Swamp Story is a witty and perceptive commentary on American life today and I laughed so hard, I cried. Riffs on the wacky inhabitants of south Florida, social media frenzies, celebrity culture, pandering politicians, urban legends, conspiracy theorists and, most importantly, greed. The cast of characters include but is not limiter to…
A down on is luck beer and tackle shop owner on the Tamiani Trail in the Everglades is a Shark Tank devotee and dreams of making a killing but updating an urban legend of Mellon (or Melon) Man and faking a sighting in the Everglades to entice tourist to stop at his and his brother’s crappy store.
Close by, a pothead but gorgeous wannabe actor and his slightly less pothead videographer friend live with the actor’s disillusioned girlfriend and their baby (who self absorbed actor couldn’t care less about) in a remote cabin in the Everglades. The actor and videographer have big dreams of filming GladesMan…a reality/adventure TV series about surviving the the Everglades.
Also close by, the Campbell’s. Two completely degenerate brothers recently released from prison for multiple armed robberies who have heard about the legend of gold ingot bars lost in the Everglades during the Civil War and are having no success in finding it.
Jesse…one of the few relatively normal people in this book…stumbles onto the gold while walking with her baby Willa and is desperate to leave but not return to her upscale Connecticut parents who will tell her they told her so about running off with the actor who the parents hated.
All these characters and more intersect to create mass mayhem and hilarious chaos.

My one experience with Dave Barry is a sweet little sentimental Christmas story about a boy and his dog. Laughter through tears and all the feels. That’s what I was expecting with this book. Well, you know what they say about expectations…

Let’s start with the positive.

🐊There were plenty of laugh out loud moments.

🐊There was the inclusion of a map right in the middle of the narrative to help me visualize the unfolding action. I just love maps in books, don’t you?

🐊I enjoyed the huge cast of ne’er do wells with two lovable losers you’ll root for.

🐊The book really delves into viral culture and social media in an entertaining way.   

🐊I had fun with the quintessential Florida Everglade vibes complete with gators, feral hogs, swamps, air boats, bad buys and rednecks.

Now let’s talk about what didn’t land for me.

🐊I felt there was meaningless violence and cruelty that was not handled responsibly. I also didn’t care for the flippant discussion of two characters’ desire to sexually assault an unconscious woman. This felt utterly misplaced in what is supposed to be a funny caper.

🐊I felt the narrative was vulgar and in poor taste in places. I don’t care for the word “retarded” being used even in the dialogue of a vile character.
•
•
I have to hand it to the author, though. His imagination is incredible. Just incredible. The things that were troubling for me might not be an issue for other readers. In fact, there are plenty of five-star reviews out there that attest to a lot of love for this book.

Thank you @BookClubFavorites #BookClubFavorites and @Netgalley for the complimentary book.

Maybe I am just bored with the wacky Florida genre, but this one didn't do much for me. These books always are a bit formulaic -- there's usually a gutsy woman who has run into bad luck and gets entangled with some Florida types: cunning but stupid, mean, violent and greedy. Rest assured the villains will get what's coming to them in the end. They are "light" entertainment, fast-paced and ridiculous.

The heroine in this one, Jesse Braddock, was not a terribly sympathetic character. Not only had she made superficial and painfully bad choices with men, but she has a baby. Although she is a loving mom, her overall cluelessness in getting her kid in a perilous situation makes a reader wince.

But there is lots of action, the good guys triumph and the bad guys come to an appropriate end, and the almost-cartoonish portrayals are humorous. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

In this imaginative, funny story, filled with bumbling characters, who all accidentally collide with each other Barry shows he has certainly not lost his touch on the crazy! With good versus evil and not very smart versus wise, his characters morph into different personalities with a feel-good ending.

Jesse Braddock has lost everything to her boyfriend Slater. She’s embarrassed at how he was able to smooth talk her into her money and quitting her job. Now, her parents will not speak to her, she has an infant daughter and is living in a dilapidated cabin in the Everglades no less. All she can think of is how to get away from this situation.

Ken Bortle and his brother Brad of Bortle Brothers Bait & Beer have a once thriving shop. Now they barely get any tourists who are visiting the Everglades. Ken knows if something doesn’t happen quickly they will lose everything.

Phil is a down on his luck guy who left his wife and daughter when he found out his wife had cancer. He can barely make ends meet. He has no job and basically drinks Moscow Mules for a living. So, when a friend of his offers him a job to put a Dora the Explorer costume on for a child’s birthday party for some cash, he says ok. But unfortunately, things go very wrong at the party and Phil is humiliated.

Even more embarrassing, someone took a video of the incident and posted it online which then got reposted to Tik Tok which then made Phil a mortifying celebrity. Not exactly what he wanted!

Enter Ken Bortle who sees the video and gets this terrific idea on how they can drum up business for their store. They can use someone dressed as a monster and post the video and everyone will flock to the business. They can sell t-shirts and other products. And just like that Ken accidentally finds Phil drinking in a bar and strikes up a deal. Now all they have to do is find people to film the video.

In the meantime, Jesse is spending all her time with her daughter and taking care of her alone. Slater is off doing some video. As she takes a walk around the swamp, she sees something gold and shiny in the mud. She pulls it out and lo and behold it is a gold bar. She digs further and finds more, much more! This is her way out. Now all she has to do is make sure she can keep the gold and that her boyfriend never finds out!

But unbeknownst to Jesse, two men did see her. Duck and Billy Campbell. They knew the history of the missing gold bars, folklore, but now they know it was really true. They need this woman to lead them to the motherload! And then get rid of her.

As Jesse turns to a former boyfriend/lawyer for help, the Bortle brothers succeed in making the monster video and everything seems to be going just fine. Until it begins not to. And that’s when all these worlds begin to collide in an incredibly hysterical ending in which a fight between good versus evil begins and then ends.

Swamp Story is the tale of misfits, who find each other and through a lot of accidents find their way to who they really were meant to be and somehow become the luckiest people on earth!

Thank you #NetGalley #Simon&Schuster #DaveBarry #SwampStory for the advanced copy.

It’s been awhile since I’ve read a Dave Barry book. Im so glad I had the opportunity to read Swamp Story!Populated with an amazing array of characters doing zany stuff in the Everglades. In typical Barry fashion he weaves into his story the crazy things going on in the real world - obsession with TikToc, outrageous conspiracy claims, and more.
This was an absolutely fun and wild tale. Barry is the champ!
Thanks to Simon & Schuster publishing and NetGalley for the advance copy of this book

Florida Man. We’ve all heard an outrageous, seemingly impossible story. Deep in the swampy Florida Everglades, many of them and their wild stories will collide. Two brothers own a run-down tourist shack that no one visits, until they get an idea to perpetuate an old urban legend about a creature living there, with video “evidence” they’ll create about a dangerous, giant-headed monster (who is really just a guy in a spray-painted Dora the Explorer costume who had a viral video of a birthday party accident).
Meanwhile a poor, foolish girl, Jesse, who fell in love with the wrong handsome guy is now stuck living in a derelict cabin near this swamp while her boyfriend chases delusions of his own reality show as the Everglades Man, and she is stuck all day completely taking care of their child while he chases dope and dreams.
Then two actually dangerous men who are on a hunt for buried gold collide with these characters, and they won’t let anything or anyone stop them from collecting the fortune they’ve been hunting, no matter who they have to hurt or kill. Finally, add a politician and some people interested in witnessing the “Everglades Melon Monster” to post on social media, and you have this story.
Equal in tone, ridiculousness, and an eclectic cast of characters colliding into hilarious mayhem, this book is for fans of Dave Barry who also loved his book Big Trouble. The story is filled with impossible, absurd, wild humor, for anyone looking to laugh at the insanity of a “Florida man” story in the Everglades.

I received this book in exchange for my honest review from Net Galley. All opinions expressed here are my own and do not reflect those of the publisher or its affiliates or the author.

When reading Dave Berry's latest book, "Swamp Story," I found myself thoroughly entertained by the humorous tale of a south Florida community dealing with the challenges of living in a swampy environment.

The author expertly weaves in stereotypes and references to gators, hurricanes, and other aspects of the area that will make any reader familiar with the region nod in recognition. I particularly enjoyed the cast of quirky characters and their wild escapades throughout the story.

However, one downside of the book is that it contains a fair amount of adult language that may make it difficult to recommend to younger readers. While the language does add to the authenticity of the characters and their situations, it may not be appropriate for all audiences.

Overall, "Swamp Story" is a great read for anyone looking for a good laugh and an escape to a unique corner of the country. It may not be suitable for all ages, but for those who don't mind a little salty language, it's definitely worth checking out.

“Swamp Story” by Dave Barry
HILARIOUSLY ridiculous
Yes, I kept shaking my head and chuckling. Then I persevered to see just how crazy this story could get. It was a fun read and the ending tied up all the loose ends leaving the story with a quite tidy, satisfying, ending. Happy Reading ! !
Note: This review expresses my honest opinion.
I downloaded my copy of this story via NetGalley.

A fun and thrilling romp through the Everglades and all the interesting critters (both human and otherwise) that live there. I enjoyed the fast-paced energy of this fun read and, as someone who enjoys a good “Florida Man” tale, felt that Mr Barry brought the chaos and ridiculousness of my adopted home state to life. You won’t be able to put it down!

The legends of the Michigan and Ohio melon heads (look them up!) and Civil War buried treasure in the Everglades of Florida come together in the quirky Swamp Story by humorist Dave Barry that hits the shelves on May 2.

In a cabin deep in the swamps, Jesse Braddock wants to escape the life she settled for with her infant daughter thanks to a misguided selection of boyfriend Slater, a wannabe reality TV star who has run through her trust funds. One day, Jesse takes baby Willa for a walk when she stumbles on what she believes to be gold bars, part of the legendary treasure buried in the swamps long ago by Civil War soldiers.

While Jesse is working out a plan to turn the gold bars into funds to leave the Everglades, Slater is involved with videographer friend Kark in a deal with local Ken Bortle of Bortle Brothers Bait and Beer to hype a doctored “Dora the Explorer” costume head into the Everglades Melon Monster. Turns out, Ken is aware of the legend of the melon head people, and he thinks he can profit from a get-rich-quick scheme for his store based on the Melon Monster.

Jesse is being tracked by a couple of bad-guy brothers who have been looking for the gold for some time. She turns to a former boyfriend who is a lawyer to find out if the gold bars could be a case of finder’s keepers, and soon he develops his own plan to possess the gold bars to pay off his gambling debts.

When Kark posts his edited film of the melon monster, the video goes viral, drawing throngs of TikTokers to swarm the swamp in search of the monster. They congregate at Bortle Brothers Bait and Beer where they buy out all the stock including the misspelled “mellon” t-shirts that Ken ordered for the promotion.

One part adventure and one part tomfoolery, the book will keep readers laughing at all the antics of the monster and its creators while rooting for Jesse to find a way out of her precarious situation.

In 1988, Dave Barry won a Pulitzer Prize for Commentary for "his consistently effective use of humor as a device for presenting fresh insights into serious concerns." For 22 years, he was a nationally syndicated columnist for the Miami Herald. Barry lives in Miami with his wife.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting April 9, 2023.

I would like to thank Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.

I love reading Dave Barry’s columns in the New York Times. This is the first novel I’ve read by him and while very witty with some extremely funny situations, overall it felt a bit forced. However, with that being said, I did enjoy reading it. Swamp Story has some interesting characters. I found Jesse, the young mother trapped by her situation, to be realistic. I liked her. Her boyfriend, and father of the baby, was a selfish, uncaring person. With that knowledge, Jesse finds the treasure, keeps it a secret, but unknowingly the evil brothers discover the gold and follow Jesse. Now add in another pair of brothers, the broke owners of the Bortle Brothers Beer and Bait, plus a drunk newspaperman, and the mysterious swamp creature story is created. Simple story, but told well. There’s good and evil, the innocent and those who’ll take advantage of the innocent. Plus throw in a few greedy people, politics, a wild boar, treasure hunting, and environmental issues, and voila…a story only Dave Barry could tell.
This was a 3+ rounded up to 4 star read. As always, all opinions are mine alone.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher, Simon and Schuster, for the opportunity to read Swamp Story. The book is scheduled for publication May 1, 2023.

This is a fun book. It's a crazy romp through the Everglades with wacky characters. I enjoy books like this and I put it up there with my favorite Carl Hiaasen stories. There were some spots that were so funny I had to stop and read them to my hubby, who laughed even though he didn't have the full context.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dave Barry, and Simon Schuster for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Dave Barry books are always great. Full of crazy Florida characters, a crazy Florida plot line and lots of fun!

This south Florida story is about a bunch of Everglades layabouts and it’s laugh-out-loud funny. It capitalizes on people’s obsession with social media and the desire to make a quick buck. Madness, mayhem and colorful characters abound. Jesse is the young mother of baby Willa, from a good family, but the victim of her own bad choices. She accidentally stumbles upon a cache of gold bars, hidden for years, buried in the ground in a remote area off a dirt road. The baby’s father is Slater, a buff stoner, the “Glades Man” who shares a backwoods cabin with Jesse, Willa, and his slovenly buddy, Kark. Stu and Phil are unemployed, middle-aged losers, trying to earn a buck as disheveled characters for a kid’s birthday party. Wearing a huge Dora the Explorer head, bumbling Phil ends up in a YouTube video which goes viral.

Enterprising Ken and his brother Brad own the Bortle Brothers Beer & Bait Shop, a rundown pit way past its prime. Ken is also the local pot dealer who owes money to unforgiving Pinky, his 430-pound supplier who is hot on his tail. Ken caught wind of the viral YouTube video and concocts a new video character starring the anonymous, stoned-out-of-his-mind Phil as the “Everglades Melon Monster”. Their 16-second TikTok video creates a huge sensation, generating many copycat videos, and lots of money from the sales of T-shirts out of the suddenly popular bait shop.

Thrown into the mix are a big city lawyer, a python handler, a politician, a tv news crew, and ex-con brothers Duck and Billy. With all of these characters concocting their various schemes to earn a fast buck or pay off a debt or get rich quick from gold bars, the action never stops. The dialogue reads like a Hollywood screenplay, witty and quick. The hysterical epilogue is reminiscent of the “where are they now“ segment at the end of Animal House. Known for his offbeat humor, Dave Barry has over 50 books to his credit. I’ll be back for more.

With thanks to NetGalley, I received an advance review copy for free, and I have written this review voluntarily. (Publication date: May 2, 2023).

Great new book by Floridian Dave Berry. Swamp story is as strange and wonderful as readers familiar with Barry would expect.
This book does not disappoint. Sharp and witty credible and fun we are treated to typical vintage Barry.
I highly recommend this funky Florida family story and thank netgalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for my review.

3.5 Stars
I don't know what to say! Yes, I did get two out-loud laughs while reading this book. I mean, come on, getting hit in the family jewels by a four-year-old with a golf club while acting as the stabilizer for a pinata?

I did get several chuckles and numerous giggles.

What I didn't get was a book that I absolutely loved. If the Mellon (sic) Monster and the men who made up that group had been left out, it might have been a stronger book, at least for me. I found them quite annoying, unnecessary, and not funny at all. As it was, anytime they showed up in all of their stoned glory, I just skimmed. Though I do have to say that may have worked in my favor because I was able to shave almost a quarter off of this book!

A good beach read, a great book for those who love Florida and all of her wacky citizens, and a good book for when you need something quick to read.

*ARC supplied by the publisher Simon & Schuster, the author, and NetGalley.

The praise for this hilarious Florida parody is well deserved. While I knew who the author was, Id never read his books before. You should read and believe all those glowing reviews, they express it better than I could. I chuckled, giggled and laughed out loud til tears blurred my vision. It’s a tongue in cheek example of what people will do for one minute of fame and those that follow the herd. The story is full of crooks, cons, creeps, kooks and crazies. The only person trying to better her situation is Jesse, mother to a baby daughter, stuck in the swamp with losers. When her luck takes a turn and provides a way out the real trouble begins. Just read it, worth your time for a rollicking adventure in the swamps of Florida.
Thanks to NetGalley for the digital advance reader copy of “Swamp Story” by Dave Barry, published by Simon & Schuster. The honest opinions expressed here are my own personal thoughts expressed without any compensation.

This is my first Dave Berry book, so I had no idea what to expect, but found this to be an entertaining read. Full of crazy characters, an improbable plot and weird drama this book will have you laughing from the beginning with the stupidity of the situation.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you NetGalley, Dave Barry and Simon & Schuster for hearing my honest review. Looking forward to reading more with you
#partner

This is a winning combo: Dave Barry and a story set in the Florida Everglades. Prepare yourself for a raucous read. The motley crew of characters (most of them Glades Men) will have you shaking your head. Can there really be so many crazy, not to mention stupid, men running around the Everglades. Well, if you are Dave Barry writing this novel the answer is yes and after all it is South Florida.

We meet damsel-in-distress Jesse with baby Willa exploring the Everglades to get away from her insipid boyfriend Slater (no shirt needed) and his creepy friend Kark. Slater has dreams of filming a reality show with Kark’s help. On one of Jesse’s escape from their Everglades cabin she stumbles upon the legendary buried treasure rumored to have been hidden during the Civil War.

Just down the road is B0rtle Brothers Bait and Beer. Brothers Ken and Brad are the less than successful current owners. Ken, a fan of Shark Tank, comes up with a wacky business plan involving a made up yeti-type creature he calls The Melon Head Monster hoping to lure tourists to his store.

How these two groups of folks intersect is at the center of the action. More wacky characters abound, some more dangerous than others. Mayhem ensues. Dave Barry ties it all together in the end and leaves the reader entertained and chuckling.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the chance to read the e-galley.

Swamp Story

A story about the depravity of life in Florida? Yes. This Dave Barry novel did nothing to dispel the poor image of the lower side of today’s youth and life in the Everglades.

Slater and Kark live in a falling down shanty in the swamp. These two guys get together with the Bortle brothers to fleece TikTok followers out of their money by creating a fake Everglades Melon Monster and filming it. Lots of drugs and drinking are involved in their shenanigans. Slater’s live-in girlfriend Jesse finds a way to get herself and baby Willow out of their predicament trapped with these low-life stoners.

The whole story is a farce and quite silly. The foul language and persistent drug use become tedious. This is not the writing I expected from a talented humorist like Dave Barry. It was certainly not for me and I cannot think of any group to recommend it to. This ARC was given to me by #SimonandSchuster#NetGalley