Rating: 
Summary: A colorful and imaginative collection of stories
Review: Jimmy Buffett's "Tales From Margaritaville: Fictional Facts and Factual Fictions" is a wildy told and perfectly laid back book. Buffett's variety of short stories range from a cowboy from Wyoming seeking the good life to an Alabama high school football teams rise to the top. Every story in the book whether a true story or fiction seemed to capture my interest quickly with illustrious storytelling. Optimistic tales of the tropics along with humor, romance, and adventure reflect the style that Buffett is best known for. One of the better stories in the book and also the longest is called "Take Another Road". It follows the story of a Wyoming cowboy named Tully Mars, who decides to pursue his dream of a life in the tropics. He gathers his things, grabs his horse and hops in his truck as his travels across the country begin. Tully keeps a journal that you read from city to city along with the narrative and dialogue. Buffett shows the transformation of Tully Mars well as he makes his way to the Caribbean. A few of the other more interesting stories in the book are "Boomerang Love", "AreYou Ready for Freddy", and "Hooked In the Heart" one of the non-fiction stories in the novel. All of which have the same enjoyable read. You do not have to be a Jimmy Buffett fan to enjoy this smooth reading collection of stories. The imaginative places and offbeat characters make "Tales From Margaritavile" a perfect book to sit back and enjoy. You will realize that "Margaritaville" is not a place but a state of mind.
Rating:
Summary: A colorful and imaginative collection of stories
Review: Jimmy Buffett's "Tales From Margaritaville: Fictional Facts and Factual Fictions" is a wildy told and perfectly laid back book. Buffett's variety of short stories range from a cowboy from Wyoming seeking the good life to an Alabama high school football teams rise to the top. Every story in the book whether a true story or fiction seemed to capture my interest quickly with illustrious storytelling. Optimistic tales of the tropics along with humor, romance, and adventure reflect the style that Buffett is best known for. One of the better stories in the book and also the longest is called "Take Another Road". It follows the story of a Wyoming cowboy named Tully Mars, who decides to pursue his dream of a life in the tropics. He gathers his things, grabs his horse and hops in his truck as his travels across the country begin. Tully keeps a journal that you read from city to city along with the narrative and dialogue. Buffett shows the transformation of Tully Mars well as he makes his way to the Caribbean. A few of the other more interesting stories in the book are "Boomerang Love", "AreYou Ready for Freddy", and "Hooked In the Heart" one of the non-fiction stories in the novel. All of which have the same enjoyable read. You do not have to be a Jimmy Buffett fan to enjoy this smooth reading collection of stories. The imaginative places and offbeat characters make "Tales From Margaritavile" a perfect book to sit back and enjoy. You will realize that "Margaritaville" is not a place but a state of mind.
Rating:
Summary: Buffett Literary Debut
Review: Jimmy Buffett's songs always have a the feel of mini-stories, so it was only natural that he would take a crack in the literary world. This debut book is a collection of short stories that was released as a companion to his cd Off To See The Lizard. The stories are expansions of the songs on the cd. They are delightful to read and are liberally spiked with Mr. Buffett's humor. You can almost picture sitting at some bar in Key West listening to Mr. Buffett spin these yarns. Light and breezy and good fun.
Rating:
Summary: THE BIBLE TO KEEPING LIFE IN PERSPECTIVE!!!
Review: Lets face it, too many people take life too seriously and miss out on the fun part. This book is a great way to keep your head on straight. When things get crazy, you will want to throw away the cell phone and read it again! be carefull, having fun is against the yuppie law.
Rating:
Summary: Okay, so you know the song... now read the stories!
Review: Margaritaville is Jimmy Buffett's biggest hit, and if your knowledge of him ends there, that's okay. This book of short stories, some fiction, some autobiographical, is excellent tropical escapism at its finest. Love, triumph, coming-of-age, you can almost pick the archetype, and in one way or another, he addresses it with a magnificent cast of characters, from the bizarre friends in our own neighborhoods, to good-natured scoundrels we'd love to emulate if we could, to the girl next door we wish we could reconnect with.Buffett's descriptive style is reminiscent of Garrison Keillor's Lake Wobegon books, and it works so well, you can almost see exactly where the characters are walking to in their towns, smell the aromas, hear the townspeople in the street, etc. Rumor has it that a studio optioned the book... I can't wait to see the movie!
Rating:
Summary: Traveling the Gulf with Jimmy
Review: My husband and I went on a much needed vacation to see my brother in New Orleans and then on to Destin, Florida. I stopped in a Walgreen's in Belle Chasse, Louisiana to find some reading material and picked up this book. I loved it! I found myself in some of the same spots on our way through and really could identify with the feelings of the characters (give me some sunshine and a margarita please!). I've been to a couple of Jimmy's concerts but was not really a confirmed Parrothead. He's a great storyteller and I want to read "A Pirate Looks at Fifty" now! I found myself looking for Snakebite Key in our atlas!
Rating: 
Summary: sitting in the sand
Review: take a look at the ocean. try swimming against the current. get off on the waves! jimmy captures everything we enjoy on the beach and provides an incredible backdrop about its genesis.
Rating:
Summary: An exhilarating change of pace...
Review: TALES FROM MARGARITAVILLE has grown to become a classic in my mind. His colorful imagination, and vivid characters find a place in your heart and stay for good. I have read the volume numerous times, and the stories get better each time. While much praise has been given for his fictional stories, I found the last section (Son of a Son of a Sailor) to be my favorite. Jimmy has led a hell of a life, and these few artifacts are worth a pirate's gold. Life in the Food Chain was an excellent example of taking what comes, and it shows Jimmy's relaxed, island-paced lifestyle.
Rating:
Summary: Searching for your lost shaker of salt?
Review: Tales from Margaritaville is an incredibly enjoyable book that kept me laughing througout the different short stories. The characters that are introduced throughout the book all have very loose connections to each other, though each story can stand alone as its own individual piece. I would suggest reading straight through and not jumping to different stories, but it is not necessary. I would have to say that there are three major factors that go into making this book so enjoyable. First would definately have to be the colorful characters that are portrayed throughout the different stories. Falling in love with the characters became a common occurance of mine while reading through. Second is definately the unique and light hearted environment that the different stories take place in. I definately want to visit Heat Wave one day and eat in a few of the restaurants. Third is the attitude. The attitude ties everything together and makes the book amazing. Wheither its a cowboy KO'ing a poodle primping panzy or a wild woman rootin' for her favorite high school football team, the attitude sets the tone for one hell of a good time. With all my heart, I urge you to get this book. Tales from Margaritaville has become one of my all-time favorites and a book that I will be proud to have on my shelves from now on. Until next time, I'll wasting away again in Margaritaville.
Rating:
Summary: Searching for your lost shaker of salt?
Review: Tales from Margaritaville is an incredibly enjoyable book that kept me laughing througout the different short stories. The characters that are introduced throughout the book all have very loose connections to each other, though each story can stand alone as its own individual piece. I would suggest reading straight through and not jumping to different stories, but it is not necessary. I would have to say that there are three major factors that go into making this book so enjoyable. First would definately have to be the colorful characters that are portrayed throughout the different stories. Falling in love with the characters became a common occurance of mine while reading through. Second is definately the unique and light hearted environment that the different stories take place in. I definately want to visit Heat Wave one day and eat in a few of the restaurants. Third is the attitude. The attitude ties everything together and makes the book amazing. Wheither its a cowboy KO'ing a poodle primping panzy or a wild woman rootin' for her favorite high school football team, the attitude sets the tone for one hell of a good time. With all my heart, I urge you to get this book. Tales from Margaritaville has become one of my all-time favorites and a book that I will be proud to have on my shelves from now on. Until next time, I'll wasting away again in Margaritaville.
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