When was savages written

This book gave me so much insight of the scenarios I was thinking of. I liked patty and carey much more than other women allthough each character was well potrayed. I liked their will to live It was indeed a long read, but it was worth reading it. I came to know what box jellyfish are, how to know whether something is edible or not try it on captivated rat!

It has somehow an open end to what happened to Gen. Raki and how their lives changed after this all turmoil in their lavish life. Aug 22, Chris rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: anyone. Don't let the cover turn you away. It is an excellent summer read.

The story line is believable and the main characters all women are interesting and likable. I have to admit that only a few people have read this on my recommendation and they were not as sold as I was but so what Give it a chance. Jun 25, Stacy Canet rated it it was amazing.

The story does start out a little slow This was a very intriguing storyline, and I loved how these wealthy women had to survive and tough it out. One of my most favorite reads!! I always recommend this book!! I rarely keep books View 1 comment. Sep 29, Rusty rated it it was amazing.

I read this book more than 20 years ago. I loved the story line and the adventure of it so much that even to this day, I search for stories of survival. Savages was fantastic. Sep 06, Carrie Turner rated it it was amazing. This book was so good. I had trouble putting it down to do anything else. It's going on my list of favorite books.

And, it was educational. I learned a lot about wilderness living. Just wow, really. Jul 02, Molly rated it it was amazing. I read this book a long time ago, but I still recall that this was one of my favorites that I couldn't put down!

Apr 28, Carole rated it it was amazing. This is a great book, but the original cover of the book was much better. Why they think they need to put a half-naked blond on the cover to sell this book is beyond me! Sep 01, Paula rated it it was amazing Shelves: book-club , adventure-expedition , laugh-out-loud , read-in Wicked fun read.

Didn't expect it to be so good. Thanks to all the people that endured me whilst being immersed in Savages. But yay, that was interesting to see. Jan 03, Lorraine Eljuga rated it it was amazing. Shelves: guilty-pleasure , fiction. Loved this. I wasn't expecting to enjoy it so much.

I originally started reading it and dismissed it as 80's mindless trash, but picked it up again out of desperation after there was literally nothing else in the house to read. Glad I did, as this book took me on a shocker of a roller coaster ride, full of gory murders, and gritty, realistic horrors of survival. I could hardly put it down. The plot is about a group of spoilt, pampered women abandoned on a tropical island, after their husbands' im Loved this. The plot is about a group of spoilt, pampered women abandoned on a tropical island, after their husbands' immoral business conduct come back to bite them on their behinds.

They learn to survive against the odds and against giggantic obstacles such as severe weather extremes hot humidity and relentless storms , an army hunting them down and unfriendly locals. Lots of other sub plots and themes of political, psycological, economic and geographical interest. There are some hugely unlikeable characters here, including some of the main female characters. As the novel revealed their backgrounds, it explained why some of the women were the way they were.

Despite their selfish and mean traits, they were all stoical, brave and tenacious, and I ended up caring about them and willing them to find a way off the island to safety. I thought a lot about how I would have coped in their position. I was so grateful to be tucked up in my warm, cosy bed, eating snacks, with my dog, cats and daughter all curled up asleep next to me, reading this novel in comfort, peace and safety.

Great novel, Shirley. View all 7 comments. Mar 01, Malum rated it really liked it Shelves: thriller. Hey, this was pretty fun! A group of pampered women are thrust into a survival situation in the jungle with an enemy military on the prowl.

The first quarter of the book is spent getting to know these women before they art thrust into the jungle. By the end of the book, you will probably have your favorite "savage", as each of the women has a very defined personality.

From reading other reviews, I went into this with certain ideas about what it would contain, but it was much different than I was Hey, this was pretty fun! From reading other reviews, I went into this with certain ideas about what it would contain, but it was much different than I was led to believe. For example, the talk of lesbian sex from other reviewers is greatly exaggerated. There is one very short and relatively tame sex scene that leaves more to the imagination than it actually describes bonus points for the lesbian foot fetish, however.

For that matter, even the violence leaves more to the imagination than it actually shows. I am not saying that this is a PG story, but it is certainly no "Cannibal Holocaust". If I have to criticize anything about this book, I will say that Shirley Conran has a penchant for telling us about things that we just don't care about. We don't need to know the detailed history of the hotel that one of the characters stays at, and we don't need to be given an overview of the mining business. Also, the women's story is so interesting and exciting that, whenever Conran shifts focus back to civilization and the efforts to find the women, the story seems to slow down quite a bit.

Overall, this was a really fun ride! Jan 06, Janet rated it it was amazing. I don't even remember where or when I picked this book up, but it sounded interesting not the same old blah, blah, blah.

Another draw, I live in Pittsburgh and quickly found there are quite many legitimate references to companies and areas. Winslow : That was very deliberate. And of course, we now have tweets. I think there's just a new language out there, particularly on the West Coast, but also all over the country. CNN : So what was the process like to adapt your work? Winslow : It was challenging, more kind of intellectually than any other way. One thing we all immediately agreed upon was we wanted to keep the characters consistent to the book.

You knew a few of the story elements would have to change -- the core elements of the story are all there -- so I had to adjust a little bit. CNN : How did the story come to you? You have a varied background, but it doesn't involve the drug trade. Winslow : Can we italicize that? Neither as a customer -- I don't even do drugs. I read a lot, but that was the least of it. About , I'd done a book called "The Power of the Dog," which was a tome about the evolution of the Mexican drug cartels.

The base of my research came from that book. I had to update it for "Savages," and for [the recently released prequel] "Kings of Cool," there are flashbacks to the s and '70s, so I had to go back in time. A lot of it was a matter of talking to people -- and that's almost misstated; a lot of it was listening to people. CNN : I think it's a powerful story not only because of the topic, which is something that's resonating in the headlines everyday, but also because of the characters, especially Ophelia.

What were you going for there, how did you develop her? I had no story, no nothing. I hit page break and just started typing, and then all of a sudden I'm typing from the point of view of a twenty-something Orange County woman, which I'm not, but I know a lot of them, I've hung out there a lot. I wanted to have a character that was, one, unabashedly in charge of her own sexuality.

You know? Despite the gritty and violent nature of the story, the book is also laced with a black humor that has a lot to say about how goddamn silly this country can be at times. I loved the unique writing style of this, too. Anyone interested should read it and not listen to an audio version because even the layout of the words on the page becomes part of the structure of the story.

Dark, funny, violent, tender, tragic, and a story that makes it an obsessive page turner, this has instantly become one of my favorite crime novels. Although the basic plot remains the same, a lot of the details and plot points are changed for no real reason related to adapting it.

And anyone who thought that Hollywood wouldn't have the balls to do the book's ending was right. View all 28 comments. Sep 06, Kelly and the Book Boar rated it it was amazing Shelves: like-this-or-we-cant-be-friends , liburrrrrry-book , read-in , stabby-stabby , black-as-mitchell-s-heart.

I also noticed today that this is apparently 2 in the series and I had no idea it was turned into a movie a few years ago until my husband not so kindly informed me. What can I say? Savages is the story of Ben and Chon. Ben is a do-gooder with a scientific mind and a very green thumb. Together they grow and distribute some seriously choice ganja. The last time the Sons of Anarchy competition tried to overstep their boundaries, Chon quickly dealt with the problem.

Like I said earlier, this was S. The dialogue was genius, the humor spot on, the stabby oh so very stabby. All the stars. Highly recommend! View all 29 comments. Nov 14, Fabian rated it really liked it. Each paragraph like a stick of dynamite; it's the paragraph, the singular block that comprises the graphic novel that's very much post-YA, post-Bret E Ellis punch to the face It's one fantastic safari of animals, cruelly killing each other Like some prose-producing evil machine This has a twinge of "Trainspotting"; a dash of Alex Garland too.

Hey, just a thought: maybe Danny Boyle woulda been a better choice for the cinematic adaptation of "Savages" over Oliver Stone Points off for awful Spanish word translations. Nah, it's pretty fuckin cool anyway. Consult your physician immediately. Like, warning: if erection persists for more than four hours, consult a physician immediately and hope you have one fucking horny physician.

View all 6 comments. Feb 03, Bren fall in love with the sea. Shelves: drama-tearjerker , great-for-book-clubs , thriller-horror , mystery , saw-movie-and-read-book , california , crime , dark-and-heavy , read-and-reviewed , suspense. The more you try to protect something, the more vulnerable you make it. We made gods of wealth and health. A religion of narcissism. In the end, we worshipped only ourselves. In the end, it wasn't enough. No long review for this crazy but incredible book.

Personally I think you will know after the first two words in this book if it is for you or not. Personally I loved it. Yes, that is a tease but it actually happens to be true! Movie was good but nowhere NEAR the quality of the book.

View all 5 comments. May 17, Lou rated it it was amazing Shelves: psychos , mystery-thriller , adapted-to-screen , decemberread-list. When it comes to threesome there are many. One trio you will soon be taking note of are the likes of Ben, Chon and the wonderful O or her real name Ophelia, in this Drug cartel solid thriller from Don Winslow. The story is about lucrative money making with a specially brewed drug herb that the trio or really Ben and Chon deal and solely profit from.

Others want a cut of this market and Ben and Chon are just not having it. They have more than enough money and want to get out of the drug world and retire on sunnier sands. As always with a woman involved matters can get personal and you are taken to the knife-edge of showdowns.

The boys need to have their killing skills at full capacity to keep what they love. The other big boy in the drug cartel is really one big girl Elena the last line of a drug mafia family who is just as brutal as any man.

She also has something precious in the swing of matters a daughter Paqu. I just discovered that this highly charged full throttle drama is to be released as a movie in directed by Oliver Stone and has a full cast of good actors with Pulp fiction team Travolta and Thurman acting the part of Dennis and Paqu.

It will make one hell of a movie, I heard Oliver stone was writing the screenplay before the book was published. The novel is written with the right pace and flows well, easy to read not a mind storm to get through, I cant fault it at all. There is, for those who would like to know, plenty of dark humour and explicit situations. You do get to learn a lot about cannabis in this novel. What that really makes it so good are the characters Don has created and the trio that will forever be a bond to remember.

You will take away a lesson on savagery and savages from this story and oh yes how to make, Mucho Dinero. But the basics of Buddhism, Ben is down with- Do no harm. There developed such a devoted following with such a religious loyalty that they even gave themselves a name. The Church of the Lighter Day Saints. Love makes you vulnerable. So if you have enemies Take what they love. The savage is the world of pure raw power, survival of the fittest, drug cartels and death squads, dictators and strongmen, terrorist attacks, gang wars, tribal hatreds, mass murder, mass rape.

The less savage is the world of pure civilized power, governments and armies, multinationals and banks, oil companies, shock-and-awe, death-from-the-sky, genocide, mass economic rape.

He likes the feel of metal in his hands, the kick, the blowback, the precision of chemistry, physics, and engineering mixed with hand-eye coordination. Not to mention power-shooting a gun projects your personal will across time and space in a flash. I want to hit that and that is hit. Straight from your mind to the physical world. Talk about your PowerPoint presentations. I'll leave it at 3-stars because almost no one can write about sex well, "There is nothing so small that it does not save its life if it has the courage to defend itself against those who would lay hand on it.

I'll leave it at 3-stars because almost no one can write about sex well, but if you are going to wade into threesomes with two guys and a gal, well, you better have your pound-prose nasty-narrative, shag-slang, bone-brogue?

Granted, we can't all be Joyce, Chopin, or Lawrence, but ugh. Anyway, this might just be a book that is made better by Oliver Stone. Dear GOD, did I just write that? I don't know. It feels like there is a place near the border where even Cormac McCarthy shouldn't write about drugs and sex see The Counselor: A Screenplay. Anyway, if you haven't read any Don Winslow, I would go read his better books first. Jun 15, Travis rated it liked it. There's a good story here, and it's told in a blisteringly fast manner that would work really well if the author weren't so obsessed with showing how "hip" he is by making up pretend slang that no young or non-young person has ever used.

The corny wordplay and ridiculous geographic nicknames peppered throughout the book are just painful to read. There was much cringing. It's what you would get if you put Diablo Cody's "Juno" character into a movie about a brutal drug war in which a bunch of pe There's a good story here, and it's told in a blisteringly fast manner that would work really well if the author weren't so obsessed with showing how "hip" he is by making up pretend slang that no young or non-young person has ever used.

It's what you would get if you put Diablo Cody's "Juno" character into a movie about a brutal drug war in which a bunch of people, including children, are killed.

The quirk overload just doesn't fit. I think this is the first crime novel I've read since, I don't know, high school?

It's definitely not my genre, so maybe I'm a little out of my element. And hell, I ripped through it in two days, so it obviously entertained me. And Winslow obviously has a deep knowledge of Southern California, and he really puts you there. It just could have been so much better if the author had more faith in his story and worried less about being cute. View all 3 comments. Jul 15, Rachel rated it liked it. Um, we're not squeamish, right book club?

No one minds that I recommended a book whose opening chapter includes graphic sex, decapitation, and quasi-free verse prose poetry? First of all: Ooooh. Hence, the stiking similarities in tone, setting and subject matter. Secondly: glad I read this for book club-- I mean, aside form subjecting your sweet little eyes to to such vulgarities, my dears-- because I honestly haven't yet d Um, we're not squeamish, right book club?

Secondly: glad I read this for book club-- I mean, aside form subjecting your sweet little eyes to to such vulgarities, my dears-- because I honestly haven't yet decided whether to be fascinated, repulsed, or both by this novel. So, by three stars, I mean one but also five. View 2 comments. Mar 28, James Thane rated it really liked it Recommends it for: Crime fiction fans. Don Winslow scores again with Savages. Two Laguna Beach buddies, Ben and Chon, operate a top-of-the-line marijuana business.

Ben is a laid-back environmentalist and philanthropist; Chon is an ex-Navy Seal and former mercenary. They grow their own product, which is much desired, and they have a loyal and exclusive clientele. Both Ben and Chon are in love with the beautiful Ophelia, a spoiled local rich girl who loves both of them in return.

There have been occasional minor threats to the business Don Winslow scores again with Savages. There have been occasional minor threats to the business, but they have been quickly dealt with by Chon. Now, though, a Mexican cartel has decided to take over Ben and Chon's operation and the Mexicans also insist that Ben and Chon continue to grow the product for them, effectively becoming the cartel's employees. When Ben and Chon refuse, the cartel kidnaps Ophelia, insisting that they will hold her captive until Ben and Chon agree to the cartel's "offer.

Ben and Chon, determined to rescue Ophelia and to preserve their independence, declare war on the cartel. Winslow who wrote perhaps the best fictional account of the drug trade ever published, the classic The Power of the Dog , is in great form.

As usual, he captures brilliantly the Southern California lifestyle while at the same time skewering the misadventure that is the "war" on drugs. This is not a book for the faint of heart, but for anyone who might not yet have discovered Winslow, it's a great place to start.

Aug 06, LMM rated it did not like it Shelves: overrated , modern-fiction. What's with the hype? This book was a snooze. A hatchet job. My advice I think that I wanted to flip the usual relationship, you know? Nobody calls him a slut, nobody calls him a whore, you know? So, I wanted to have a woman character do that.

I wanted a woman character who was unashamedly in charge of her own sexuality. But fluid. Who knows? How did it feel when it came to that sort of conclusion?

The rest of the book was relatively easy to write—easy as books ever are which is not. I really, really debated on it, long and hard. And then I just thought it had to end that way. And I think that that was, unfortunately, the natural consequences of what had gone on. What was the inspiration behind using that sort of style? I was starting to feel defined out of existence.

Do you know what I mean? The walls just keep closing in, man, on what you can do in these alleged subgenres. The way I see it. And if people love it, great.

I hope they do. And, you know, the scenes in screenplay were written that way because I thought, for that scene, an audience would get it better as a piece of film; as close as I can get to it in a novel.

In other scenes, they get it better as narrative fiction; in other scenes they get it better as poetry. Filmmaker: You had been sort of reluctant in the past to get more directly involved in film adaptations. What made you decide to take a more hands-on role this time around?