A High Wind in Jamaica

A High Wind in Jamaica is written in a quite extraordinary and almost mysterious language: Not a breath of breeze even yet ruffled the water: yet momentarily it trembled of its own accord, shattering the reflections: then was glassy again. On that the children held their breath, waiting for it to hap......more

It’s like Richard Hughes had never read a novel before writing this one. He has no idea! Let’s break into stage dialogue here. In the middle of some action sequence let’s have a page about children’s games. The shocks here are actually shocking because the prose is so cosy and jolly, all about these......more

Where has this book been all my life? I've been dreamily gazing out my window all these long hot summers, yearning for just the novel to fulfill my every need—to take me in its sweet-lovin' arms and say without ever quite saying, 'I'm the one. And I've brought the hot oils and penicillin.' It seems......more

synopsis: pirates can have a heart; children, never. I have a shelf called "World of Insects" where I put literary novels whose perspectives on human nature are cold and detached; these stories often function as dissections. They provide examples of how humans lack a moral compass and follow predicta......more