Nature Girl

Like the prolific animal and insect life of the Everglades, Hiaasen's latest contains a cacophony of voices that clash with one another yet come together in the end to form an unique world. Hiaasen's novels compare favorably to the films of Robert Altman, as the author uses an ensemble approach rather than relying on one story. Adams is enthusiastically up to Hiaasen's hijinks, finding the right note for every character. Particularly good is her rendition of 12-year-old Fry, who stretches his vowels for emphasis and makes every sentence sound like a possible question. Piejack, the local looney fishmonger, and Honey, a borderline personality unable to overlook any slight, are performed with twangy gusto. And then there are the Texans, Boyd and his reluctant girlfriend, Eugenie, who bring another set of accents into the mix. In a wonderful moment on the last disk, Adams hilariously reproduces the muffled sentences of a person who has had her jaws wired shut. Adams's brisk style is perfect for Hiaasen's witty romp through the Everglades.