>>>>Give Hiaasen a one book tryout. He writes well. Sometimes he is content to be clever and entertaining.
>>>
>>>Yep, see my reply to Jeff. I'm going to read at least one.
>>>
>>>~~Bonnie
>>
>>I had just started Nature Girl but put it aside to read the Lost Symbol....
>
>Please let us know if you like it more than the critics did. They ripped it to shreds. Then again, Dan Brown sells enough bazillion copies to qualify as review-proof.

So far, I can certainly understand the reviews :o) It's not an easy read by any means. A lot of jumping around. It's written a bit differently than his other books. I wonder how many give up before they are 1/3rd through the book (or before that)....

Here's an example (not a real example from the book but it moves the same):

1) The primary character meets a new character in the story.
2) They begin a conversation.
3) The primary character makes a comment like "the sky is blue."
4) The new character responds "everyone knows that is because the water is reflecting the sky."
5) The primary character thinks the new character doesn't really understand why the sky is blue. He doesn't respond yet, instead,
6) The story uses three pages to describe an experience 10 years ago describing the primary character's experience as a teacher in a classroom teaching his students on why the sky is blue. All of his students respond "everyone knows that is because the water is reflecting the sky." So the primary character instructs his students on how light is a kind of energy that radiates, or travels, in waves until they all understand why the sky appears blue.
7) The story jumps immediately back to the primary character's next response in the original conversation - he doesn't want to take the time to explain it all to the new character in the story so he just continues on with another thought.

Very strangely written and a lot of wasted space spent showing how intelligent the primary character is.

Maybe the editing process wasn't as thorough with this book? It reminds me of first drafts I've read... or else it was written by someone else? :o)