Star Island

By: Carl Hiaasen

Narrated by: Stephen Hoye

Length: 11 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

A hilarious spin on life in the celebrity fast lane from “Florida’s most entertainingly indignant social critic” (New York Times Book Review) and the bestselling author of Squeeze Me.

Meet twenty-two-year-old Cherry Pye (née Cheryl Bunterman), a pop star since she was fourteen—and about to attempt a comeback from her latest drug-and-alcohol disaster.

Now meet Cherry again: in the person of her “undercover stunt double,” Ann DeLusia. Ann portrays Cherry whenever the singer is too “indisposed”—meaning wasted—to go out in public. And it is Ann-mistaken-for-Cherry who is kidnapped from a South Beach hotel by obsessed paparazzo Bang Abbott.

Now the challenge for Cherry’s handlers (über–stage mother; horndog record producer; nipped, tucked, and Botoxed twin publicists; weed whacker–wielding bodyguard) is to rescue Ann while keeping her existence a secret from Cherry’s public—and from Cherry herself.

The situation is more complicated than they know. Ann has had a bewitching encounter with Skink—the unhinged former governor of Florida living wild in a mangrove swamp—and now he’s heading for Miami to find her….

Will Bang Abbott achieve his fantasy of a lucrative private photo session with Cherry Pye? Will Cherry sober up in time to lip-synch her way through her concert tour? Will Skink track down Ann DeLusia before Cherry’s motley posse does?

©2010 Carl Hiaasen (P)2010 Random House

Critic reviews

“Carl Hiaasen [is] Florida’s most entertainingly indignant social critic... He presents us with Cherry Pye, a 22-year-old pop star whose every display of narcissistic excess will send a frisson of horrified delight up your spine... The outlandish events soar on the exuberance of Hiaasen’s manic style, a canny blend of lunatic farce and savage satire.” (New York Times Book Review)

“Fans of Carl Hiaasen will feel right at home when they plunge into Star Island. There’s the familiar collection of deliciously tawdry characters, each angling for a piece of the action in Florida... And there’s the fast-moving plot, and the writing that makes you laugh out loud... Hiaasen has turned out another gem. Readers of his previous novels can settle in for more wacky fun in the Florida sun.” (Associated Press)

“Hiaasen is at his gleeful best skewering the morally bankrupt. He has plenty to poke fun at here, from a reprehensible real-estate developer with an excruciating groin injury to twin publicists Botoxed within an inch of their lives. This is classic Hiaasen - demented, hilarious, and utterly over the top.” (Booklist, starred review)

Hiassen phoned it in, this time

It's got all the usual elements, but there's a verve and excitement that's missing from most of his other stories.

I'd more stars if I could!

all of hiaasen's stories are great and I have always been pleased with the narration--except for 2 instances--but this one was better than usual. for me, the narration is of utmost importance. the wrong narrator can kill a great story. hoye is a cut-above the rest.

Not his best effort but good none the less

It's Carl Hiaasen all the way. It's not his best book but was thoroughly enjoyable. Have fun.

Stay with it!

I was a little out of sorts with Hoye's narration in the early pages. I love Hiaasen's sense of Southern voice and always enjoy his rare personal appearances. So to hear this stoic, vocally trained rendering of his words was distracting and unsettling; however, as I got into it I really appreciated Hoye's renderings of the various characters' accents and colloquialisms, especially his Janet Bunterman.

Love Carl H so much. Please keep churning them out.

Great Eccentric Read...So Very Carl Hiaasen

Would you listen to Star Island again? Why?

No, I but I recall parts of it in my head a lot, and laugh.

What did you like best about this story?

Same as what I like about all of Carl Hiaasen's works. He takes quirky to the extraordinary status as he brings down the greedy, powerful players that rule and have a hand in destroying South Florida. His characters are always over the top and outrageous. Always a good read!

Which scene was your favorite?

Any scene with "The governor" in it!! And the druggie pop star's mother, the things she said and did! I'm sure that character came from real life. Never mind the bodyguard with the mini saw on his stubbed arm! Or the tabloid photographer who baited the waters with chum tied to cinder block waiting for that perfect shot of a shark and a swimmer!!

If you could rename Star Island, what would you call it?

The Governator of South Florida

Not his best work, but not bad.

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The characters felt fake and forced. Not a great combo for characters.

Would you be willing to try another book from Carl Hiaasen? Why or why not?

Oh, I would give any Hiaasen a shot because the books are usually so much fun.

Which character – as performed by Stephen Hoye – was your favorite?

Cherry was surely whiny enough, and Hoye always is great with any deep manly voice.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Depends on the casting. The story could hold up.

Loved it!

Funny, smart and of course absolutely outrageous until it's satifying ending makes "Star Island" a classic Hiaasen.

A wonderful book

Would you listen to Star Island again? Why?

Yes, I loved this book!

Who was your favorite character and why?

I liked Annie because while she was being kid napped by Bang Abbott she wasn't afraid of him because she knew she was eventually going to get away from him and go back home.

Have you listened to any of Stephen Hoye’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not listened to any of Stephen Hoye's other performances but I would like to!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

There were some pretty funny parts in this book so I did laugh.

Any additional comments?

I would definitely recommend this book. I had a lot of fun reading this book. I just couldn't put it down!! It was extremely good!

Learn how to pronounce Kissimmee correctly!

Very good!! True Hiaasen style! No one can match his character descriptions!! Have always loved Skink!!!!!

Typical Carl

I enjoyed this story. The narrator is new to me, but really really good. He had a different voice for each character and each was interesting.