The Rum Diary: A Novel

Hunter S. Thompson

Sep 2011 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

Made into a major motion picture starring Johnny Depp, The Rum Diary—a national bestseller and New York Times Notable Book—is Hunter S. Thompson’s brilliant love story of jealousy, treachery, and violent lust in the Caribbean.

Begun in 1959 by a twenty-two-year-old Hunter S. Thompson, The Rum Diary is a brilliantly tangled love story of jealousy, treachery, and violent alcoholic lust in the Caribbean boomtown that was San Juan, Puerto Rico, in the late 1950s. The narrator, freelance journalist Paul Kemp, irresistibly drawn to a sexy, mysterious woman, is soon thrust into a world where corruption and get-rich-quick schemes rule, and anything (including murder) is permissible. Exuberant and mad, youthful and energetic, this dazzling comedic romp provides a fictional excursion as riveting and outrageous as Thompson’s Fear and Loathing books.

Ratings and reviews

I thought that the author 's writing skills were pretty good, but I also thought the story-line was mostly pointless and not very interesting. FYI, I never saw the movie and therefore had no expectations compared to the movie's srory-line and was still let down.

Excellent job. I love Puerto Rico and the writing style used by HST. I've been a fan for over 30 years. Do yourself a favor and read something he created not just followed with wax and a shammy. It's buff. Oh yeah.

Loved this book, I'm a fan of Thompson's work already and I went into this thinking of the film, which wasn't what I ended up getting. The film strays pretty far from this into be honest, but it's a very interesting story, never a dull moment. As often is the case with Thompson's writing. I loved how the overarching message was about how a seemingly beautiful and wonderful place can change after being exposed to it for too long, it's something I could really connect with.

About the author

Hunter S. Thompson was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. His books include Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72, Screwjack, Kingdom of Fear, The Great Shark Hunt, Fear and Loathing at Rolling Stone, Hell's Angels, and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. He died in February 2005.