Most helpful customer reviews
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Beware the Alaska Breakup!, Jun 5 2004
As readers of this hilarious entry in the wonderful Kate Shugak series now know, Breakup is the time between the frozen solid Alaska winter and the spring--a time when the potholes reach several feet deep, the slush competes with the mud, the weather is unpredictable--and the bears wake up crabby and hungry from their long hibernation. It's also a time, apparently, when the locals take leave of their senses, and the most mundane errand is run at one's own risk.Kate sees most of the action in this novel from the floor of her local pub, where stray bullets from angry housewives are flying at random; in the mud, where she is knocked down several times by everyone from friend to foe to bear; and from her house, which just happens to be partially demolished by an engine that has dropped from the sky off a jetliner. And that's just in the first few pages! Even wonder-dog Mutt is cranky in this truly funny look at all the regulars as they emerge--like the bears--from their long winter hibernation. There's a serious undertone dealing with Kate's new and unwanted position as head of tribal affairs, but mostly it's just a wild romp as we get to know our favorite Alaskans maybe a bit too well. Much recommended!
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2.0 out of 5 stars
Unconvincing daydream, Jul 29 2003
By A Customer
This book reads like someone's fantasy life. The protagonist, Kate Shugak, never makes mistakes, never loses an argument, and never has to compromise. She can terrify men with a glance and stop armed combat with her bare hands. She can also seduce a cold-blooded murderer and hypnotize a room full of men with a change in her voice. She claims to love men, but doesn't "expect much of them." The only man she maybe-loves, from many miles away, warms her heart by his casual reply to the report of a bear mauling someone to death, but she ridicules such bravado ("manly-man" behavior) in anyone else. She professes an abiding commitment to her oath to uphold the law, but commits a petty crime, and for petty reasons, minutes later. She rescues an irresponsible husband (for the second time), when he is bound naked, spread-eagled, and gagged, from the rifle of his hysterical wife, but "sides with the tribe" when she tells a state trooper that their children are not in danger.The book goes on and on this way, asking the reader to believe that a five-foot-tall woman is actually some kind of superbeing, able to cope with any kind of problem, no matter how absurd or wrong-headed her methods might be. If she were real, her mother would be Wonder Woman, and her other mother would be Marilyn. (If it were up to her, I don't think Kate Shugak would _have_ a father.) She can kick ass or make doe eyes, whichever the moment requires, and always with 100% success. Like Alda's "Hawkeye" character, everything always just seems to work out her way. She never has to deal with mistakes or meaningful opposition to her wishes. This was a really well-written book about a dreadful person living a charmed life. I can easily imagine the audience that makes it such a success. But, I found it so far below credible and so self-indulgent, that I'd give it one star if it weren't for a few snappy scenes that prove Stabenow could be a good writer if she'd only grow up.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
One star for each time I bought a copy of this book, Aug 4 2002
This is the first book of Dana Stabenow's that I bought. Within minutes, I giggled. A few more pages, I laughed. Before the book was finished, I had to stop and wipe the tears from laughing so hard.I could relate to Kate's experiences. Maybe it takes living through an Alaskan break up to understand what humans and fate are really capable of that made this so funny. Perhaps it was recognizing former headlines from the newspapers. Irregardless, it was the first Kate Shugak book I read, but not my last. I immediately went out and bought the rest and I have a copy of each new one, too. It's not your typical mystery. The murder does appear secondary to other activities: falling 747 engines, grizzly bear encounters, parents from Outside visiting daughters. If you want a slice of authenic Alaska from a real Alaskan, you can't go wrong with Ms. Stabenow. If you want pure entertainment, you can't go wrong with BREAK UP. Why have I bought five copies of this book? Because each time I loaned it out, I never received it back. It's one of those books that I read again and again. But please don't ask to borrow my copy. I know a lovely bookstore that will sell you your own copy.
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