… but I’ve always been interested in him, especially since he’s from Louisiana, like me. So now it’s Christmas, and I’m making up a wishlist and I figured now would be as good a time as any to try out an Elmore Leonard novel. What would be a good place to start?
Try Rum Punch first. It’s the novel that Tarantino based Jackie Brown on. It’s interesting, if you’ve seen the movie, to compare and contrast the two. It’s also a notable read if only for the way in which Leonard ties the plot to themes of “growing older” and “making up for lost time.” Oh, and you’ll probably be enthralled by the main character (played so well by Pam Grier in the movie).
Maximum Bob–which spawned a short-lived TV series–is also a good introduction.
Get Shorty. It’s a fun read, with a nice twist. I think the movie was pretty close to the book. Maximum Bob I also enjoyed.
I liked Cat Chaser. But, overall I can’t get into his stuff.
Other than those already posted, I liked Cuba Libre although it’s probably not a good read for anyone who doesn’t much care for Westerns. Personally I wouldn’t recommend Get Shorty’s sequel Be Cool. It’s just a rehash of the first one based around the music industry instead of the film industry.
To be honest, they’re all pretty damn good. Some are better than others, but his baseline of work is very high.
Anything he writes, I devour. I don’t remember when I first discovered him, but after my first experience, I was on a quest to read all of his books. And, I have…even all of his early works, which were westerns. I am on a standing waiting list at Amazon, to be notified whenever something new comes along. Yeah, I’m a HUGE fan. I envy you just starting out.
You really can’t go wrong with any of his books. The only problem I have had is that there are so damn many of them that you forget which ones you’ve read already, and end up making redundant purchases.
Most of his hard covers, and some of the paperbacks, have his bibliography in the front of the book. If it starts out with a dozen or so westerns, and comes up to the present book, that should be the definitive list. I used to carry it in my wallet in case I was out browsing book stalls.
Better yet, check this out. Looks like the whole list.
Heh. That’s why I stopped reading Dick Francis books as well. Him and Elmore, can’t tell what the hell I’ve read any longer by them.
Ooh, good book, but read *The Switch * first. Several of the characters in Rum Punch are introduced in it. It’s not absolutely necessary, and I think I read them in reverse order, but it’s a nice bit of extra character development.
I adore Elmore Leonard.
Thanks for all your suggestions!
I had considered reading Rum Punch first because of Jackie Brown, but I’ll take your advice and preface it with The Switch.