A review by ncrabb
The Man Who Invented Florida by Randy Wayne White
3.0
Doc Ford primarily craves isolation to run his marine biology experiments. Now and then, he tinkers with his shortwave radio and creates logs of the stations he hears. Essentially, he’s a quiet guy with the occasional need for female companionship, but he’s not interested in a permanent hookup.
When he hears from an uncle from whom he would rather not here at all, he knows someone will soon disrupt that quiet world he treasures. Perhaps the first sign of trouble came when he used his telescope and discovered a young woman about the swim naked from a boat not far from his. He only watched her once, but she found out about it, and accused him of being a pervert. (She changed her mind as the book progressed.)
Doc Ford’s uncle Tucker announces that he has found a fountain of youth. It's a spring that seems to provide healing and restorative properties in the water. One of the first to receive it is an aging native American gentleman currently at a rest home. Tucker approaches his old friend and encourages him to drink the water. At the same time, Tucker encourages his friend Joseph to avoid taking his pills. Miraculously enough, whether it is the lack of medication or the restorative properties of the water, the old gentleman begins to feel better and decides to escape from the rest home. I try not to dwell on what it says about my sense of humor when I can laugh so hard at the scene the author described in chapter two. By then, the old man had been drinking a good bit of the water, and when a comely volunteer entered his room, he developed a rather conspicuous erection. The volunteer took advantage of that. The way the author described the scene had me laughing hard and out loud. I worry about that for myself, as it probably says awful things about my sense of humor. I just couldn't help it. This whole book is the beneficiary of a memorable writing style that at least will have you smiling in a spot or two if not engaging in full-blown laughter. Yes, there is a mystery element here as well. Some men are missing, and a state investigator wants to know where they are. This book is probably a couple of hours too long, but the characters are likable and memorable. I’ll get to the next book in the series in a few months.
When he hears from an uncle from whom he would rather not here at all, he knows someone will soon disrupt that quiet world he treasures. Perhaps the first sign of trouble came when he used his telescope and discovered a young woman about the swim naked from a boat not far from his. He only watched her once, but she found out about it, and accused him of being a pervert. (She changed her mind as the book progressed.)
Doc Ford’s uncle Tucker announces that he has found a fountain of youth. It's a spring that seems to provide healing and restorative properties in the water. One of the first to receive it is an aging native American gentleman currently at a rest home. Tucker approaches his old friend and encourages him to drink the water. At the same time, Tucker encourages his friend Joseph to avoid taking his pills. Miraculously enough, whether it is the lack of medication or the restorative properties of the water, the old gentleman begins to feel better and decides to escape from the rest home. I try not to dwell on what it says about my sense of humor when I can laugh so hard at the scene the author described in chapter two. By then, the old man had been drinking a good bit of the water, and when a comely volunteer entered his room, he developed a rather conspicuous erection. The volunteer took advantage of that. The way the author described the scene had me laughing hard and out loud. I worry about that for myself, as it probably says awful things about my sense of humor. I just couldn't help it. This whole book is the beneficiary of a memorable writing style that at least will have you smiling in a spot or two if not engaging in full-blown laughter. Yes, there is a mystery element here as well. Some men are missing, and a state investigator wants to know where they are. This book is probably a couple of hours too long, but the characters are likable and memorable. I’ll get to the next book in the series in a few months.