Customer Reviews

Whale Season: A Novel

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
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Chapter One starts out with a guffaw and you really don't stop laughing til you wipe a wry tear from your eye on the final page. Nicole Kelby's sense of humor isn't for everyone, but if you enjoy Christopher Moore, Terry Pratchett, or Jasper Fforde, you will probably love "Whale Season" as well.

Whale Season is the name of a town in FL that isn't visited by whales. The people who named the town did so to create a tourist trap, one of the first in the nation. But, fueled by enough beer and an inventive tourist guide, tourists have seen whales.

It's Christmas Eve and most of the town is at the local bar drinking peppermint schnapps. The town Sheriff, Trot Jeeter, is falling in love with his best friend's girl. That's nothing new, he's still carrying a torch for Leon's ex-wife, Dagmar.

Leon, the aforementioned best friend is playing poker at his RV dealership with Jesus--or at least a very good facsimile thereof. The dealership is on the line because Jesus is betting the American Dream.

That's an RV, by the way about $250,000 worth with gas mileage you can count on one hand. Fleetwood quit making the behemoth moving mansions about a year ago, but "The American Dream" totally fits the way out humor in "Whale Season." The novel's irreverant on the surface but the deeper message of faith and belief shines through.

"Whale Season" is not only worth reading, but keeping and dusting off for those occasions when you need a trip to somewhere where the sunset is pink as Pepto Bismol and the laughter as available as Florida sunshine.

I had to read this book for book club and was dreading it. It looked cheesy and didn't sound like anything I would enjoy. I was wrong. Once I started it, I was so amused and laughed out loud many times. I was also touched by the sweetness of it in parts. This would make a great summer vacation read for anyone just looking for a good story.

My favorite aspect of this book was the strange array of character personel that Kelby created. I was immensely compelled to read to the end of this book just to see the interacting of Jesus and Jimmy Ray, a character bond that made this book intensely worthwhile. This is a great book for anyone. I loved it.

I love this book. Nicole Kelby is a marvelous writer. Anybody who's read Theater of the Stars will respect her ability to blend seamlessly the truth of research with the craft of fiction, while not neglecting her very human characters. Anybody who's read her first bright little gem of a novel, In the Company of Angels, will see how brilliantly, economically and affectingly her writing cuts to the heart of a matter.

Well. In Whale Season, she does it all--and she also indulges her marvelous, loopy sense of humor. The result is something rare: a novel with fascinating characters, a real storyline, a touch of mystery, a superb sense of place, a sneaky depth and relevance--all this, and the book is genuinely funny.

Read it for the craft, the story, the characters, the humanity, the laughs. Whatever. Just...read it.

Susan O'Neill

Author, Don't Mean Nothing: Short Stories of Viet Nam

Florida must have more than its share of crazy, zany, fun characters for the writers to jot down on paper...e.g., MacDonald,Franklin, White, Haasen, etc....Kelby's book was fun and enjoyable, and had a classic ending. She did excellent protagonist development, and a lot of the folks were strange, but lovable. I enjoyed it and would recommend it to others for an airport or beach read. Lots of fun and hidden wisom. Interesting and well worth the bucks and the time (which seemed to zoom by). Good job!

A nifty little novel, very different from her other work. It's clever, witty, and charming and will delight any reader who's been itching for a new Robbins novel. Tom may be taking his time but Ms. Kelby will help tide you over.

Any book set in a town know as "Whale Harbor" which has no whales catches my eye. This one did.....

There are enough zany people in this town to rival Carl Hiaasen, but don't compare this author to him. She writes well in her own special way. Read her for her own special way of creating a town, and it's people....

Oh, and any town where the mayor is trying to find his "inner dog" rates well with me.

Read this book for great, funny and crazy fun. You will enjoy all the laughs.

P. S. Do not read in public....persons who laugh out loud at a book may be considered suspect.

Sometimes I read a book, and all the characters are familiar, and that's comforting, especially if the plot is tense and/or twisted. Well, in Whale Season, none of these guys are famililar or comforting, and the plot is very twisted. I love this book. It just twist and twist away. It's a great book, especially to those readers who say they've read all of Chris Moore, or all of Carl Hiaasen, and now they need someone new, but like Moore and/or Hiaasen.