Vous voulez voir cette page en français ? Cliquez ici.

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
More Buying Choices
20 used & new from CDN$ 0.34

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
King Bongo: A Novel of Havana
 
 

King Bongo: A Novel of Havana (Hardcover)

by Thomas Sanchez (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
List Price: CDN$ 38.00
Price: CDN$ 23.94 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over CDN$ 39. Details
You Save: CDN$ 14.06 (37%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
Usually ships within 1 to 3 months.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.ca. Gift-wrap available.

5 new from CDN$ 7.59 15 used from CDN$ 0.34

Product Details


Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

"We understand the economics of love," says Mrs. Armstrong, a sexy American socialite residing in Cuba. "To really sell a torch song, you've got to be willing to light yourself on fire." Like her, an entire gallery of wonderfully eccentric characters seems ready to go up in flames in this flamboyant noir epic by Sanchez (Mile Zero; Zoot-Suit Murders). It is 1957 in Havana, and glamorous, ambitious young insurance agent King Bongo ("he was a little man, but he had a big plan") is primed to sell a major policy to the owner of the legendary Tropicana nightclub. On New Year's Eve, he heads for the club, where his sister-the island's most glittery showgirl, known as the Panther-is performing. But before Bongo can do his business, a bomb goes off in front of the stage, and in the havoc the Panther disappears. To find her, Bongo must travel from colonial country clubs to squalid alleyways, challenged by sinister rivals like the nefarious Humberto Zapata, an official in the island's secret police force, and threatened by a constant undertone of seduction, violence and revolutionary stirrings. Sanchez's writing can evoke the hard-boiled masters of the past-he describes Havana's rows of houses, for example, as "old tarts posing for a group reunion shot in the glare of tropical sunlight"-though his stylings sometimes spin out of control ("Guys spilled the guts of their lies as beer foamed, whiskey flowed, rum drummed"). The occasional sloppiness aside, however, he succeeds in creating an independent world that is at once highly stylized and believable.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Havana in the '50s--a time of unrivaled corruption and decadence, when the nightclub lights were bright and the big-finned cars still shiny--has often served as the backdrop for fiction and film, but too often the city has functioned only as window dressing for neon-lit melodrama. That isn't the case here, as Sanchez digs deeper, using place as a conduit to meaning and emotion, just as he did with Key West in the hypnotic Mile Zero (1989). The action begins on New Year's Eve, 1957, when a bomb explodes at the Tropicana nightclub, presumably the work of revolutionaries. King Bongo, a legendary Havana drummer, who doubles as a private investigator and insurance salesman, narrowly escapes the blast, but his sister, the club's featured showgirl, called the Panther, disappears in the aftermath. His search for her takes him to all levels of Havana society--from the "scent of rank sweaty desperation" to the "look of well-fed cologne-slapped cheeks"--and involves him with Mafia hit men, fading movie stars, a mysterious American socialite, and the head of Cuba's secret police, long a nemesis. The Byzantine plot is neatly constructed and thoroughly involving but never an end in itself. Sanchez shows us a city and a people on the eve of revolution but filters it all through the emotions of a conflicted hero, sympathetic to the cause but loyal only to himself and those he loves. Havana is both setting and soul in this pulsing bolero of a novel. Bill Ott
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Inside This Book (Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt
Search inside this book:

Tag this product

 (What's this?)
Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items.
Your tags: Add your first tag
 

 

Customer Reviews

9 Reviews
5 star:
 (7)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most helpful customer reviews

 
3.0 out of 5 stars Begging for a Movie, Feb 12 2004
By Frustrated (United States) - See all my reviews
It's rare that I think a book should be longer. Most current American novels seem like vegan fare, lacking not only meat but anything substantial at all. On the other end are those so bloated that you wonder if the editor was ordered out of the building at gunpoint. King Bongo is somewhere in between, and is unlike Sanchez' earlier work in that it seems to have been written to be made into a movie. Not unusual - Richard Russo did the same thing with Empire Falls. And not necessarily a bad thing. Just not what I expected from Thomas Sanchez.

There is a good story here, but it lacks depth. There are plenty of complications of plot and plenty of atmosphere. I know nothing about Havana, but I felt as if I could see and hear and feel and smell it. And considering the barely 300 pages of length, he does a good job of exploring a few of the characters. But I wanted more - more about the childhood of King and his sister, more about the relationship between Zapata and the Panther, more about the Armstrong woman, and especially more about Sweet Maria, whose transvestitism seemed to be thrown in as an afterthought.

One of the major problems I had with this novel was the character of King Bongo himself. He didn't seem like any insurance agent I could ever imagine. A private detective, yes; but as an insurance agent, surely he was a failure. Where were his clients? And for pete's sake, where did he get the money he paid out to Mrs. Armstrong?

I also had a little trouble with the occasional remarks that indicated that most of the people were actually speaking Spanish, and the English dialogue in the book was actually a "translation." Of course this made sense in the context, but I kept wondering why he couldn't have just mixed more Spanish in with the English.

Still, this is a good solid story and I would definitely go to see it as a movie. Good acting could supply a lot of the "back story" that Sanchez barely hints at. It's a good enough book that I will read it again in a few months, and see if it grows on me some more.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


 
5.0 out of 5 stars I loved it!, Sep 22 2003
By A Customer
Coming from a person who doesnt read much at all (excluding the type under pictures in magazines) This was a great get back into reading experience! I loved the book. After about 50 or so pages I thought, this would make a great movie. It played out like that in my mind so well and vivid. Maybe thats the beauty of a well written tale.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


 
5.0 out of 5 stars A thrilling novel, July 9 2003
By A Customer
I have read most of Sanchez's novels. King Bongo does not dissapoint. What really amazes me is that this is not a best seller. This story has everything: mystery, history and humor. It brings Havana of the 50's alive. The writing is both intelligent and easy to read. If you want a great summer read and a story that will stay with you forever READ King Bongo. Wake up Hollywood this novel would make a great film.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars KING BONGO OUR NEW MAN IN HAVANA
Thomas Sanchez has created in KING BONGO a post-modern legendary novel, rich and mythological. Like Graham Green in his time, Sanchez has the courage to write about how politics... Read more
Published on Jun 5 2003 by A Reader in Key Largo

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible and enjoyable
I have read all of Thomas Sanchez's novels and have never been disappointed. You won't be disappointed either. He always delivers. And he delivered with King Bongo. Read more
Published on May 17 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars Steamy Noir in Old Havana...
Thomas Sanchez is back in the tropical millieu of his epic novel "Mile Zero", where a raft of odd characters love, fight, dance, and struggle, this time not in Key West, but in... Read more
Published on April 28 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars Another tour de force from a literary Major Leaguer
When I pointed it out to a friend, she took a long look at the slick retro Cuban 1950s dust cover art of this novel and said it looked "too cool" to her to be serious. Read more
Published on April 28 2003 by Mark Miller

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant Noir, Soon To Be A Classic
I loved King Bongo! I just finished it and loved every word of it. It would make a fantastic movie. I highly recommend this book. Read more
Published on April 27 2003

1.0 out of 5 stars Bongo's out of tune
What the heck happened to Thomas Sanchez? Sanchez, for years overly-hyped for his dreary 1973 debut novel Rabbit Boss, has been a one-hit and miss novelist for the bulk of his... Read more
Published on April 22 2003

Only search this product's reviews



Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category


Look for similar items by subject


Feedback


Amazon.ca Privacy Statement Amazon.ca Shipping Information Amazon.ca Returns & Exchanges

Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.