One Big Damn Puzzler

I read this while on vacation back in 2011. I was laughing out loud. Very witty, surprising, and enjoyable, with lots of details and well built characters and plot. Enjoy it!

I first read this book several years ago and the title was as I have titled my review; quite a lengthy one you will agree, so when I saw it with the shortened title I decided to purchase it to read again and to loan to my friends. It is a great read and quite different; not sure what genre I would list it under. It has some quite serious issues but mostly is a very humerous read. I would recommend it highly

My first experience with John Harding. One Big Damn Puzzler was a great read. This book is really 3 different stories driven into 1 gripping finale. Harding does a good job of examining the Wests materialistc culture interspered with a desire to help those who dont ask to be helped. I enjoyed this book thoroughly and did not mind the diversions of other topics Harding poses to the reader. A good light-hearted read that has some touching and emotional moments.

Another great read -- funny throughout.

Ive not read another book that mixed high-brow and low-brow so effectively. From the s***ting beach to Shakespeare, I laughed, a lot. The characters are so well developed that you cant help but feel involved. Our hero only wants to do good, while we can clearly see his efforts will harm. Its a clash of cultures, and a calling out of our American materialism, done well. I highly recommend this intriguing tale.

We all imagine a being on a tropical island, in the sun, the roaring ocean, with innocent and beautiful natives giving us everything we need. John Harding gives this to us with plenty of add-ons: Shakespeare, OCD, innocence and its loss, and the Western materialistic mentality. An American lawyer comes to this untouched island, meets the natives, and tries to obtain compensation for them from injuries as the result of left over land mines. The book turns into an allegory of American values running amok and attempts to give a world vision on todays events. Harding uses humor, literary license, and great imagination to accomplish this task. I thank him for great and thoughtful entertainment.

I had a lot of fun reading this book. I laughed as I went thru its pages. The story also conveys its message, mostly on the effects of civilization and human behaviour. I totally recommend this book.

The attempt at conveying pidgin English in this novel falls pitifully short and was utltimately so irritating it made the book unreadable. I am unconvinced that the author made any significant effort at researching his subject matter which is key to turning out worthwhile literature. Ill be donating my copy to our local thrift store, with a warning in the cover that its probably not worth the purchase price no matter how low they mark it.

Things I did not like: 1) Grating, poorly created pidgin. 2) Treatment of women was very disappointing. 3) Supposedly American characters spoke like Brits. In a book with such a focus on language this was very disappointing. I couldnt imagine being forced to finish this book. It was awful.

I fell in love with this book from the opening lines, as an inhabitant of the island transcribes Hamlet into patois. Despite the humour John Hardings message of the often negative influence western society and money have on other ways of life comes through clearly.