The Rum Diary cover art

The Rum Diary

A Novel

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The Rum Diary

By: Hunter S. Thompson
Narrated by: Christopher Lane
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About this listen

Begun in 1959 by a 22-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.

©1999 Hunter S. Thompson (P)2011 Simon & Schuster Classics Crime Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Fiction Crime Exciting Caribbean Run Diary

Critic Reviews

“Crackling, twisted, searing, paced to a deft prose rhythm.... A shot of Gonzo with a rum chaser.” ( San Francisco Chronicle)
“Enough booze to float a yacht and enough fear and loathing to sink it.” ( New York Daily News)
“A great and an unexpected joy.... Reveals a young Hunter Thompson brimming with talent.” ( The Philadelphia Inquirer)
All stars
Most relevant  
Fantastic story. Read impeccably. I hung on every word and felt involved in the characters. It makes having a drinking problem sound positively entertaining.

Excellent story

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Thompson's work always has a hostile tone to me. His characters are seldom dignified nor easy to like. They are anti-heroes. Irresponsible, impulsive, indulgent. They are cursed with hubris, drinking themselves into oblivion and constantly making bad decisions. They are cynical about government and other forms of authority. They are intellectual rebels that are pretentious and sexist at parties. But their lives are so wild, unpredictable and exhilarating because of their reckless behaviour, that it makes for a gripping read.

This book chronicles the drunken adventures of Paul Kemp during his time writing as a journalist in Puerto Rico. He has sex with beautiful women, drinks, writes and complains about a boss that won't publish anything interesting. He analyses the culture of Puerto Rico as only a privileged white man could. During a brief stay in a stinky, crowded Puerto Rican jail cell, he becomes regretfully aware of his privilege and how it will bite him in the ass at trial.

The narrator's performance was dazzingly. He made bold and nuanced character choices. Each voice was distinct.

Drunk in the Sun

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Very funny, very creative, full of that fantastic Hunter humour he doesn’t get enough credit for. If u wanna laugh and b entertained get this.

Very fun good read

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A story written so well it's gritty poetry from start to finish. Th narrator did the book justice too

written so well it's poetry

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story was ok. maybe has lost some impact over time.
performance was a bit dry

Lost with time

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my favorite audio book to date
great narration and story line probably better than the movie itself

the best

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I had already read the actual book before, so I already knew that it was a great book, but the narrator for this audiobook is also great- being able to do all the different accents for the different characters etc.

Great book, great narrator!

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