Ninety-two in the Shade (ISBN 0679752897)

Raucous, bawdy, Tom McGuane - yes, and I'll take 2 more... at least!:
I've been reading Tom McGuane's books over and over since first reading, The Longest Silence. I've been hooked ever since. For me, understanding Tom McGuane, the author, took place when I began to understand him through the element he most often places himself and his work into: the environment of a fly rod. His books are as varied as the waters a fly-fisherman plys in search of his piscatorial treasure. The nuances of texture, the variables of nature, the agony of whim ... all of these are met in each watery course and are likewise found in each page of McGuane's writing. Ninety-two In the Shade is a story based in one of the most surreal areas left in our country. A society awash in what seems hell-bent on becoming as amorphous as the aisles in a Wal-Mart Super Center. Sure it's dated ... and why not ... so much the more for us to see clearly what we have lost in our own uniqueness. And how, in our rush to become all-accepting, we are loosing what made us so American. So, instead of looking at McGuane's work as some sort of 'stuck in a time warp literary irrelevance' ... why not look at it as a warning mirror - showing us the fading last glimpses of what we have lost... and are about to loose forever. "Thomas Skelton, whose aim had been to be a practicing Christian, was now a little gone in the faith. But, he thought, no matter; and took some comfort to remember the Gospel according to St. Matthew: Whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell-fire. Upon occasion, a man had to manufacture his on hell-fire, either for himself or others: as one kind of home brew for the spirit's extremer voyages." Ninety-two In The Shade, Thomas McGuane, 1973; p56. Yes, Tom .. thank you for showing us the need for clear vision - both backward and forward. Maybe we'll miss burning in someone else's own self-manufactured hell-fire. Maybe ....

Poor, start to finish:
Other reviewers gave this book a very positive review. I found it to be poor on all dimensions. I would have put this book in the trash after the first chapter, if I had not been on a day long airline trip with nothing else to read. While the author offers some interesting desriptions, most are poor at best. As far as plot, suspense, etc... I found none. If the author is trying to convey some point, I did not see it. Books such as this push me back to reading classics and contemporary works by well known authors.

Florida Native's point of view.:
I was intrigued by this novel because some of my counter parts in the fishing world love it. Being born and raised in Florida, having spent a great deal of my childhood down in the Keys, and being an avid fisherman (almost charter captain); I thought for sure I would love this story. But I didn't. McGuane shows he is a craftsman of metaphors and prose. But I found the story itself kind of flat and the characters lacking emotion. Everything was just it will be what it will be. The story often goes off on tangents and I'm not sure if this done for affect, but it makes following the story somewhat difficult at times. The story does give you a glimpse into old Florida and the characters that make it unique and for that is worth the read, but don't expect to be on the edge of your seat. James A. Forrest - Eye of the Storm

Dense and Absurd:
1.5 stars. If you like novels that are verbose and nonsensical, you might like this one. I was looking for a meaningful, interesting, and suspenseful story about an outsider intruding on local fishing turf, only to find an overwritten, fantastical, and ultimately boring Key West tale. Couldn't finish the book.

Almost scorching, sometimes:
I've always had somewhat mixed feelings about McGuane. He's obviously a talented stylist with a sharp moral eye who's capable of creating rich, nuanced characters. But something about his style just rubs me the wrong way. It's hard to describe, almost like an intentionally odd cadence, as if a born poet found himself forced to write prose. In any case, this is probably the best of the handful of McGuane books I've read. The depiction of steamy, sultry Key West is strong, as is the elemental conflict that bubbles up between Skelton and Dance (those names are indicative of the annoyingly precious tendency of this author's work). The story ends in a satisfactory - if not entirely satisfying - manner. Bottom line: McGuane is a novelist worth taking seriously but on some levels he is apt to turn off as many readers as he turns on. With that disclaimer out of the way, fans of esoteric fiction might want to give this one a try.