Scan barcode
jsalowe's review against another edition
3.0
This one has super-gross parts (Nazi torture!) but for some reason was one of my teenaged favorites; I fear this says more about me than I would prefer. I also found it one of the saddest, and Trav's creation of the verbs "whonk and brutch" to describe his anxious barfing (upon the attack of another of his broken birds) has stayed with me a long, pitiful time.
dwhite1174's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
topdragon's review against another edition
4.0
The eighth novel in the Travis McGee series finds Travis far from his sunny home aboard The Busted Flush in southern Florida. In fact, the story starts with Travis descending into Chicago O’Hare Airport in wintertime, responding to a distress phone call from Glory Geiss, an old flame who has recently become a widow. Seems her rich doctor husband had been dispersing his fortune over the past several months to the point where most of it is now gone. Dr. Geiss’s son and daughter are convinced Glory has absconded with it so Glory would like Travis to track down what happened and clear her name.
This was another enjoyable entry in the series. McGee’s best friend Meyer, unfortunately, doesn’t have a real role in this one, but does put in an off-screen cameo. Travis, indeed, is on his own…and not at all in his element. Nevertheless, he doggedly pursues the mission, makes some creative paths to solutions and…in true McGee fashion, makes a couple of critical mistakes, imperiling not only himself but others. I like that about these novels. Our hero is not perfect, even when he is in top form.
As always, looking forward to the next one.
This was another enjoyable entry in the series. McGee’s best friend Meyer, unfortunately, doesn’t have a real role in this one, but does put in an off-screen cameo. Travis, indeed, is on his own…and not at all in his element. Nevertheless, he doggedly pursues the mission, makes some creative paths to solutions and…in true McGee fashion, makes a couple of critical mistakes, imperiling not only himself but others. I like that about these novels. Our hero is not perfect, even when he is in top form.
As always, looking forward to the next one.
angelabeth995's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
cimorene1558's review against another edition
3.0
I tend to be snippy about American mystery writers, especially men, but this is pretty good, if a little to nasty to be quite my cup of tea.
mwgant's review against another edition
3.0
This one hasn't aged as well. Frigid, undersexed females that need to be "cured" is painful. But, it's from the 1960's so John D. gets a partial pass. Still surprises me how prescient JDM was about the environment and the damage humans will do; a lot of good passages on this subject.
thebeardedpoet's review against another edition
4.0
If you love a loquacious narrator, one who loves to wax philosophical about human nature, especially human folly, one who never misses an opportunity to offer a tangent of observation or thought (especially about whether to sex or not to sex), Travis McGee is for you, as is One Fearful Yellow Eye! Travis McGee is one interesting package: beach bum, anachronism, amateur sex therapist, amateur philosopher, automotive restoration hobbyist, art connoisseur, food connoisseur, and off-the-books salvage professional. It is McGee's voice that makes this series of books.
This particular story is exciting and moves along well, but the nature of McGee requires detours and soliloquies which take the pace down a notch at times. Also when the evil caper behind all the problems is revealed, it is a doozy--maybe just a little too bonkers for plausibility, but by that point the peril and resolution has carried you to an endpoint. Just don't sit there and think about it too much after the last couple pages.
It is all worth it for the prose which sings like poetry at times. Someone could use this book do a PhD on sentence length variation. Definitely one of the most poetic and rhetorically vigorous works of fiction I've ever read.
This particular story is exciting and moves along well, but the nature of McGee requires detours and soliloquies which take the pace down a notch at times. Also when the evil caper behind all the problems is revealed, it is a doozy--maybe just a little too bonkers for plausibility, but by that point the peril and resolution has carried you to an endpoint. Just don't sit there and think about it too much after the last couple pages.
It is all worth it for the prose which sings like poetry at times. Someone could use this book do a PhD on sentence length variation. Definitely one of the most poetic and rhetorically vigorous works of fiction I've ever read.
johnnyb1954's review against another edition
2.0
I haven't read a Travis McGee story in 30 years and this wasn't the one to jump back in with. Maybe they were all like this and I had a different perspective before.
McGee is described in this book as a savior of wounded birds, meaning women in trouble. A woman that McGee is getting involved with is raped in the story. He describes his feelings by comparing it to the time he and his brother built this sports car and then it was damaged in an accident. Although it was repaired, it was never the same. Yeah, that's what women are like. Oh, sorry, spoiler alert, but, really, don't read this book.
One of the characters in the story is gay. So John D. macDonald takes this opportunity to give his (or McGee's) view on gay men. He tolerates them. It's like the negroes: some men hate them because they fear they are really one of them. You kind of have to read this two page exposition to get it, but, really, don't bother.
It comes down to McGee (MacDonald), as an enlightened white male, is superior to gays, women, blacks, rednecks, but he understands them and condescendingly is willing to coexist with the. Especially women, because sex.
The mystery was fine and well written which is why this is 2 stars instead of none.
McGee is described in this book as a savior of wounded birds, meaning women in trouble. A woman that McGee is getting involved with is raped in the story. He describes his feelings by comparing it to the time he and his brother built this sports car and then it was damaged in an accident. Although it was repaired, it was never the same. Yeah, that's what women are like. Oh, sorry, spoiler alert, but, really, don't read this book.
One of the characters in the story is gay. So John D. macDonald takes this opportunity to give his (or McGee's) view on gay men. He tolerates them. It's like the negroes: some men hate them because they fear they are really one of them. You kind of have to read this two page exposition to get it, but, really, don't bother.
It comes down to McGee (MacDonald), as an enlightened white male, is superior to gays, women, blacks, rednecks, but he understands them and condescendingly is willing to coexist with the. Especially women, because sex.
The mystery was fine and well written which is why this is 2 stars instead of none.
cafo6's review against another edition
5.0
This might be the saddest ending yet. :( I would caution modern readers to imagine the times, when reading any of these books. Sometimes the author/Travis sounds utterly racist or misogynistic- but I don’t find malice. Only a wry observation, often misunderstanding what he saw and not necessarily knowing what to make of it.
markfeltskog's review against another edition
I do understand that this book was published in 1966. Nonetheless, even for me, a reader mostly willing to overlook such things, the sexism in this novel is just too rank.