This book is pleasantly reminiscent in many respects of a different maritime adventure narrative that was first serialized in 1881 under the name "The Sea-Cook." Naturally, the name was changed to "Treasure Island" two years later. Although Robert Louis Stevenson, a popular author in his day, has undoubtedly withstood the test of time, it may be too soon to pass judgment on Jimmy Buffett. The two authors do, however, have one thing in common, they both have an unapologetic and unmistakable passion to create, and they both see their respective works as entertainment first and foremost. This attitude must be seen as both refreshing and uncommon in any literary era or latitude.
"A Salty Piece of Land" is a tart story that is at times as unpredictably wild and wistful as the ocean's waves. Every book, I think, can be thought of as a voyage of words, but in this particular story, the reader will meet a very colorful cast of characters, including cowboys, Indians, sailors, and seaplane pilots, as well as ghosts, treasure hunters, and, of course, the ever-present pirates. However, the story centers around an old, deserted lighthouse on the fictitious island of Kayo Loco. In true Stevenson an fashion, the lighthouse develops into a sort of spiritual beacon in a world notable for its resistance to being guided toward the light.
Buffett is more aware than others that how we combine metaphors in life is everything. And yet, for want of a better analogy, the nonfictional elements of the book seem to be as solid and well-built as a lighthouse at sea. Buffett's knowledge of his subject is evident. However, I believe the author has already conducted the genuine research for this book on land, in the air, and at sea during the years she has spent as a very active participant-observer of life. The spiritual wisdom Buffett has gained from the beach of life as he has roamed in the unprocessed poetry of time is what makes the unbelievable seem so plausible to the reader and what makes the old lighthouse shine again.
I would be negligent if I failed to point out that, just as Jimmy Buffett unquestionably drew inspiration from Robert Louis Stevenson's seafaring tales, R.L.S. himself drew inspiration from the works of another great author, Herman Melville, whose "Moby-Dick" was released in 1851. He watched it languish in the whaling sections of libraries and bookstores for the next 40 years of his life. The crucial books, according to Melville, are the ones that fall short. However, not even Melville could have foreseen that his character Starbuck would give his name to a massive multinational enterprise that would someday aspire to.
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