The Rum Diary

When I informed a friend of mine who had read this book previously that I had ordered it, and was going to read it, his response was, "that book goes nowhere." Up to about halfway through the book, I could not believe his prior sentiment, since I was really enjoying the story, and the general debauchery fueled lifestyle of each character, but then there was an almost sudden drop-off. It just stopped being compelling, and building... Read Full Review

Paul Kemp moves to Puerto Rico for a position with the local paper. He's a drifter, never quite finding a place to put down roots, and though he wishes that San Juan will be different for him, he soon realizes that is not to be. He yearns for the places he hasn't been yet, or has already been; he yearns to be anywhere but where he is at that moment. He hates Old San Juan, he despises Condado, he visits St Thomas and is ready... Read Full Review

A great "fictional" story that hunter writes about a journalist that travels to Puerto Rico to work and gets caught up in the usual HST madness.

Recently, I've been reading Hunter S. Thompson's The Rum Diary. Actually, I'm almost finished with it. Hunter wrote it when he was 22 and it shows, but in the way that a sapling has the blueprint for the whole tree in its little structure. In it, the very Hunter-like protagonist, Paul Kemp, runs around Puerto Rico doing very Hunter-like things, but there's something extra odd in there that isn't in anything else I've read... Read Full Review

Thompson's thinly veiled self-acknowledged portrayal of a journalist - Paul Kemp - who leaves New York to go working for a folding newspaper, the San Juan Daily News - is a largely ignored piece of work. This is largely due to its pre-gonzo style that will alienate most of the fans who have been seduced by his later works - most notably Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. However, there was much more to Thompson's methodical... Read Full Review