LaBrava

Elmore Leonard goes for noir in this one, with less humor than in others I've read by him. The characters are classic Leonard, though, original and well developed. Our good guy is Joe LaBrava, a former Secret Service agent turned street photographer. He's living at a seedy South Beach hotel when he comes across Jean Shaw, a former movie star. This femme fatale was the first woman LaBrava fell in love with, in a darkened movie theater watching her noirish B-movies as a 12 year old. The bad guys are works of art too. Richie is a dumb hunk, a former cop turned security guard. His co-hort, Cunno Rey, fresh off the boat from Mariel, Cuba, moonlights as a male strip dancer. It's a great fun keeping track of all the swindles, double crosses, show more and secrets these characters perpetrate on each other. Another Elmore Leonard entry to the 1001 list. show less

LaBrava - 416 pages

I was looking forward to reading LaBrava by Elmore Leonard as I usually enjoy this author’s writing. Unfortunately this time we just didn’t click. I disliked the setting of 1980s Miami Beach, a seedy run-down community that was populated by lot of elderly people of which both the setting and the characters had seen better days.

The main characters of Joe LaBrava, a former Secret Service agent, Jean Shaw, a faded former movie star and Maurice Zola an ex-bookie and elderly hotel owner failed to click with me. When LaBrava, who is now working as a photographer discovers that Jean Shaw is in trouble he was well on the way of becoming involved. The villains of the piece, redneck Rihard Nobles and Cuban exotic dancer show more Cundo Rey are planning a kidnapping of Jean Shaw. LaBrava and Jean become lovers and spend much of their time both watching and discussing old movies.

Although the book got off to a flying start, it took some time for me to figure out what was going on and personally I didn’t think this is one of Leonard’s best. His writing is always original and eye-catching but I felt he missed the mark with this one. Still, I did find the ending surprising.
With his ability to deliver great dialogue, and characters , I will certainly be reading more from this author, but LaBrava will never be a favourite. show less

This is an ode to film noir cinema and it drips with nostalgia for that hard-boiled era. The characters are distinct and just deep enough to make you care. If there's anything to complain about, maybe how easily the female conquests come to LaBrava, our protagonist, but it's all in the genre. There's much to admire about Leonard's spare style. There's almost nothing described or alluded to that's immaterial to the plot. And the mystery continues until the final sentences. I'll read more Leonard, for sure. It was like scarfing down a good bowl of gumbo.

I'm embarrassed to admit that I've never read Elmore Leonard's work before, even though I observed my father, husband and brothers enjoying his work over the past 25 years or more. For some reason I must have thought his books weren't for me. How wrong I was!

There are many good things about LABRAVA. The plot: noir with a twist, and one that leaves the reader wondering what will happen after the end of the book. The setting: South Beach before the Diet. The characters: complex doesn't begin to describe some of them, while others are stunningly simple. And then there's the language, my favorite part of all. Elmore Leonard gets down on paper the way people actually talk -- you can hear their voices in your head as you read.

If by some show more chance you, too, have missed Leonard's work, or just this one book, run right out and get hold of it today. You won't be sorry. show less

If you like hard-boiled detective stuff, this is for you. Leonard even throws in a faded 1950s movie star so you get a bit of film noir along the way.

Halfway through, there’s a twist which isn’t entirely unforeseeable, and it all reads pretty well. While it is a novel that very accurately captures its era, this in many respects is a shame.

Misogyny is rampant with all the women being represented as sexual objects in one way or another and all the men represented as macho in one way or … well pretty much one way.

For these reasons, I didn’t find it too pleasant a read and the novel will not age well. Having read this and City Primeval, I’m not sure that Leonard, like Tartt, has more than one novel to write. It’s not a novel I show more need to read more than twice and I won’t be expanding my literary horizons with more of his oeuvre. show less

Outstanding convoluted crime caper. La Brava, an ex secret service fellow, now sensitive photographer to the street people of miami, gets mixed up with older starlet that he idolized as a 12 year old. He's seen all her movies and we play a game where she is acting out parts of the noir-ish movies in this story. Without giving it away, the starlet is mixed up with a big bad boy / man from the Bayou. That manchild makes a Cuban boatlifter friend and recruits him to assist in a complicated plan to bilk 600K out of a pleasant older guy (ex mobster). Lots going on! a bit of John MacDonald updated and maybe without as much of the self satisfaction of Travis. Which is to say- great book, great story. Perhaps a tad tiring with the nostalgic show more play on old movies, but as i am susceptible that kind of thing, i can live with it. show less

Yes, Leonard can write. You know--tight dialog, scenes from a movie, plots that twist your shorts.
But you get tired of his predictable fears (women) and dreams (money, freedom and women) and nightmares (bad women). I know these are the givens of his genre. But he writes too well to be stuck there.
Of course, now he's dead so he can never move on. Oh well.