the writer that is supposed to continue the plot. The only thing those authors share in common is the genre that they write. NAKED CAME THE MANATEE is better by the connection this particular group of people shares.

Most of the authors who worked on this book have lived in Florida for a long time. They know the area, its people and its customs and implement them in the story line. Some of the authors, such as Elmore Leonard, Dave Barry, and Carl Hiaasen, are funny in their own right that is perfect for this story. These authors know how to write a funny story and they can get away with it in this book. As a special treat for some of the book's readers is that some of the writers include their series characters in this novel. Among those making an appearance are Lee Standisford's John Deal and Edna Buchanan's Britt Montero.

Overall this novel is about a manatee that gets involved in a plot to discredit Fidel Castro. It is not Booger's fault. He just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time just like some of the other characters in this story. NAKED CAME THE MANATEE is not meant to be taken seriously so just sit down and enjoy the ride.

"Naked Came the Manatee" is a group collaboration by 13 Florida authors (originally serialized in 'The Miami Herald Tropic'), where one writer produces a chapter, then passes it on to the next writer so s/he can do the same. Dave Barry starts it off with the first chapter (comically entitled "Booger"), then Les Standiford takes on the next one, followed by the 11 other mystery writers: Paul Levine, Edna Buchanan, James W. Hall, Carolina Hospital, Evelyn Mayerson, Tananarive Due, Brian Antoni, Vicki Hendricks, John Dufresne, Elmore Leonard, and Carl Hiaasen.

Basically, "Naked Came the Manatee" is about a decapitated head--Fidel Castro's, to be exact--that's found in a metal canister floating in the water. From there, about half a dozen main characters (though only two stick out in my mind a day later: a 102-year-old woman and a manatee named Booger) are either trying to solve the mystery or just trying to stay alive--or both.

I honestly didn't know what to expect from this book when I bought it, even though a librarian recommended it to me. The idea of collaborative writing didn't seem like a good idea, especially with so many writers battling for the helm of the story. I noticed a few authors even backtracked to cover up other author's plot holes or mistakes, even added a few unnecessary characters. The result is kind of a mess. It doesn't have very smooth chapter transitions, and felt more like a collage rather than a work of art. The Florida setting was descriptive, yet at the same time very unflattering (didn't make me want to visit, especially after reading Brian Antoni's chapter).

The one good thing about "Naked Came the Manatee," though, is that it's short (approximately 200 pages), which makes for light reading. Still, this isn't one I'd necessarily recommend, unless you're a fan of one or more of the authors mentioned above.

It was bound to happen. Only in Miami (well, maybe in Los Angeles also) could a group of writers take turns doing a nutty story and have it sound like events you'd read in the Miami Herald. Dave Barry, Carl Hiaasen, Elmore Leonard and ten other south Florida authors each contribute a chapter to a story of theft, kidnaping, and murder in a plot to overthrow Fidel Castro, and Castro's moves to thwart it. Tourists, gangsters, environmentalists, reporters, and lawyers populate the story, but weaving through it all is a huge, affectionate manatee named Booger. The story comes back to Booger again and again, and when Booger is finally happy, we know the story has reached its fitting end. The book is whimsical and tremendously funny. It's well worth reading.

If you read too many of these negative reviews, please keep in mind that when buying a book titled "Naked Came the Manatee" you shouldn'tbe expecting one of the great classics of the literary arts. You should expect a fun read, and this book provides one. The way the authors change what he previous one had done is entertaining and the story is silly enough that no one should try read as a legitimate crime novel. Also, as a Floridian, I found the descriptions of South Florida to be dead on target.

Naked Came the Manatee had some very funny lines,and an original and interesting plot. Some parts were random, but they were usually amusing. The whole thing takes place in South Florida, where everyone wants proof of Fidel Castro being dead. I would have enjoyed it more if wasn't so confusing. Pretty much everything the Cubans said was over my head, but sometimes things were tied together later. The manatee was named Booger, and was a very strange character. I wasn't sure about his morals, but he was amusing.

I bought this book based upon Hiaasen's name. Throw in some of the other authors and how could you go wrong? Well, it is a muddled, boring mess. Focus on other Hiaasen titles instead.

I forgot to mention something in my previous review. The title of the earlier book back in the 60's was "Naked Came the Stranger." The book was actually a hoax written by 25 writers who couldn't get their serious work published, so they wrote something they thought would--a trashy, sex-filled novel. Hence the title of this book, "Naked Came the Manatee," an allusion to the original hoax.

Imagine a book in which Dave Barry writes the first chapter, then twelve other very authors skilled authors have to write a chapter. Each author has to pick up the plot where the previous author left off. "Naked Came the Manatee" is hilarious, and it's the type of humorous thriller that could only take place in a state where the electric chair is named "Old Sparky."

It's quirky, it's funny, and it's hilarious. Don't take it to bed to read if you have a significant other, because you'll just keep them up with your laughter.

This book is funny - read it because you want to be entertained, and you won't be disappointed!

Thirteen different authors? A plot involving Fidel Castro? One of the hottest cities in the world, Miami, as its setting? And one of my favorites of all the world's creatures, a manatee, being one of the focal points of the story line?

Well, all the above, unfortunately did not do it for me. Perhaps, "too many cooks in the kitchen" produced a soufflé with varying degrees of success. I suppose the distinctive styles of the different writers appealed to some, but I found it a wee bit disconcerting. There were some "hits" but more "misses" in this slightly amusing tale.

Honestly, I read this book based solely on the fact that I enjoy the writing of Tananarive Due. While her contribution is as evenly important as the other twelve writers, I don't think this is a good example of the strengths that draw me to her in her singular compositions.

In contrast, Evelyn Mayerson's contribution (Chapter 7: The Lock and Key) is wonderfully sarcastic and very amusing. With references to Jimmy Carter ("Senor Peanut"), O.J. lawyer Barry Scheck and an inference that actress Kim Nova had a mustache, thus indicating her likely Cuban "roots", the author adds more absurdity to the already strange happenings of previous (and subsequent) chapters.

I will, most definitely, be seeking out titles authored by her.

If only she had done the entire book, I could've rated it higher.

Do you read for sheer pleasure as I do? If yes, then get this book.

Outstanding writers banded together to produce uniquely Florida flavored escapeism. After a short while you can smell the jungle growth, salt air, Cuban coffee, and hot streets of this tropical asylum.

The characters could only exist in that humid overgrown place. The politics are an odd marriage of Miami/Havanna. The manatee is unusually thoughtful and an activist. The love interests pay dues to senior citizens.

Its a fun ride through swamps, newspapers, mansions, swamp shacks, and assorted bad guys. The good guys have that Key West attitude of "If you don't like the way I live then don't watch and don't participate." Give yourself a wonderful treat, sit back, make a snack and go to it.