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    The Stench of Honolulu: A Tropical Adventure
    Unavailable
    The Stench of Honolulu: A Tropical Adventure
    Unavailable
    The Stench of Honolulu: A Tropical Adventure
    Audiobook3 hours

    The Stench of Honolulu: A Tropical Adventure

    Written by Jack Handey

    Narrated by Jack Handey

    3/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    The legendary Deep Thoughts and New Yorker humorist Jack Handey is back with his very first novel-a hilarious, absurd, far-flung adventure tale.

    THE STENCH OF HONOLOLU

    Are you a fan of books in which famous tourist destinations are repurposed as unlivable hellholes for no particular reason? Read on!

    Jack Handey's exotic tale is full of laugh-out-loud twists and unforgettable characters whose names escape me right now. A reliably unreliable narrator and his friend, who is some other guy, need to get out of town. They have a taste for adventure, so they pay a visit to a relic of bygone days-a travel agent-and discover an old treasure map. She might have been a witch, by the way. Our heroes soon embark on a quest for the Golden Monkey, which takes them into the mysterious and stinky foreign land of Honolulu. There, they meet untold dangers, confront strange natives, kill and eat Turtle People, kill some other things and people, eat another thing, and discover the ruins of ancient civilizations.

    As our narrator says, "The ruins were impressive. But like so many civilizations, they forgot the rule that might have saved them: Don't let vines grow all over you."
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHachette Audio
    Release dateJul 16, 2013
    ISBN9781619693616
    Unavailable
    The Stench of Honolulu: A Tropical Adventure

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    Reviews for The Stench of Honolulu

    3/5

    60 ratings10 reviews

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    • 4/5
      A ludicrous little book. If you wondered how Jack Handey might handle the transition from the one-liners of Deep Thoughts to the long form of a novel, the answer is that he doesn't even try. This is a pile of loosely connected jokes and quips, and as such, it's old-timey comedy-writing few people bother with anymore.

      But what jokes and quips they are. The opening line alone would be a stage classic, and while not all that follows is A material, there's just so much of it, it adds up to a nonstop chucklefest.

      At a time when the dominant forms of comedy are situational, character-based, or just "awkward", it's good to see someone writing plain old unexpected punchlines.
    • 4/5
      I'd been a casual fan of Jack Handey ever since I first heard "Deep Thoughts with Jack Handey" on the radio way back in what now seems like ancient times. For reference, Deep Thoughts debuted in the mid-80's. While reading The Stench of Honolulu it took me a number of pages to get reacquainted with Handey's particular brand of dry, dead-pan humor. Once there, though, I was cracking up at what seemed like every other line.
    • 3/5
      Exactly what you would expect from the creator of "Deep Thoughts." Surreal and absurd, but I couldn't help think that Steve Martin (who was Jack Handey's neighbor in the 70's) would have done it better. Still, pretty funny, and a quick read.
    • 4/5
      Did you just tackle "Ulysses" or finally finish "War and Peace?" Good god, pick up this book right now.George Saunders provides a cover blurb for "The Stench of Honolulu" which reads, "Jack Handey is the funniest writer in America." If that statement by arguably the funniest, best short fiction writer on the planet doesn't convince you to read this book, my review probably won't do much to help, but I'll give it a try anyway.If you're not already familiar with Handey's "Deep Thoughts" from watching Saturday Night Live, you can Google them for a good preview of the author's style of humor. However, you feel about "Deep Thoughts," so you will probably feel about "The Stench of Honolulu." Fans of "Deep Thoughts" should be forewarned that this book isn't quite as punchy, but as a novel requires at least some exposition, the humor naturally had to be spread out a bit more.With that being said, "The Stench of Honolulu" has almost no plot. The narrator flies to Hawaii and journeys upriver in search of the Golden Monkey, all the while trying not to be killed by the many things in the Hawaiian jungle that are trying to kill him. None of this is important. The whole thing is a string of jokes, and Handey is the rare humorist who manages to be stupid, witty, absurd, and clever all at the same time. He is a true master of subtly manipulating the English language in the funniest way possible. A brief sampling from the book: “I had dreams once. Once I wanted to build the world’s longest suspension bridge. But then I found out someone else had already done it.”(Brainstorming ways to kill Don): "Steal a baby gorilla from a gorilla family while wearing a Don mask."“The chief dragged me back inside. He began pounding my head against the radiator. I know what you’re thinking: a radiator in Honolulu? Look, don’t worry about that right now. The main thing is, I was getting killed.”If that type of stuff is your sense of humor, pick up this book and prepare to laugh out loud on a regular basis. You will fly through this book (partly because it clocks in at just over two hundred pages of very large font) and be in a fantastic mood when you finish it. You may not want visit Hawaii, though.
    • 1/5
      Though clearly trying to be funny with nearly every sentence, it wasn't for me. There isn't anything in this book to recommend it but humor, so I can't.
    • 5/5
      Hilarious spoof of Indiana Jones-type adventure. Laugh out loud, practically every page. Milk through the nose, silly, crude. Perhaps the funniest book ever...
    • 3/5
      Pretty silly and pretty short. This mostly reads like a stream of "Deep Thoughts" from SNL which is to be expected. Small book means that this book will be over before it gets too repetitive.
    • 2/5
      Handey, Jack. The Stench of Honolulu. 3 CDs. unabridged. 3 hrs. Hachette Audio. 2013. ISBN 9781619693609. $24.98. American humorist, Jack Handey, narrates his zany and ridiculous travel novel filled with tongue and cheek humor and hilarious adventures. "Wrong Way Slurps" and his companion Don head to Hawaii, to find the fabled golden monkey. Their journey is not an easy one though, they encounter turtle men, horrible smells, angry natives, and a pelican god; according to the narrator this is no tourist attraction, this is a hellhole! Told by a reliably unreliable narrator this absurd adventure will have the listener laughing uncontrollably. Narrated by Jack Handey himself, the humor is always present and the story (or lack thereof) flows smoothly from his sarcastic and witty voice. For fans of ridiculous travel literature and absurd laugh out loud literature. - Erin Cataldi, Franklin College, Franklin, IN
    • 2/5
      The Stench of Honolulu: A Tropical Adventure Written and Narrated by Jack HandeyⓅ 2013 Hachette Audio3.25 hours"Wrong Way Slurps," is the unreliable and unlikable narrator of this tale of a treasure hunt set in Hawaii. Hoping to sidestep The Pringle Brothers - the loan sharks to whom he owes money and, taking advantage of a fortuitous invitation extended by his friend, Don, Wrong Way Slurps sets off on a puerilely funny adventure.The Stench of Honolulu features the signature deadpan voice of Jack Handey. Arguably best known for his contributions to Saturday Night Live in the form of “Deep Thoughts,” the author/narrator sticks to what he knows: crafting series of lines to be delivered in under one minute. In this case, hundreds of these lines are stitched together loosely over the course of over three hours to create an offbeat story. The Stench of Honolulu is low comedy and will probably finds its best audience amongst those who delight in farce. Though TSoH did not appeal to my sense of humor, it was still a well executed production and, it is 100% created, original comic material (i.e. not a memoir or heavily autobiographical.) While author narrations are usually suspect, in this case Jack Handey was the best choice to deliver his trademark style and there is admirable consistency in his delivery.
    • 3/5
      Oh my. I can’t remember reading a book like this in a long, long time. Completely and totally silly book for grownups. Not that the plot is important in this silly book, but I suppose I must at least tell you a little. Let’s see. Our main character and his friend need to get out of town, visit a travel agent, and learn of a mysterious treasure map. Soon they are off in search of the Golden Monkey.It’s quite silly, more silly than I can really say, and that’s the charm of it. Don’t go looking for Deep Thoughts or Wisdom of Life or even a plot in this book. Delight in its silliness or leave it on the shelf.