A High Wind in Jamaica

De: Richard Hughes

Narrado por: Michael Maloney

Set in the 19th century against a backdrop of island life and the vast surrounding seas, A High Wind in Jamaica is the gripping story of the Bas-Thornton children, whose parents send them back to England following a hurricane in the postcolonial Caribbean they call home. Having set sail, the children quickly fall into the hands of pirates. As their voyage continues, things take an awful turn. Narrated largely from the perspective of the children, the supposed innocents are not the only victims of amoral behaviour, but sometimes the perpetrators. As their voyage continues, things take an awful turn. Narrated largely from the perspective of the children, the supposed innocents are not the only victims of amoral behaviour, but sometimes the perpetrators. Praised for its atypical and unsettling take on the truth of human nature, Richard Hughes’ classic, first published in 1929, has been called one of the greatest novels of the 20th century, and credited with paving the way for other masterworks such as William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. Praised for its atypical and unsettling take on the truth of human nature, Richard Hughes’ classic, first published in 1929, has been called one of the greatest novels of the 20th century, and credited with paving the way for other masterworks such as William Golding’s Lord of the Flies.

©2011 CSA Word (P)2011 CSA Word

The first 5 hours are exciting

I loved the beginning and the middle of this book. I didn’t like the ending and didn’t find it consistent with the rest of the book. I also don’t see the resemblance to Lord of the Flies mentioned in the publisher’s description. If you like a rollicking adventure with intrepid children, get this book.

Of Hurricanes and Horrible Children

#ahighwindinjamaica is one of those books that, though having never read, I thought I generally understood was was about. I was very wrong.

Based in the 1870's, the story involves the collision between a group of English children being shipped back the United Kingdom after a storm ravages #jamaica and their encounter with a band of Cuban #pirates who encounter their English bound ship. One would be inclined to believe that the children would suffer at the hands of the high seas brigands but proved to be more of a horror to the pirates. #richardhughes certainly took a very different tact in his depiction of the generally hapless nature of pirates, the reality of high seas law where the mere act of piracy was no longer an automatic capital offense, and the tendency of writers to treat children as fragile creatures rather than the resilient and rather thoughtless creatures they can often be. Instead, Hughes treats adults as being much more ignorant and incapable they may wish themselves to be.

My #audible version, excellently read by #michaelmaloney came to my attention due to its position on the #modernlibrarytop100novels but I will be hunting down a hard copy to add to my collection. #readtheworld #readtheworldchallenge #globalreadingchallenge #piratenovel

Before there was Lord of the Flies....

there was A High Wind in Jamaica. Rather than taking over an island, these kids take over a pirate ship...and the pirates are bamboozled. It's not a comic story, but a fascinating character sketch of a 10 year old girl becoming aware of her self and her place in the world and a down-and-out pirate in an age where technology is leaving him behind. Although the story is mostly about 10 year old Emily, there are no heroes and Emily is at once a remarkable and very ordinary child.

This is a very complex story about coming of age in a very complicated world. It is not sugar-coated.

I remember the movie in the 60s with Anthony Quinn and James Coburn. I liked the movie, but honestly the personas of both of those actors were too big to capture the very ordinary human condition of the pirates in the book. It's well worth the read.

Epic adventure story with a dark undercurrent

Colonial Jamaican high sea adventures in late 19th century seen through the eyes of displaced children whose not yet matured mind and rich imagination altered their and others' lives. This well penned classic is hard to categorized and grasp; it has the very construct of an epic adventure, yet deeper, the theme of perverted innocence percolates.

Enjoyable but maybe not top 100 of 20th century

This was on the Modern Library list of top 100 of the 20th century and for the sake of variety I don't mind it being included. the Narrator is good and the story is a bit of a cross between Treasure Island and Pirates of Carribean. It's not quite a swashbuckler but has it's moments; it's more of a character study with a heavy lean on the young girl's growing up and not quite understanding the "adult" world and events around her. It is lighthearted with a serious ending. There is some very nice writing, rather poetic at times that I really liked. Though it involves kids with pirates it's not a children's book per se as there are serious elements.

weird but wonderful

The music between the chapters are awkward and the reading is a bit difficult but the story is wickedly wonderful.

Unusual story

What did you like best about A High Wind in Jamaica? What did you like least?

Unique pirate story told from viewpoint of kidnapped children. Outstanding job of getting inside the childrens' heads and describing the situations and their feelings.

Would you be willing to try another book from Richard Hughes? Why or why not?

Yes because of his story telling ability and descriptive technique - not too wordy or flowery but accurate.

Which scene was your favorite?

The auction.

Did A High Wind in Jamaica inspire you to do anything?

No.

Any additional comments?

The reader's performance was excellent, fantastic job with the voices and accents. Quite believable.

Lovely literature about children's imaginations

Powerful adventures for children that are a pleasure to hear. Narration was great but the accompanying classical musical may not be to everyone's tastes. I enjoyed it. Overall, a great tale and well performed.

Great book!

This is an excellent story. The plot. The prose. Richard Hughes is a genius. I wish there were more novels from him. The narrator is good but I would have liked someone else. But it works for this victorian time period.

Lord of the flies can suck it

What's cool about this book is that it changes while you're reading it. The book starts off as a swashbuckling story involving children and pirates and transforms into something that would make lord of the flies look like a day at the beach