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Swamp Story: A Novel
Pulitzer Prize–winning New York Times bestselling author and actual Florida Man Dave Barry returns with a Florida caper full of oddballs and more twists and turns than a snake slithering away from a gator.
Jesse Braddock is trapped in a tiny cabin deep in the Everglades with her infant daughter and her ex-boyfriend, a wannabe reality TV star who turned out to be a lot prettier on the outside than on the inside. Broke and desperate for a way out, Jesse stumbles across a long-lost treasure, which could solve all her problems-if she can figure out how to keep it. The problem is, some very bad men are also looking for the treasure, and they know Jesse has it.
Meanwhile, Ken Bortle of Bortle Brothers Bait and Beer has hatched a scheme to lure tourists to his failing store by making viral videos of the "Everglades Melon Monster." The Monster is in fact an unemployed alcoholic newspaperman named Phil wearing a Dora the Explorer costume head. Incredibly, this plan actually works, inspiring a horde of TikTokers to swarm into the swamp in search of the monster at the same time villains are on the hunt for Jesse's treasure. Amid this mayhem, a presidential hopeful arrives in the Everglades to start his campaign. Needless to say, it does not go as planned. In fact, nothing in this story goes as planned. This is, after all, Florida.
Jesse Braddock is trapped in a tiny cabin deep in the Everglades with her infant daughter and her ex-boyfriend, a wannabe reality TV star who turned out to be a lot prettier on the outside than on the inside. Broke and desperate for a way out, Jesse stumbles across a long-lost treasure, which could solve all her problems-if she can figure out how to keep it. The problem is, some very bad men are also looking for the treasure, and they know Jesse has it.
Meanwhile, Ken Bortle of Bortle Brothers Bait and Beer has hatched a scheme to lure tourists to his failing store by making viral videos of the "Everglades Melon Monster." The Monster is in fact an unemployed alcoholic newspaperman named Phil wearing a Dora the Explorer costume head. Incredibly, this plan actually works, inspiring a horde of TikTokers to swarm into the swamp in search of the monster at the same time villains are on the hunt for Jesse's treasure. Amid this mayhem, a presidential hopeful arrives in the Everglades to start his campaign. Needless to say, it does not go as planned. In fact, nothing in this story goes as planned. This is, after all, Florida.
Editorial Reviews
"The funniest thing we've read in years, or maybe just since the last Dave Barry novel." -PEOPLE Magazine
"Before you open this book, ask yourself one important question: How hard do I want to laugh? Because (a) it's Dave Barry, and (b) it's Dave Freaking Barry. Of course Swamp Story is about greed, fraud, and viral fame, but there are also big-ass reptiles to keep the sketchiest characters on their toes. Everything that happens in this wild novel could easily happen in South Florida, and probably will. Read it here first. Dave's version is always the funniest." -Carl Hiaasen
'With Swamp Story, Dave Barry combines two important elements of literature: A swamp and a story."- Steve Martin
"Dave Barry continues his powerful, hypnotic, sway over us readers with this latest, powerful, hypnotic work that is not only hilariously funny, but also powerful and hypnotic." - ALSO Steve Martin
"I laughed out loud! (to think that Dave would dare publish a book). Yet, this book continues Dave's streak of humor writing that is the best in the country. Congratulations to Dave and all the lucky readers." - AGAIN, Steve Martin
"I'm frankly tired of Dave Barry being so funny. Yet, he's done it again to the benefit and delight of all of us. A hilarious new work." - STILL Steve Martin
"I haven't read it yet, but I love it!" - YET AGAIN, Steve Martin
"Get ready to laugh out loud with Dave Barry's return to fiction, Swamp Story. It's a hilarious Sunshine-State caper....The Pulitzer Prize-winner and self-described 'Florida Man' always delivers the laughs, and Swamp Story is no exception." - Parade
"Florida's humorist laureate finds chaos and comedy in the Everglades....Gold bars, pythons, and TikTok videos of swamp monsters add up to a hilarious Florida tale....Barry makes mirth of all this mayhem with his usual aplomb." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Crime fiction doesn't come much funnier than this Florida-set caper....Barry conducts the hijinks like a maestr...
"Before you open this book, ask yourself one important question: How hard do I want to laugh? Because (a) it's Dave Barry, and (b) it's Dave Freaking Barry. Of course Swamp Story is about greed, fraud, and viral fame, but there are also big-ass reptiles to keep the sketchiest characters on their toes. Everything that happens in this wild novel could easily happen in South Florida, and probably will. Read it here first. Dave's version is always the funniest." -Carl Hiaasen
'With Swamp Story, Dave Barry combines two important elements of literature: A swamp and a story."- Steve Martin
"Dave Barry continues his powerful, hypnotic, sway over us readers with this latest, powerful, hypnotic work that is not only hilariously funny, but also powerful and hypnotic." - ALSO Steve Martin
"I laughed out loud! (to think that Dave would dare publish a book). Yet, this book continues Dave's streak of humor writing that is the best in the country. Congratulations to Dave and all the lucky readers." - AGAIN, Steve Martin
"I'm frankly tired of Dave Barry being so funny. Yet, he's done it again to the benefit and delight of all of us. A hilarious new work." - STILL Steve Martin
"I haven't read it yet, but I love it!" - YET AGAIN, Steve Martin
"Get ready to laugh out loud with Dave Barry's return to fiction, Swamp Story. It's a hilarious Sunshine-State caper....The Pulitzer Prize-winner and self-described 'Florida Man' always delivers the laughs, and Swamp Story is no exception." - Parade
"Florida's humorist laureate finds chaos and comedy in the Everglades....Gold bars, pythons, and TikTok videos of swamp monsters add up to a hilarious Florida tale....Barry makes mirth of all this mayhem with his usual aplomb." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Crime fiction doesn't come much funnier than this Florida-set caper....Barry conducts the hijinks like a maestr...
Readers Top Reviews
CS
4.5 Stars ’This book is dedicated to the state of Florida, which has its flaws, but which is never, ever boring.’ Set in southern Florida, written by Dave Barry, you have to know that this will undoubtedly be a story no one else could imagine and bring to life the way that he does. As this story begins, Jess is living somewhere in the middle of the Everglades, with her infant daughter, Willa, and the baby’s father - who is basically useless as a father, or anything else, really. He’s much more interested in getting stoned with his buddies, and coming up with crazy ideas on how they can make money without spending too much energy doing it. They decide to create some buzz by filming their own movie clips of something they decide to call (depending on which one you ask) ’the glades man.’ Meanwhile, Jess has headed off after she’d yelled to Slater for help as a snake was getting closer, and she didn’t have that many options to choose from since she was holding Willa. Slater comes outside, and then yells to one of his buddies that he needs to get this snake on film, never mind that it’s closing in on the mother of his child and that it is massive in size, and headed right toward them - first he needs to get that snake on film. She’s panicking, and he’s telling her to calm down, and that this will make ‘good footage.’ When all is said and done, she leaves the next morning with Willa, still furious, determined to find a way out of this place, this life. In her frustration with Slater & Company, Jess ends up wandering around, ultimately sitting to nurse Willa, she notices something glittering, gold. A gold bar, she realizes when she pulls it out of the ground, and seeing more below, she quickly covers it, and takes the one bar. There’s more to this story, a Bait and Beer shop run by Ken and Brad, who haven’t had any customers in quite a while. Another duo, Stu and Phil, desperate for money who will do pretty much anything, including entertaining at children's birthday parties - where everything goes wrong, but also seems to end in a video that ends up going viral. Somehow, Slater, Kark, Ken, Brad, Stu and Phil come together with a plan to make a video the ‘mythical’ Everglades Melon Monster, re-designing the giant round head from the birthday party to make this Melon-ish Monster and filming it then putting it out on TikTok. It goes viral, of course, and people begin to flock there to see for themselves. This is ridiculous - in the best way - at times, funny at times, with a sprinkling of a potential love story, a bit of tension as Jess begins to realize how much more dangerous this has become, and a man planning to run for president is sent there to report on this Melon Monster, who ends up, inadvertently showing his true - and not so likable - character as the area is overflowing with p...
ramona cowanCS
It was nothing to dislike. The guy really knows how to write.
Carolyn P. Pughra
This will be read by the people as crazy as the ones in the book. I loved it!
Marian M. PetersC
Highly recommend all of dave Barry’s books Love the characters and the happy ending(whoops spoiler alert) Would love a Mellon head tshirt
Sharron DishongMa
I really needed some good laughs, and thank heavens I came across “Swamp Story: A Novel”! I laughed so hard, it totally freaked my cat out. I have already made a list in my head of friends I think must read this. I really didn’t want it to end, although I loved the ending.
