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novabird's review
4.0
The tone of, “The Mosquito Coast,” is one of captivating dread. The beauty and the horror co-mingle and infuse this novel with such a compulsion to not abandon ship, to not be disloyal to the leader/ father/, but to stick with it to its end, despite the long, long wait for the so-called hero to fall.
At first, the archetype of a ‘crazy American,’ is shown in Allie who is both a genius/neurotic and charismatic. As he continues to reinforce his anti-American, anti-capitalist ideals, he further goes up the river into the heart of his darkness, taking his family with him to the jungle of Honduras. Initially he is the portrait of an American dream colonizing the wilderness and is successful with his spirit of inventiveness and ‘hard work,’ ethic that forestalls the progression of his mental illness. When he begins to have illusions of grandeur, this is also the time in which his tenuous hold on reality starts to lose its grip. After his delusion is shattered Allie become increasingly irrational.
In the dedication of, “The Mosquito Coast,” Theroux acknowledges, Charlie Fox as the real talebearer and thanks him for the story. Not that Theroux needed any authentication to ground this offering, as it is based in realism with the depiction of the environment, the psychology of a borderline case of mental illness worsened by isolation and told through the clarion voice of Allie’s eldest son, Charlie Fox.
A genuinely good horror tale told as a fable that examines the question of what makes a ”comfortable good life.’
4.25 The arcing, slow and long build-up doesn't quite equally weight the balancing of the plot.
At first, the archetype of a ‘crazy American,’ is shown in Allie who is both a genius/neurotic and charismatic. As he continues to reinforce his anti-American, anti-capitalist ideals, he further goes up the river into the heart of his darkness, taking his family with him to the jungle of Honduras. Initially he is the portrait of an American dream colonizing the wilderness and is successful with his spirit of inventiveness and ‘hard work,’ ethic that forestalls the progression of his mental illness. When he begins to have illusions of grandeur, this is also the time in which his tenuous hold on reality starts to lose its grip. After his delusion is shattered Allie become increasingly irrational.
In the dedication of, “The Mosquito Coast,” Theroux acknowledges, Charlie Fox as the real talebearer and thanks him for the story. Not that Theroux needed any authentication to ground this offering, as it is based in realism with the depiction of the environment, the psychology of a borderline case of mental illness worsened by isolation and told through the clarion voice of Allie’s eldest son, Charlie Fox.
A genuinely good horror tale told as a fable that examines the question of what makes a ”comfortable good life.’
4.25 The arcing, slow and long build-up doesn't quite equally weight the balancing of the plot.
metricks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
dobbydoo22's review against another edition
2.0
Not what I was expecting from Theroux; it read almost like a YA novel.
alexisrt's review against another edition
The Mosquito Coast by Paul Theroux (1982)
cozi82's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ammessaris's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
junglezee's review against another edition
3.0
This is a hard book to rate because there's two different ratings: how good of a book I think it is and how much I enjoyed reading it. I give the reading experience for me, at this time in my life, a letter grade of "C-" or "D+." Sometimes I found myself skipping long and drawn-out paragraphs of text comprised entirely of the cynical, pushy, and selfish ravings of a mad genius. The story's told from the perspective of Allie Fox's son, Charlie. Charlie is 13 at the start and brings a lens of innocence to the bonkers insanity of his father.
His father hates civilization, America, and capitalism – or some combination of the three? – and he steals his family away to one of the most remote regions in Honduras so that they can live their lives out in a commune of their own design and creation. Allie, the father, is a total inventor genius. He can create seemingly anything out of anything. He designs a robust and thriving commune for his family and they're visited by others, and they work, toil, and sweat so that they can live in comfort despite being holed up in the jungles of Honduras. At many points throughout the book, I thought, "Wow... this is actually pretty cool." That happened quite a few times. The book's second half is where it really becomes a page-turner, the suspense that's built up is relayed with incredible creativity to the reader. This is an extremely well-written book.
Onto why I hated it... the father is a raving madman that is angry, mean, and completely self-centred. He abuses his children verbally – never physically – but he demands perfection from them and tells them when what they've done isn't good enough. Nothing is ever good enough for the guy, and he's just such a horrible Debbie Downer. Nothing about reading Allie was enjoyable except reading the things he's built. I wish he wasn't so vindictive and intensely opinionated from the outset, it would've been nice to have him in a mode other than "outrageously annoying and narcissistic." It was always that mode. The respite from Allie became time away from him, and I like that this was consistent throughout the book, but I also couldn't stand the guy.
He is the epitome of unchill, the Baron of Bad Vibes. It wasn't fun to read him berate his wife for this thought or be angry enough to froth at the mouth when his kids say they are scared of doing something he asks of them. I hated reading him do these things and felt like the story was often stagnated by the endless ramblings of pure insanity. I think the author was probably trying to convey something to the effect of, "The line between genius and insanity is blurry," but this book takes that to a caricature of both of these. Allie's genius is on physical display for the family to wander through and exist within, and they enjoy this. His insanity is on constant, non-stop verbal display, and my brain just grew exhausted of listening to this angry man. Nobody really stands up to Allie, and it's his
The book reads as this sort of self-aggrandizing display of wit and charm, but the wit and charm are soured by the vinegar of Allie's genius, and Allie's genius is equal parts terrifying and incredible. The author hit the mark to that effect, but it seemed like we beat that horse dead and continued to beat it dead for the entirety of the book. The pacing was always fraught with Allie being unabashedly the most annoying mother f***er on the planet. He's chauvinistic, belittling, rude, angry, loud, and constant. Constant.
This might be my longest review and it's funny because I'm also giving this book 3 stars out of 5. I think it's an incredible endeavour and the author did an enormously good job. The book itself I would actually rate higher if this is on the grounds of how it is as a book. If I had to read this for school, I wouldn't mind. As it were, I read voraciously and I made it through these 400 pages in just over a week... and I enjoy when characters are more likeable, when I have more reasons to pick the book up other than, "I hope these people get away from this f***ing a**hole." I mean, he's nothing short of exactly that: a complete and utter prick that is ruthless when dealing with his family, but he also makes really cool things and knows how to design and repair stuff, so they are stuck with him because he really is a walking Swiss Army Knife.
This book is semi-cool to learn about survival, but Allie's constant presence detracted from the peaceful solitude of usual survival books. It's not really good for instilling family values since this family's values are "do what dad says and follow him because without him we will all die"... but it was an excellent thriller when it came to times of suspense and action, and it is masterfully written. The plot does snowball and build, and when it all starts to come together, it's a beauty to behold.
Sometimes reading this book was fun, and other times it lacked in anything resembling fun. Sometimes I couldn't put it down, others I reluctantly picked it up. I struggled with the idea of reading more of Allie and his endless harping, but I also couldn't just leave the family without knowing what happens.
If you need an adventure into the South American wildnerness on the heels of a boorish genius that leaves no room for mistakes or peaceful quiet, dive into The Mosquito Coast. I'll help you out with a Google search: no, it isn't because there's mosquitos there, but yes, there are mosquitos there. The Indians in the region were known as Mosquitias, not because they like mosquitos, no, but because – spelled differently – they are Moskitia. That's their name. Has nothing to do with those little pricks, pun intended.
Stay safe,
-Z
His father hates civilization, America, and capitalism – or some combination of the three? – and he steals his family away to one of the most remote regions in Honduras so that they can live their lives out in a commune of their own design and creation. Allie, the father, is a total inventor genius. He can create seemingly anything out of anything. He designs a robust and thriving commune for his family and they're visited by others, and they work, toil, and sweat so that they can live in comfort despite being holed up in the jungles of Honduras. At many points throughout the book, I thought, "Wow... this is actually pretty cool." That happened quite a few times. The book's second half is where it really becomes a page-turner, the suspense that's built up is relayed with incredible creativity to the reader. This is an extremely well-written book.
Onto why I hated it... the father is a raving madman that is angry, mean, and completely self-centred. He abuses his children verbally – never physically – but he demands perfection from them and tells them when what they've done isn't good enough. Nothing is ever good enough for the guy, and he's just such a horrible Debbie Downer. Nothing about reading Allie was enjoyable except reading the things he's built. I wish he wasn't so vindictive and intensely opinionated from the outset, it would've been nice to have him in a mode other than "outrageously annoying and narcissistic." It was always that mode. The respite from Allie became time away from him, and I like that this was consistent throughout the book, but I also couldn't stand the guy.
He is the epitome of unchill, the Baron of Bad Vibes. It wasn't fun to read him berate his wife for this thought or be angry enough to froth at the mouth when his kids say they are scared of doing something he asks of them. I hated reading him do these things and felt like the story was often stagnated by the endless ramblings of pure insanity. I think the author was probably trying to convey something to the effect of, "The line between genius and insanity is blurry," but this book takes that to a caricature of both of these. Allie's genius is on physical display for the family to wander through and exist within, and they enjoy this. His insanity is on constant, non-stop verbal display, and my brain just grew exhausted of listening to this angry man. Nobody really stands up to Allie, and it's his
Spoiler
own insanity that winds up getting the better of him in the end, as he wanders away from the family while gravely injured because he thinks they're savages for not agreeing with how to take care of him... and then he gets picked apart by vultures. His dying action is that of a complete idiot.The book reads as this sort of self-aggrandizing display of wit and charm, but the wit and charm are soured by the vinegar of Allie's genius, and Allie's genius is equal parts terrifying and incredible. The author hit the mark to that effect, but it seemed like we beat that horse dead and continued to beat it dead for the entirety of the book. The pacing was always fraught with Allie being unabashedly the most annoying mother f***er on the planet. He's chauvinistic, belittling, rude, angry, loud, and constant. Constant.
This might be my longest review and it's funny because I'm also giving this book 3 stars out of 5. I think it's an incredible endeavour and the author did an enormously good job. The book itself I would actually rate higher if this is on the grounds of how it is as a book. If I had to read this for school, I wouldn't mind. As it were, I read voraciously and I made it through these 400 pages in just over a week... and I enjoy when characters are more likeable, when I have more reasons to pick the book up other than, "I hope these people get away from this f***ing a**hole." I mean, he's nothing short of exactly that: a complete and utter prick that is ruthless when dealing with his family, but he also makes really cool things and knows how to design and repair stuff, so they are stuck with him because he really is a walking Swiss Army Knife.
This book is semi-cool to learn about survival, but Allie's constant presence detracted from the peaceful solitude of usual survival books. It's not really good for instilling family values since this family's values are "do what dad says and follow him because without him we will all die"... but it was an excellent thriller when it came to times of suspense and action, and it is masterfully written. The plot does snowball and build, and when it all starts to come together, it's a beauty to behold.
Sometimes reading this book was fun, and other times it lacked in anything resembling fun. Sometimes I couldn't put it down, others I reluctantly picked it up. I struggled with the idea of reading more of Allie and his endless harping, but I also couldn't just leave the family without knowing what happens.
If you need an adventure into the South American wildnerness on the heels of a boorish genius that leaves no room for mistakes or peaceful quiet, dive into The Mosquito Coast. I'll help you out with a Google search: no, it isn't because there's mosquitos there, but yes, there are mosquitos there. The Indians in the region were known as Mosquitias, not because they like mosquitos, no, but because – spelled differently – they are Moskitia. That's their name. Has nothing to do with those little pricks, pun intended.
Stay safe,
-Z
jamesthesnake's review against another edition
3.0
A want-to-be lord of the flies ("even has mosquitos in the name") , except about the family unit and goes a step further in humanities nature. Really about how both science and religion will destroy the natural world at some point.
At the end of the day we can leave everything behind, except ourselves of course.
At the end of the day we can leave everything behind, except ourselves of course.