Skylar in Yankeeland [Import] [Hardcover]

Gregory McDonald (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; First British Edition edition (1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0002326000
• ISBN-13: 978-0002326001
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars More of the Same, September 13, 2000

By 

Patrick Burnett "penngos" (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Skylar in Yankeeland: A Mystery (Mass Market Paperback)

I just finished "Skylar in Yankeeland" and wasn't overly impressed. Certainly, it was better than "Skylar", but that's like saying Cheez in a Can is better than those Cracker Barrel fake cheddar sticks. Neither one really takes the blue ribbon, but at least you can squeeze Cheez in a Can directly into your mouth, without having to waste time cutting it.

In "Skylar", yankee cousin Jonathan Whitfield is a fish out of water when he comes south for a visit. In this installment, MacDonald turns the tables and has good ol' boy Skylar venture north to visit the very rich Whitfields, where he is, yes, a fish out of water. The family jewels are heisted, a young lady is murdered and general hilarity ensues. Or doesn't.

As a reader, I never like easy jokes. I figure the reason I'm paying to read an author's book is because he or she is much cleverer than I and will say things that I haven't already thought or write things that aren't cliches and because of this, I am increasingly saddened by Gregory MacDonald's descent into mediocrity. None of the characters here are much better than stereotypes and the situations they encounter are downright unlikely. Add to that the fact that one of the characters, a Boston blue blood since before the revolution, makes a personality change likely to cause a whiplash in anyone paying even the most casual attention and you have a book that is unlikely to win MacDonald any new fans.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful. The is the best McDonald has done in a decade., September 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Skylar in Yankeeland (Hardcover)

This was an extremely fun read. As a longtime fan of McDonalds work, I must confess that his Son of Fletch work of the last few years hasn't grabbed me. Skylar, on the other hand, is a breath of fresh air (sorry for the cliche). McDonald has found new energy in Skylar. I hope we see more of him.

1.0 out of 5 stars McDonald was once so good..., April 2, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Skylar in Yankeeland (Hardcover)

Gregory McDonald once wrote funny, interesting books. The Flynn series was unique, and the early Fletch books were great. His skills seem to have deteriorated, and his last three or four books have been eminently forgettable. Sad.