Comments (19)

The Rum Diary

the Long Lost Novel
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Jul 08, 2021toor22 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Thompson's tale of seasoned, world-weary reporter Paul Kemp and his experiences in Puerto Rico's transformation into yet another tropical tourist trap while working for a newspaper that's always on the verge of collapse and staffed by a…
Mar 24, 2021CMLibrary_RGulledge rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Much like Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, there's a soft, vivid underbelly to the gruff, intoxicated exterior of this novel that really struck me - in true HST style, it captures the the spirit of a dying space and time - in this instance,…
May 22, 2020mJJLnk7 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
The other other great American novel of the 20th century.
Mar 05, 2020mittens_1 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Great book!
Nov 04, 2019JCLMattC rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
This is a colorful, harried romp of a novel that often gets overlooked in favor of Thompson's other works, namely Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. As much as I love that book, I think I actually liked this one more. It has an endearing…
Oct 14, 2019TomAppelt rated this title 0.5 out of 5 stars
A remose novel about a group of non-native journalists working for a failing English language newspaper in Puerto Rico. They don't seem to know one another's first names and spend most of their time complaining about their situation,…
Dec 16, 2015lukasevansherman rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Thompson's sole novel, long thought lost, is a semi-autobiographical, episodic, drink soaked tale of journalist working in 1950's Puerto Rico. The protagonist plunges into bad behavior, heavy drinking, sex, and, only occasionally, work. As…
Mar 03, 2015
I was not sure what I was expecting when I picked up the book but I was happy with it. The narrative of the story was quite good and it flowed with quite well. Anyone who likes Hunter S. Thompson should give some time for this book.
Apr 19, 2013Huierre rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
This is a book I could see owning. I found myself rereading some of his sentences over and over again just to savor them. This early work shows HST as a thoughtful, self-reflective young man. I thought both this and "Hell's Angels" are a…
Feb 06, 2013ravensview rated this title 2.5 out of 5 stars
Well recommended by many. Well written, but not into diaries/biographies right now - save for later.
Jul 08, 2012pigirl rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
This is a good book. I do not know how it compares to the movie, but the book by itself is good. I say read the book first, watch the movie later.
ColinSick
Jun 21, 2012
I have read much of what HST has published including his scribblings for Rolling Stone. While it is nice to see emerging writing style that makes HST so enjoyable this one just doesn't take off. Thompson later moved closer to the…
Mar 12, 2012prabhjitb rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
I wanted to read this book before I saw the movie. And now I want to read more books written by Hunter S. Thompson mainly because I really like his writing style. It was an easy ready though the story was ok.
emerald2pac
Dec 05, 2011emerald2pac rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Great book hilarious and hard to put down. Crazy ride but enjoyable.
Aug 29, 2011
Film adaptation of Hunter Thompson's first novel, starring Johnny Depp, will be released October 28.
May 08, 2011blackcaesar rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Made me want to drink and write.
Mar 10, 2011bdls206 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
I would have to say this was Hunter S. Thompsons best work. I bought this book as I loved it so much. I recommend this book to anybody as it is a great,and very fast read!
Feb 15, 2011daymakerdave rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
In my opinion this is HST's best work by far! Don't get me wrong, I still dig Fear and Loathing, The great white shark hunt, and others but I hind that as he got older his books became more Kerouac style ramblings of a drug-addled brain.…
Aug 07, 2010hertz rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
The colorful tale of a gonzo journalist, finding himself in Puerto Rico. Wanders around, has friends and lovers, drinks copious amounts of rum. I'd be curious if someone counted how many they drank over the course of this book. Light,…