Customer Reviews

SCREAMING WITH THE CANNIBALS

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Screaming with the Cannibals(SWTC)is action packed and often hilariously funny. The novel is a page-turner filled with downright descriptive sex, and the language men and boys might use when at war. It is the story of an intelligent young boy, Jesse Stone, coming of age and coping with feelings of aloneness, repressive religion, racial turmoil, etc.

The 2nd in a series, SWTC takes up where Maynard's first novel Crum left off. However, the author skillfully incorporates information from Crum in the form of flashbacks and each novel stands alone.

SWTC opens with Jesse, a rough and tumble 50s era football playing, book reading kid, finishing Crum High School. He is determined to see the world he has experience only through the books in the school's library.

Short on specific goals but high on self-reliance, Jesse packs his favorite book, a change of clothes and about thirteen dollars and "lights out" for somewhere.

He hitches a ride and briefly end up a farm hand in nearby Kentucky. There he gets interested (that's putting in mildly)in a neigbor's wife and contributes to a near riot at the farm community's yearly Fundamentalist revival. On the run, he heads south on an unlicensed Triumph motorcycle he rebuilt from used farm equipment parts.

Testesterone in high gear, Jesse finds more trouble with a South Carolina Sheriff before he lands a job as a lifeguard at Myrtle Beach.

Jesse runs smack-dab into racial trumoil and segregated beaches, the same Sheriff, responsible work, plus hoards of nubile girls and a Mrs. Robinson-type older woman.

If you ever wonder, "What goes on in the minds of teen aged boys?" this is the book to read.

The novel is extremely well written and easy to read. I especially like Maynard's writing style.

Readers who remember Myrtle Beach in the "old days" will enjoy the scenes set there.

First, forget the review that said women don't enjoy Crum. Anyone can and will enjoy both of Lee Maynard's books if they have a good sense of humour and aren't a prude. I loved Crum. It was hilariously raunchy and accurate in its portrayal of country life.

Screaming With The Cannibals may even be better than Crum. Where Crum was a country boy's wild adolescence, Screaming With The Cannibals is a young man's cross country adventure. It's funny, sexy, adventurous, human, exciting, ...and a whole lot of other adjectives!

A modern classic. So much life and imagination is packed into this small book. Life in the country, road trips, strange Mountain folk, scary Southern folk, tent revivals, crazy preachers, skinny dippin', train jumpin', [hot] lifeguards, murderous cops, car chases, and sex smothered in home cookin'.

It has that timeless, country humour and atmosphere of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn, with a bit of On the Road, Stand by Me, O Brother Where Art Thou?, and 9 1/2 Weeks thrown in the mix. All written in simple, straight forward, but still somehow poetic language. I didn't want it to end.

If you haven't read Crum, don't bother getting this book. This is the sequel to Crum, and although it's not quite as good as the original, it's a great story.

Crum is a book that very few women would enjoy. If you're a guy with a sense of humor you should check it out. It's one of the funniest books I've ever read, about a kid growing up in a small town in West Virginia. The book is full of the adventures of this kid and his friends, and of his quest to leave the town of Crum. If you enjoy that book, you will also like this one.

Lee Maynard is an outstanding writer, and I'm constantly looking for anything new by him. I was thrilled when I found this book earlier this year and not at all disappointed when I read it.

Maynard's SCREAMING WITH THE CANNIBALS takes on the next stage in the life of the narrator of CRUM, which has a large following of enthusiastic readers.This one picks up the story where CRUM left off. Fans will leap at the opportunity to find out what happened to Jesse- and yes, the narrator of the first book finally gets a name! Jesse is presented as a sort of archetype of all those young adventurers who need to see what is on the other side of the next ridge. He wants to move on, to escape from everything in his old life. In the final part of this book, he gets as far as South Carolina where he experiences racism, the ocean, and forgiveness. The long scene in which Jesse escapes a Kentucky revival meeting with his soul unsaved and his skin intact is worth the price of the book. He doesn't find everything he's looking for, but there is more than a hint that Maynard isn't through with his story.

Lee Maynard is brilliant. His first book, Crum, was my favorite. I laughed and cried. It is so Real and would make a wonderful movie

Maynard's writing is taut and powerful and not for the prude. You won't put this book down.

This is a great read. Lee Maynard is a master at keeping his audience interested. A great follow up to Crum. Five stars. Keep writing. I'm looking forward to more novels to come.

I first heard of Lee Maynard while listening to his interview with Terry Gross on NPR. I grew up in Chattaroy, not far from Crum - so, I was compelled to read the book. Even though I grew up there in the 1970s and 1980s, little had changed from the time in which the book was set. We were more mobile, but fundamentally, the same time and place. We did the same things and had as much fun, as many fights and forged enough friendships and memories to last a lifetime. It was a walk down memory lane and a fantastic journey for anyone. Read the book!!!

I've ordered Cannibals - now that I've finished Crum - I can't wait for it to arrive. I'll check back in with a proper review later.

A special thanks to Lee Maynard for pulling those memories back into my present.

This is another great book by Lee Maynard that should be made into a movie.Jack Nicholson would be great in this movie and ofcourse it should be filmed in West Virginia!!

Great book. I only ordered one book, but I received and was billed for two. I contacted the seller and he would not agree to refund the shipping cost of returning the book to him. When I talked with Amazon about this, they told me that they would see that I received reimbursement for the second book and for returning the second book. Please advise what I need to do in order to receive full reimbursement of my total cost, including returning the book. Thank you. Neil Rice NeilRice@Comcast.Net