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210th out of 551 books
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485 voters
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Flaming Iguanas: An Illustrated All-Girl Road Novel Thing
by
Erika Lopez
Tomato Rodriguez hops on her motorcycle and embarks on the ultimate sea-to-shining-sea all-girl adventure -- a story in that combines all the best parts of Alice in Wonderland and Easy Rider as Tomato crosses the country in search of the meaning of life, love, and the perfect post office.
Flaming Iguanas is a hilarious novel that combines text, line drawings, rubber
...morePaperback, 288 pages
Published
November 17th 1998
by Simon & Schuster
(first published 1997)
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this book made me fall in love with everything including stamps, motorcycles, inky pens that blot when you use them, illustrated novels and erika lopez. i was so enamored that i emailed her a fan letter when i first read this in 1998 or so and we corresponded for about 6 months and i fantasized about going to san fran and meeting her and becoming her friend for real. real in a way where maybe we could go out dancing with a bunch of people and we'd get real drunk and make out in the bathroom.
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I really loved this book. It's a fast, fun read, and it's not really like anything I've read before. Very fresh and hilarious, but also poignant in a very straightforward, non-sappy way. Lopez really takes what is often a kind of stereotypically brassy, sassy, tough character and makes her really interesting, likable, and totally not obnoxious at all. And I think that's really part of her magic: this book does all kinds of things that other books try to do, in terms of being quirky and knowing a...more
The protagonist/narrator's name is Tomato Rodriguez! I first enjoyed this book as required reading in a feminist theory class I was taking—the professor said we needed some fun fiction to mix up the syllabus.
I started flipping through this book again recently, intending just to check out the cool illustrations made from stamps. Instead, I wound up staying up all night, reading the entire book straight through! As another Good Reads reviewer pointed out, the author took what is o...more
I started flipping through this book again recently, intending just to check out the cool illustrations made from stamps. Instead, I wound up staying up all night, reading the entire book straight through! As another Good Reads reviewer pointed out, the author took what is o...more
Erika Lopez takes the reader on her motorcycle trip cross-country. Instead of a linear telling, the reader gets a hefty helping of stories and anecdotes interspersed with hilarious, equal parts relevant and random illustrations. What makes this a good read is Erika herself. She is a woman, a Latina, a lesbian, and an inexperienced biker; brash, raunchy, honest, self-effacing, and charming. I loved her similes and metaphors- she writes in world where vets are "already somewhere new whisp...more
This book was alright. I really like the care-free, artsy layout of the book itself. It reads really quickly, and the images really break it up and make it feel less intimidating as a book to read. However, not sure if I'm "alternative" enough to truly appreciate this kind of writing ... I must admit, there are some cringe-worthy descriptions of sex with guys that I really could've done without. I am, however, glad to have experienced it, and I'm certainly working my way through her ne...more
My guardian angel's new nickname is Tomato Rodriguez. I am glad I read "They Call Me Mad Dog" before I read this one, because I might not have bothered. "Flaming Iguanas" is still full of good laughs, just that it was not as fun or intense as the second novel. So I think this is kind of a prequel. But all the same, I like to think of Erika Lopez as one of my new favorite writers.
I enjoyed this book! Erika Lopez has a style of writing that I both relate to and greatly admire: clever, outspoken and real. I appreciated her honest nature at exposing depths of herself many of us would be reluctant to share. The story she shares of aspiring to be in a lesbian bike gang is fabulous! I would encourage everyone to read this!
For thesis research...
An entertaining read - definitely a quick one. It definitely attempts to turn the American road novel on it's head - by following two bisexual women as they cross the country on motorcycles, getting into crazy adventures, etc. It's also a "coming-of-age" story - as the narrative grows, so does the protagonist. It's reminiscent of On the Road as the story follows Tomato on her misadventures, with no purpose for hitting the road other than it's there to...more
An entertaining read - definitely a quick one. It definitely attempts to turn the American road novel on it's head - by following two bisexual women as they cross the country on motorcycles, getting into crazy adventures, etc. It's also a "coming-of-age" story - as the narrative grows, so does the protagonist. It's reminiscent of On the Road as the story follows Tomato on her misadventures, with no purpose for hitting the road other than it's there to...more
A rather off tale of a motorcycle journey from a Puerto Rican woman's point of view. She has some weirdo views and ideas/dreams.
I'm also wondering if this was written as one of those lesbian/feminsto books. Not sure how I feel about that, actually.
I'm also wondering if this was written as one of those lesbian/feminsto books. Not sure how I feel about that, actually.
a girl i dated in college was reading this and i borrowed it and read it because she liked it so much. i liked it to. it's funny, filled with quirky art, has entertaining lay-out and a fun, meandering story.
i re-read it because i borrowed it and the other two in the trilogy from eli and he's about to cut them up and make them into art, himself.
i enjoyed it but wasn't as into it the second time. that doesn't mean i don't recommend it, cuz i do. it just means it's not Grea...more
i re-read it because i borrowed it and the other two in the trilogy from eli and he's about to cut them up and make them into art, himself.
i enjoyed it but wasn't as into it the second time. that doesn't mean i don't recommend it, cuz i do. it just means it's not Grea...more
I don't even know where to start! This is probably my favorite book ever. It's sexy, sassy, bitchy and fucking ridiculous. Every page is filled with the kind of writing that looks really easy to do but in fact it's difficult to pull off. It's hard to be funny and true and poignant in fiction without it looking obvious and embarrassing. Lopez knows how to do it. It's her use of language that is so intoxicating. I think my favorite phrase is "Trapped and fearful vaginas." I use it all th...more
This book reminded me SO much of a wonderful girlfriend I had in high school that I read it cover-to-cover in an all-nite reading marathon; I've since bought the other 2 books in the series.
Lopez rocks, and so does her artistic vision!
Lopez rocks, and so does her artistic vision!
Some very fun personal insights, and some seriously raunchy but entertaining thoughts. The illustrations add to the ironic humor.
It's a quick fun read, probably of more interest to us females. But it might surprise any boys who pick it up.
She does ramble and digress, but I liked that. It added to its narrative.
It's a quick fun read, probably of more interest to us females. But it might surprise any boys who pick it up.
She does ramble and digress, but I liked that. It added to its narrative.
ONE WOMAN MOTORCYCLE GANG TAKES ON AMERICA, WINS. Read this book. It's probably the best of the trilogy, and I still regret it being stolen in the divorce. Tomato Rodriguez is my rock-star awesome breakdown hero.
I couldn't stop trying to get my friends to read this book after I finished it for the first time. And then I found it again a couple of years later and went through the same experience. When you choose books purely on their cover and physical presence, it makes you feel all that much better when their insides deliver. And that, my friends, is what this book does. If you've ever dreamed of getting a motorcycle and riding across the country, read this book to keep the dream alive. She's real...more
Debbie Hoskins
rated it
Erika you made all the categories. What a fun, creative book and you know how to mix words, pictures, and motorcycles!!! Bought this as a birthday gift to myself.
What an amazing book. I'm always quite happy when the text on the back of a book promises exactly what the book contains. Flaming Iguanas really felt like a punk rock song, raw and dirty. It's very well written, extremely witty and just feels like freedom. Great read.
Darla
marked it as to-read
I bought this book when it was first published and I still haven't read it. I need to have a "Read Your Own Damn Books" month.
Very funny story of cross country motorcycle trip. main character struggles to find the meaning of life.
This is very fun and has a lot of nice phrases. I like the art and the font very much. I'm glad I read it but doubt I will read it again.
I love this book. The story is awesome, it's funny and it's got excellent illustrations.
This was cute. It made me nostalgic for my 21 year old self. It was quirky and adorable. It's nothing earth shaking or terribly insightful but I could definitely identify with the author from a hindsight point of view. I got this book because I want to read her newest book 'The Girl Must Die' so I figured I should read this one first.
Hilarious!
I'd add another star if only the ending wasn't so abrupt. :D
I'd add another star if only the ending wasn't so abrupt. :D
I'd give this 4.5. This story was so fun and fresh. I loved the narrator, the lack of pretension, and the beautiful language, which was full of unexpected, original analogies and metaphors. And funny! I laughed out loud many times, loved all the characters she encountered along the way. It would be too graphic sexually for many readers--I could have probably lived with a lighter touch in that department (no pun intended). However, since it was an important part of her journey, both literal...more
fuck you if you don't think this book is hysterical
I wish Erika Lopez turned these books into a graphic novel, her random illustrations just make me want more. Quick fun read, a little on low-brow side, but fun nevertheless.
Funny, great drawings.
i stumbled upon erica lopez's books at the UC Santa Cruz library one day when i was wandering around the shelves. i picked up this one because i liked the shape of it, square, and then there were pretty pictures and then i started reading and it was about san francisco and i got nostalgic for home...it made me want to go on road trip adventures and write about it, but i've never been able to capture the beautiful trashiness of her books. i recommend them all, every last one of them...
"I felt alive and alone in the best way. No one could intimidate me or give me shit because I had bug guts all over me and could keep a bike upright and pass a truck in crosswinds with a war cry. I'd just been through traffic hell and now i was actually a biker who'd earned the right to spit on any road, even though I never did becuase I never practiced, becuase I knew it'd just droll down my chin inside the helmet."
Wanted to love this one. Come on: Tomato Rodriguez as a narrator name, illustrated line drawings reminiscent of Ralph Steadman's "Fear and Loathing...." artwork, and a road trip. What's not to love? I don't know, maybe I'm jealous that I didn't write/draw it when I was 20. I certainly could have. Looking back from past 50, the adventure still rings true, but the lesson learned: not there for me.
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