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Florida Man #1
Florida Man
MIKE BARON DELIVERS A RIOTOUS, HEART-FELT AND ULTIMATELY UPLIFITING STORY IN FLORIDA MAN.
Gary Duba’s having a bad day. There’s a snake in his toilet, a rabid raccoon in the yard, and his girl Krystal’s in jail for getting naked at a Waffle House and licking the manager.
Gary’s a redneck living in a trailer by the swamp. But he’s got dreams, big dreams. Every time he tries to get ahead, fate deals him a low blow. But then he gets lucky…
With his best friend, Floyd, Gary sets out to sell his prized Barry Bonds rookie card to raise the five hundred needed for bail. But things always find a way of getting out of hand.
“Florida Man will make you laugh out loud. It’s sui generis.”
Gary Duba’s having a bad day. There’s a snake in his toilet, a rabid raccoon in the yard, and his girl Krystal’s in jail for getting naked at a Waffle House and licking the manager.
Gary’s a redneck living in a trailer by the swamp. But he’s got dreams, big dreams. Every time he tries to get ahead, fate deals him a low blow. But then he gets lucky…
With his best friend, Floyd, Gary sets out to sell his prized Barry Bonds rookie card to raise the five hundred needed for bail. But things always find a way of getting out of hand.
“Florida Man will make you laugh out loud. It’s sui generis.”
428 pages, Paperback
First published September 11, 2019
724 people are currently reading
300 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
February 4, 2020
FLORIDA MAN by Mike Baron is a tough one to review. I don't think I've ever read a book that didn't really have a plot. The book is simple a story about a guy who is the sterotypical "Florida Man." But there is not character arc. There is no great love story. There isn't a grand journey. It's just the story about a guy who does things.
Everytime I thought a plot might be developing, the story took another turn. Was this going to be about a poor drunken Florida Man who becomes rich. Almost but no. Was it going to be about a Florida Man who must overcome poverty and stupidity to free the love of his life from prison? Almost, but no. Was it going to be about a guy who's dumb luck and poor decisions land him a lucrative reality show contract. Kinda, but again, no.
So what's the story about? It's about Florida Man. And the stuff he does. And thats about it. But, you know what? Somehow this story about nothing is actually entertaining and captivating for its 400 plus pages. I can't decide if this is brilliant or, just like Florida Man, good despite itself. You too will have to read it to decide where you stand. Somehow, its earned 4 stars from me.
Everytime I thought a plot might be developing, the story took another turn. Was this going to be about a poor drunken Florida Man who becomes rich. Almost but no. Was it going to be about a Florida Man who must overcome poverty and stupidity to free the love of his life from prison? Almost, but no. Was it going to be about a guy who's dumb luck and poor decisions land him a lucrative reality show contract. Kinda, but again, no.
So what's the story about? It's about Florida Man. And the stuff he does. And thats about it. But, you know what? Somehow this story about nothing is actually entertaining and captivating for its 400 plus pages. I can't decide if this is brilliant or, just like Florida Man, good despite itself. You too will have to read it to decide where you stand. Somehow, its earned 4 stars from me.
October 21, 2019
Crammed with hysteric high-octane toxic masculinity, and without a hat tip to any sense of modern political correctness the novel “Florida Man” has to be one the must read books of the year! This amazing novel is pure-concentrate Florida fiction and will certainly be inducted to this genres future Pantheon of greats. Gary Duba, the book’s central character has to be a solid contended the Mick Dundee of our times and should be immediately signed up for a new marketing campaign by the Florida tourism board. This truly was an astonishingly good book and I highly recommend it to anyone who isn’t easily offended who is looking for a fun and action packed read. This book has raised the creative bar in the genre of Florida fiction and it will be hard to beat by the many writers who tread that path. I am just glad my next book will be set in Missouri as Florida Man has set a new standard that will be hard to better.
October 14, 2019
Exactly what you think it is
As always with a Mike Baron book, you have here vivid descriptions and unique characters. Unusually, however, there is no hard-driving plot; instead, the protagonist lurches from event to event with little goal other than trying to get out of debt. As befitting a clueless redneck, he is not very good at it, and the crazy results are the meat and potatoes of the book. You will meet several colorful crazies in the Flordia Man's orbit, and Baron is so skilled at drawing you into their completely alien viewpoint (which involves sincere ethics and a total lack of common sense) and the strange milieu of life in Florida swamps that you will have no trouble believing every word. If you always wondered why we have a Florida Man, this book will tell you and make you believe.
As always with a Mike Baron book, you have here vivid descriptions and unique characters. Unusually, however, there is no hard-driving plot; instead, the protagonist lurches from event to event with little goal other than trying to get out of debt. As befitting a clueless redneck, he is not very good at it, and the crazy results are the meat and potatoes of the book. You will meet several colorful crazies in the Flordia Man's orbit, and Baron is so skilled at drawing you into their completely alien viewpoint (which involves sincere ethics and a total lack of common sense) and the strange milieu of life in Florida swamps that you will have no trouble believing every word. If you always wondered why we have a Florida Man, this book will tell you and make you believe.
August 24, 2020
Absolutely hilarious! I have the audiobook and I nearly drove off the road I was laughing so hard at it. It's absurd, irreverant, and hysterically funny. This book doesn't take itself seriously, and is the only "slice of life" story I've ever liked. There isn't really a plot, it's just about the misadventures of redneck Gary Duba and his girlfriend and friends, but it's sidesplitting.
The audiobook is brilliant, and the reader is outstanding. His Jamaican accent of Patrice's dialogue, especially when he encourages the crowd at the wrestling matches (not a spoiler), had me howling with laughter. The lines are hilarious on their own, the accents bring them to life. I laughed so much and so loudly at this book that my neighbors probably think I've gone strange. If you need a departure from reality with some seriously funny writing, this is the book for you.
Sidebar: If you are offended by drug use, profanity, mild violence, and sexual themes, you probably won't like it. Those aren't main plot points, though they do appear frequently. But if you're that uptight, read it anyway because it will make you laugh regardless. Six stars!
The audiobook is brilliant, and the reader is outstanding. His Jamaican accent of Patrice's dialogue, especially when he encourages the crowd at the wrestling matches (not a spoiler), had me howling with laughter. The lines are hilarious on their own, the accents bring them to life. I laughed so much and so loudly at this book that my neighbors probably think I've gone strange. If you need a departure from reality with some seriously funny writing, this is the book for you.
Sidebar: If you are offended by drug use, profanity, mild violence, and sexual themes, you probably won't like it. Those aren't main plot points, though they do appear frequently. But if you're that uptight, read it anyway because it will make you laugh regardless. Six stars!
January 27, 2022
Even though this was the first book, I am totally in love with this series and hope it has a long and successful run...While having no real plot to speak of, the daily stream of unusual events the main character faces, sound a lot like actual things I heard my rural neighbors and co-workers complain about during when i lived in Florida, (snakes in toilets, gators in pools, water rats, racoons, housewives using frozen seafood as a weapon, etc, etc)
December 10, 2019
I wanted a light book and this surely met that requirement.
Basically a year in the life of a white trash redneck from Florida named Garry, his rated up white trash ex stripper girlfriend/wife Krystal, who both are alcoholics-and drug abusers, but oh my the funny situations they get into will definitely have you laughing.
Basically a year in the life of a white trash redneck from Florida named Garry, his rated up white trash ex stripper girlfriend/wife Krystal, who both are alcoholics-and drug abusers, but oh my the funny situations they get into will definitely have you laughing.
January 10, 2021
Wow! What a ride!
Great characters! I loved this book. Funny and fast paced. I have read all the Biker series by this author and loved them. This is another series I will be reading! Keep up the great work!
Great characters! I loved this book. Funny and fast paced. I have read all the Biker series by this author and loved them. This is another series I will be reading! Keep up the great work!
August 27, 2020
Managed to finish it. Bray's narration is perfect, but I don't think I laughed one time. A Princess Bride reference made me smirk.
Very weak comedy for a comedy book. I would recommend Screw The Galaxy over this any day.
Very weak comedy for a comedy book. I would recommend Screw The Galaxy over this any day.
December 11, 2020
Loved the book. I live in Oklahoma and thinking them house suspenders sound like a pretty good idear. About to start the follow up to this one, Hogzilla. Some of the characters were almost too far out. Every person in the book has a crazy name which kind of threw off the flow of the reading but a solid book if you like good old fashion redneck humor.
February 12, 2020
Gary Duba is both the luckiest and the unluckiest man in Florida. He is a roofer living the dream - living in a trailer next to a swamp, having a beautiful girlfriend, having good friends, and somehow eventually having enough money to get by. His aspiration is to sell suspenders to prevent trailer damage for homes in Florida. Along the way, he has to deal with alligators, a snake in his toilet, raccoons, and assorted other creatures (including humans). The story is a bit testosterone oriented, but the humor comes through. If you like ridiculous situations set up by bad choices then this is a book for you.
November 4, 2019
Hysterical!
Mike Baron's 'Florida Man' is a hoot! It's a ridiculous story about a crazed Floridian who runs through one insane scenario after another. There were moments reading this when I really was laughing out loud. This is the funniest book I've ever read! Read it for yourself to find out what I'm talking about.
Mike Baron's 'Florida Man' is a hoot! It's a ridiculous story about a crazed Floridian who runs through one insane scenario after another. There were moments reading this when I really was laughing out loud. This is the funniest book I've ever read! Read it for yourself to find out what I'm talking about.
October 9, 2019
This book made me laugh so much that my sides hurt!
Florida Man has a very solid storyline and great character development. I was unsure about reading it at first because it’s not something I would normally read, but I’m glad I read it.
Definitely keeping an eye on this author!
Florida Man has a very solid storyline and great character development. I was unsure about reading it at first because it’s not something I would normally read, but I’m glad I read it.
Definitely keeping an eye on this author!
August 20, 2023
A refreshing and witty ironic comedy. A must read for any Floridaphile.
I thoroughly enjoyed this title, borrowed from the Kindle library. Florida Man is packed full of what happens in our great state on a daily basis- seemingly random weirdness and once-in-a-lifetime chance occurrences that shape the rest of our lives. Florida is one of those places, where the chance of lightning striking the exact same spot twice, is easily ten times the national average.
Florida Man captures the essence of what it is like for some of us Floridians, it's like we live in a vortex of normalized weirdness. We don't see it, but the rest of the nation's top news networks have strung together a bizarre "urban" legend-type persona, known as the Florida Man. Since no sensational story begins with "A Deleware Man....."
This novel is a great story depicting one of these Floridians, whose zest for living is so typically Florida, that they seem to attract the weirdest of the weird, straight out of thin air. Must be something in the air- like all the plasma discharged from our typical summer afternoon thunderstorms somehow creates weirdness vortex that sucks people, like our main character, into its void blender. I don't want to give anything away...... so, read this book! A++++++
I thoroughly enjoyed this title, borrowed from the Kindle library. Florida Man is packed full of what happens in our great state on a daily basis- seemingly random weirdness and once-in-a-lifetime chance occurrences that shape the rest of our lives. Florida is one of those places, where the chance of lightning striking the exact same spot twice, is easily ten times the national average.
Florida Man captures the essence of what it is like for some of us Floridians, it's like we live in a vortex of normalized weirdness. We don't see it, but the rest of the nation's top news networks have strung together a bizarre "urban" legend-type persona, known as the Florida Man. Since no sensational story begins with "A Deleware Man....."
This novel is a great story depicting one of these Floridians, whose zest for living is so typically Florida, that they seem to attract the weirdest of the weird, straight out of thin air. Must be something in the air- like all the plasma discharged from our typical summer afternoon thunderstorms somehow creates weirdness vortex that sucks people, like our main character, into its void blender. I don't want to give anything away...... so, read this book! A++++++
July 1, 2021
Basically, My Name is Earl without the do-good message. A directionless, redneck Odyssey that's perfect for a breezy summer read that contains vengeance-driven racoons, toilet snakes, a serial killer, Netflix producers, Burt Reynold's wig, female professional wrestling, gators, gangs of wild hogs, drug lords, a tonne of palmetto bugs, and tarantula smuggling.
July 15, 2020
Funny romp in South Florida
Get ready for a fast paced story of a couple and their friends as they go from rags to riches and back to rags. Several times.
This madcap adventure is held in the town of Turpentine, Florida. It seems to be a bit rural but areas of nice homes. A hero lives in a run down mobile home but always has plans for bigger things. One great idea leads to another and most fail.
But a funny story nonetheless.
Get ready for a fast paced story of a couple and their friends as they go from rags to riches and back to rags. Several times.
This madcap adventure is held in the town of Turpentine, Florida. It seems to be a bit rural but areas of nice homes. A hero lives in a run down mobile home but always has plans for bigger things. One great idea leads to another and most fail.
But a funny story nonetheless.
April 30, 2020
Political correctness goes out the window with this book. Written by the creator of the most irreverent and insane superhero to grace the comic book pages (no, not THAT one - The Badger predates Deadpool by nearly a decade), Mike Baron has created a cast of characters that are every bit as wild as those that inhabit Elmore Leonard’s Florida epics or Tim Dorsey’s Serge Storms series.
‘Florida Man’ is among the few novels that have made me actually stop, put it down and wipe my eyes from laughing so hard. During this depressingly critical time in our lifetimes, do yourself a favor: get a copy of this novel and lose yourself for a few hours. It’s worth the laugh.
‘Florida Man’ is among the few novels that have made me actually stop, put it down and wipe my eyes from laughing so hard. During this depressingly critical time in our lifetimes, do yourself a favor: get a copy of this novel and lose yourself for a few hours. It’s worth the laugh.
April 2, 2023
Five stars for a masterful execution of absurdist literature. While there are places where a final edit might have gone well in order to check that named lined up, I have few other complaints. This book is insane and may have been written by a mad man. Each new twist and turn ramps the action until about 100 pages in you stop trying to even attempt to fathom where it's all headed. Don't worry, you'll get there, and with plenty of laughs along the way!
January 24, 2020
So funny
Mike Baron captured the essence of Florida in this book. So many blunders in pursuit of doing the right thing sometimes befall even the best of men. The references to. Small town Florida life are perfectly portrayed without becoming overdone and the antics of the wildlife is also dead on. A great escape.
Mike Baron captured the essence of Florida in this book. So many blunders in pursuit of doing the right thing sometimes befall even the best of men. The references to. Small town Florida life are perfectly portrayed without becoming overdone and the antics of the wildlife is also dead on. A great escape.
June 4, 2020
A Laugh Out Loud Read
Ever wonder what Florida Man is really like? Mike Baron answers that question in this laugh out loud funfest. Despite all the amazing luck he has, Gary Dupa, Florida Man, always seems to make the wrong decisions. Baron writes a hilarious story. This book ought to be a Hollywood movie, it's that damn good!
Ever wonder what Florida Man is really like? Mike Baron answers that question in this laugh out loud funfest. Despite all the amazing luck he has, Gary Dupa, Florida Man, always seems to make the wrong decisions. Baron writes a hilarious story. This book ought to be a Hollywood movie, it's that damn good!
August 23, 2024
Yes sir this rags to riches to rags then back to riches story is one wild and wooly ride not for pussies full of colorful people that anyone who's ever grown up in rural America has either relatives or has known people who act like Gary and company this book is a tribute to all the good old boys of America.
August 13, 2020
Now that is a Florida Man!
Gary is a headline waiting to be written. As an added bonus we get Florida woman Krystal and together their rags to riches and back again will keep you entertained.
Gary is a headline waiting to be written. As an added bonus we get Florida woman Krystal and together their rags to riches and back again will keep you entertained.
September 19, 2019
Wow. Totally enjoyable. Not my usual genre, but I’m definitely hooked now. Don’t miss out.
September 22, 2019
Great storyline and character development made this book a funny and enjoyable read!
April 2, 2020
A town called Turpentine.
Welcome to Turpentine the home of Gary Duba, red neck lightning magnet of crazy things that happen in Florida, great read!
Welcome to Turpentine the home of Gary Duba, red neck lightning magnet of crazy things that happen in Florida, great read!
September 11, 2020
What a thoroughly entertaining book. And I’m thrilled to hear that it’s book one! RC Bray does an awesome job narrating
September 21, 2020
Spot on hilarious, over the top FUN! Can't wait to listen to book 2! :)
November 11, 2023
This book may have no real plot but it is a never-ending joy ride of adventure. I enjoyed it immensely.
February 5, 2024
This book was so ridiculously outrageous yet entertaining. It was nonstop action and chaos. So much fun. I can’t wait to listen to the next one. 4 stars.
February 9, 2024
This is mostly ridiculous, just like a Florida Man should be.
January 8, 2021
Pretty much what you'd expect. Humorous rags to riches and back and forth again.
Ignorant, honest, people with many vices try to make their way. Lots of mishaps along the way.
Ignorant, honest, people with many vices try to make their way. Lots of mishaps along the way.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews