Reviews

I had read this book as a teenager and remembered it was a bit disturbing but couldn't remember why, although I knew it was about children and pirates. I think it was regarded by some people, or possibly remembered by people who read it as children, as an adventure story for children, but it is nothing of the kind as becomes clear when you reread it as an adult. Its actually a novel about the world of children and adults and how they can interact in disturbing and sometimes nightmarish ways, especially when adults lack the capacity or will to provide adequate care and attention to the needs of children so in some ways its a cautionary tale. It's also quite a weird but very compelling read, brilliantly imagined with incredibly vivid descriptions of scenes which stay with you long after you've finished the book. Very much recommended but prepare to be unsettled by it.

jlmreader's review against another edition

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2.0

I just wasn't impressed. Perhaps because of a typo on the back cover of my edition, which states that the work is set in Jamaica "of the 1920s," but I really don't feel that Hughes really was familiar with children, and that the adults in the story are lacking a certain amount of logical thinking. I did exprect racism - after all it was written in 1926, but found it much worse than I expected. I'd been wanting to read this for decades, now I have no idea why.

electronicalice's review against another edition

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5.0

'A High Wind in Jamaica' - a nautical Peter Pan without the Pan, so to speak - is a most unlikely coming-of-age tale, which captures the essence (and inevitable absence) of youth. In just one page you're likely to encounter hilariously light and gravely dark passages, all of which cumulate to a fantastic journey you won't want to end.

What an insanely pleasurable read. Highly, highly recommended.

habeasopus's review against another edition

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4.0

High Wind is a short novel which punches emotionally far above its weight. Richard Hughes displays a wonderful gift for telling a terribly frightening story about children in peril with absolute realism and and without ridiculous sentimentality. In this way, he demonstrates their incredible resilience and capacity to adapt to nearly any circumstance. Our children are far more perceptive than we give them credit for and far better prepared that we dare hope to deal with the evil and anguish that we pray will never befall them.

chervbim's review against another edition

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3.0

I need to revisit this at some point, a lot happening here. Definitely an interesting read, pick it up if you like William Goldman.

cascaderose's review against another edition

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2.0

I remember liking this book when I read it in high school. Now I find it more disturbing.

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