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A High Wind In Jamaica

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A High Wind In Jamaica

By: Richard Hughes
Narrated by: Michael Maloney
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Summary

Set in the nineteenth 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 only the 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 twentieth century, and credited with paving the way for other masterworks such as William Golding's Lord of the Flies.
Reader Michael Maloney is an acclaimed British television and radio actor.

©2011 Canongate Books Ltd Classics Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Fiction Caribbean Sailing

Critic Reviews

"The superb narration enhances this uncomfortable, indelible story."
"The style is brilliant, the ingenuity of narrative is brilliant, the characterization is brilliant, and the total effect of the story completely satisfactory."
"Never once has he struck a false note."
All stars
Most relevant
The lack of resolution in most of the events is clever. The author created an atmosphere almost of horror. My thoughts of the potential for tragedy with men and children were never realised. Their adventures were childlike encounters, cleverly recounted with an adult seasoning. The movie, The Bookshop was where I first heard of the book. The owner of the bookshop recommended it to her eager little female assistant, aged 10. This is not. Book I’d recommend to a 10 year old myself. To a teenager, yes.

Not magic realism, not drama, not mystery but subliminal horror

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