Rating: 
Summary: Elmore Leonard spoofing Elmore Leonard?!?
Review: 'Get Shorty' is certainly a most unusual novel from Elmore Leonard. Sure there is the quirky criminal characterizations Leonard is famous for, complete with some very funny moments. But it seems that the author tried something a bit tricky by doing a Hollywood 'spin' on an Elmore Leonard novel and, well, the results are decidedly mixed.In 'Get Shorty' we have the usual south Florida loan shark nasties out to get someone who does not want to pay. This fellow lands a bundle on an insurance scam and runs to Hollywood. One of the nasties (well, I guess he is reformed nasty) chases him down and gets involved with Hollywood luvvies (actors, writers, producers). He then, ... here's the gimmick..., finds his adventures to be of more interest to film makers than another script originally being peddled to producers. Anyway, it gets all a bit complicated and just a wee bit contrived. Big disappoint to Leonard fans: the crime element to 'Get Shorty' is not the highlight of the book. Bottom line: an unusual Elmore Leonard book which will probably not please his fans. However its humour and digs at the Hollywood establishment make it a worthy read ... just.
Rating:
Summary: Elmore Leonard spoofing Elmore Leonard?!?
Review: 'Get Shorty' is certainly a most unusual novel from Elmore Leonard. Sure there is the quirky criminal characterizations Leonard is famous for, complete with some very funny moments. But it seems that the author tried something a bit tricky by doing a Hollywood 'spin' on an Elmore Leonard novel and, well, the results are decidedly mixed. In 'Get Shorty' we have the usual south Florida loan shark nasties out to get someone who does not want to pay. This fellow lands a bundle on an insurance scam and runs to Hollywood. One of the nasties (well, I guess he is reformed nasty) chases him down and gets involved with Hollywood luvvies (actors, writers, producers). He then, ... here's the gimmick..., finds his adventures to be of more interest to film makers than another script originally being peddled to producers. Anyway, it gets all a bit complicated and just a wee bit contrived. Big disappoint to Leonard fans: the crime element to 'Get Shorty' is not the highlight of the book. Bottom line: an unusual Elmore Leonard book which will probably not please his fans. However its humour and digs at the Hollywood establishment make it a worthy read ... just.
Rating: 
Summary: brilliant
Review: Brilliant, fast moving and as always leonard makes it
brilliantly unpredictable
Rating: 
Summary: I haven't read all of Elmore Leonard
Review: But this is one book of his I would recommend. It has some of his best writing and less of his worst. Leonard has a system, a blueprint for his books. The more evident the blueprint the less interesting the book. In Get Shorty he does a good job of covering the blueprint and bringing out the characters. It's funny and fun.
Rating:
Summary: Comic Crime Fiction at Its Best
Review: Chili Palmer is a laconic tough guy who, caught up in the madcaps of the mob, becomes endearing because, unlike other mobsters, Chili has a certain humility and wisdom shining beneath his stoic persona. Because the plot is so well known through the famous film version, I will focus on the prose style. Leonard makes the prose look easy but it's not. It's really a sort of jazz riff and in an interview, if I remember correctly, Leonard says jazz fuels his writing tempo. You can see the musical quality in his playful, clean, clear prose. I've also heard that many aspiring writers try to imitate Leonard's prose style yet no one can do it. For a clinic on character study through witty syntax, Get Shorty remains one of my favorite crime novels of all time.
Rating:
Summary: Elmore Does it again!!
Review: Damn near impossable to top this one. Lenard does it again and proves that he is one of the greatest writers of the 20th century!!!!!! A must have.
Rating:
Summary: One of Elmore Leonard's Finest Novels
Review: Elmore Leonard may be America's foremost writer for fast-paced spellbinding dialogue and plots. With "Get Shorty" Leonard has produced a modern crime novel classic; a spellbinding, yet hilarious, update of Chandler with some sly, thoughtful commentary on the Hollywood film business. Those unfamiliar with Leonard's prose will be in for a treat. Leonard has crafted some of the best streetwise prose I've come across since reading some of William Gibson's early novels. Leonard has superbly brought to life such interesting characters as mobster Chili Palmer and "B" movie film producer Harry Zim. Regrettably, I haven't seen the film adaptation of "Get Shorty", but judging from other Amazon.com reviews, it is undoubtedly well worth watching.
Rating:
Summary: One of Elmore Leonard's Finest Novels
Review: Elmore Leonard may be America's foremost writer for fast-paced spellbinding dialogue and plots. With "Get Shorty" Leonard has produced a modern crime novel classic; a spellbinding, yet hilarious, update of Chandler with some sly, thoughtful commentary on the Hollywood film business. Those unfamiliar with Leonard's prose will be in for a treat. Leonard has crafted some of the best streetwise prose I've come across since reading some of William Gibson's early novels. Leonard has superbly brought to life such interesting characters as mobster Chili Palmer and "B" movie film producer Harry Zim. Regrettably, I haven't seen the film adaptation of "Get Shorty", but judging from other Amazon.com reviews, it is undoubtedly well worth watching.
Rating:
Summary: Just perfect
Review: Elmore Leonard writes with a whip-lash wit altogether too rare in today's literature. This book is a wild, off-the-track rollercoaster ride of side-splitting humour dished out through richly developed and sarcastically real characters. A really fun read!
Rating: 
Summary: This is an advertisement for the book the movie the . . .
Review: Ever get the feeling that you are being sold something without even knowing it? Halfway through Get Shorty, I thought, well, SOMETHING AMAZING MUST BE ABOUT TO HAPPEN, because otherwise, this book is the most mundane, run of the mill paint-by-numbers crime novel ever written by a human or (I suspect) a computer. Ooooh, the Cuban man pronounces the F-word "Fock." How insightful! In a sense, I guess Leonard achieves the feat of mirroring in print the superficiality and semi-literacy of modern America. But with Dean Koontz still cranking out the page-burners, I'm not sure we need another reminder of our artistic bankruptcy. My recommendation is Don't Steal This Book.
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