The Rum Diary - Hunter S. Thompson

As a confirmed fan of the good Dr. Gonzo, I was eager to read this early work. Apparently the manuscript for the Rum Diary lingered unfinished and unpublished for years in Thompson's basement, before finally seeing the light of day. The Rum Dairy is unlike most of Thompson's other works, in that it is pure fiction (even if the young lead character Kemp, bears more than passing resembelence to a young Thompson.) The story is of a young journalist, already cynical beyond his years, and his adventures working for the underfunded and understaffed "Daily News" in Puerto Rico. It sounds like a dream assignment, working in beautiful ...  Read the complete review

The Rum Diary was written by Thompson in 1959, when he spent some time working in Puerto Rico, but it remained unpublished until 1998. The book follows the authors exploits as a Journalist working for the 'Daily News', a down-market paper staffed by drunkards and reprobates. Thompson paints a very dark picture of his time on the island, almost every character he meets is in some way downright nasty. The atmosphere is kept oppressive, and the feeling of endless stinking heat is conveyed very well. The book gives a remarkable insight into low-life in the late 1950's. People get drunk and hit their girlfriends, pick fights, get beaten by police, get ...  Read the complete review

The Rum Diary is a supposedly fictious account of a journalist working in Peurto Rico written by Thompson years ago and only published recently. It seems to correspond very heavily with Thompsons exploits in peurto Rico however, and it is possible to claim that it is yet another true story which he has to deny for the sake of what is left of his reputation. The book is very well written and gives a good insight into the life of a journalist and also the problems that faced peurto rico at the time, the story appears to be quite thin, but as thompson has consistantly proved, his method of writing and brilliant story telling can make any body interested in any bland ...  Read the complete review