A Salty Piece of Land
by Jimmy Buffett

reviewed by Byron Merritt

Meet Tully Mars, a 40-year-old cowboy on the run. An unfortunate incident with a wealthy, elderly employee has forced Tully to become a man on the run from the law. And the reader gets to travel with him as he starts his Caribbean adventure, plopping us into the middle of beautiful boats, sandy beaches, lighthouses, and parties. We get to meet such strange-named characters as Willie Singer, Noel Christmas, Captain Kirk, Cleopatra, and his trusty horse, Mr. Twain.

The adventure really begins with Cleopatra, a 100-year-old millionaire who wants Tully to find a Fresnel lens for her lighthouse. Once Tully takes on the challenge, we take a spin around the Caribbean, trying to find it. And thus we begin to bump into some interesting and bizarre characters (Captain Kirk being my favorite). The adventure winds up as Tully, through the help of his friends, finds the lens, avoids capture by some hillbilly bounty hunters, and watches a dear old friend pass away.

Not being a “Parrothead”, I approached this book simply from an entertainment standpoint, not as a Jimmy Buffett fan. And although I wasn’t completely disappointed, there was very little action and many convenient happenings that made the book, at times, frustrating. But that isn’t necessarily a horrible thing either. I could see why, however, some readers might not enjoy this style of writing. Whenever Tully got into trouble, there was always something or someone that bailed him easily out of it; very little angst in the story. But what the book DOES have is a very laid-back narrative that, if you’re in the right frame of mind, allows you to drift through the story like a sailboat on calm seas. Like I said, it’s entertaining enough, you just need to be sitting on a beach with a margarita (“Margaritaville”) in your hand while the waves lap at your sun-soaked feet. If you’re looking for an action/adventure novel, you’d best look elsewhere.