BusinessDay, By: KATY CHANCE, This is PJ O’Rourke’s latest work — his "follow-up to the classic Holidays in Hell" This is PJ O’Rourke’s latest work — his "follow-up to the classic Holidays in Hell". Fantastic. I couldn’t wait to dive in. But the waters in this pool of collected stories are diluted by O’Rourke’s devolution from armed and dangerous war correspondent, political finger-pointer and drug-taking child of the 1960s to late-middle-aged family man. Sub-titled "A former war correspondent experiences frightening vacation fun", the book is a bit of a stretch, frankly — one that gives the impression O’Rourke and/or his publishers felt he’s getting on a bit but still has considerable cachet in the market place with a committed following, so let’s quickly get another book out of him before all that changes. You can’t blame them, or him. O’Rourke is one of the greats and his books have reached iconic and cult status, simultaneously, which is no mean feat. And this is an extremely easy read. The lightweight humour is effortless; the way he describes his children is delightful, as it always is when men come to fatherhood late; his self-deprecation about his outlook on life, through eyes dimming with age and about what his body can no longer do are droll. And his observations of travel, albeit with a family and often not even over state lines, are charming and amusing. Good grief! Look at these adjectives: lightweight, delightful, droll, charming, amusing. Sies! This is not the O’Rourke of yore – a fact to which the twee title should alert you: what self-respecting, vitriolic social commentator would use the word "heck"? The only time he starts to show a little of the angry Republican we knew and loved, along with a few, small drops of venom, is when he speaks about Barack Obama, whom he obviously can’t stand, yet seems incapable of clearly articulating why. And, of course, Hilary Clinton is always good for a laugh for any man, but for a Republican man she is easy pickings, and O’Rourke falls into the safe trap of picking on her easily. That said, this is perfect holiday reading; it is not taxing and you will have a constant smile on your face, but the laugh-out-loud and shocked gasps that came with reading O’Rourke in his prime are unlikely. TITLE: Holidays in Heck, AUTHOR: PJ O’Rourke, PUBLISHER: Grove Press UK, Source: BusinessDay
