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poisonenvy's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Whelp, this book was unfortunately racist (and also has an unexpected amount of animal death). But let's go on:
Emily, ten years old, and her siblings have spent most of her life living in Jamaica. When a hurricane destroys their house, the children are sent off to England for school. Unfortunately, they don't get very far before their ship is taken by pirates.
This book is... Weird. I don't really have any other way to put it. It's a very strange book. Hughes's interpretation of childhood psychology is... Very strange.
Anyway, I didn't love it and mostly finished it as it's required reading for my Pirate Lit class. The last little bit is kind of gripping though.
Emily, ten years old, and her siblings have spent most of her life living in Jamaica. When a hurricane destroys their house, the children are sent off to England for school. Unfortunately, they don't get very far before their ship is taken by pirates.
This book is... Weird. I don't really have any other way to put it. It's a very strange book. Hughes's interpretation of childhood psychology is... Very strange.
Anyway, I didn't love it and mostly finished it as it's required reading for my Pirate Lit class. The last little bit is kind of gripping though.
machepol's review
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
pscamp01's review
3.0
Very odd and clever. This is a story about children and told mostly through their viewpoint, so I kept thinking it was a children's book. But it most definitely is not. Some terrible things happen: a couple deaths, a near rape and probably an actual one. But the events are only viewed by children and only half understood by them, which makes the events all the more disturbing. Add an unconventional plot and a very dry sense of humor and you get an enjoyable, but unusual, novel.
rdaisygal's review
3.0
This book was really interesting. It is like Treasure Island truly written from the perspective of children, such a whirling dervish of a plot that sometimes I was wondering what I was seeing through their eyes. Now I need to go back to the article I found this mentioned in and relate it in my head. :)
conor_bg's review
3.0
Although it was a fun book, it felt dated and the plot was a little meandering in the middle. But the ending was quite compelling.
lehw's review
I didn’t like it at all. Dark, racist, sexist, violent. No point to it. Seemed to me like it was written for shock value in its time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Abandonment, and Colonisation
leasttorque's review
5.0
Better minds, and the excellent introduction (which must not be read beforehand), have pointed out the excellent prose and totally unsentimental and unromantic view of both children and adults in this novel. It is a riveting tale without heroes. The author’s incursion into the mind of a child is stunning. How I wish for an hours-long book club discussion of this classic.
For a book that I almost threw out the window in the early pages, but couldn’t because it was on my kindle, this novel ultimately won me over totally. Once I understood the voice and the purpose, those early bits that were impossible to stomach even given the year of publication and historical setting were transformed into a biting assessment of history and the souls who lived it.
For a book that I almost threw out the window in the early pages, but couldn’t because it was on my kindle, this novel ultimately won me over totally. Once I understood the voice and the purpose, those early bits that were impossible to stomach even given the year of publication and historical setting were transformed into a biting assessment of history and the souls who lived it.
leeschlesinger's review
A simple plot, vividly described, that leads to deep moral issues as it comes to a close. The kind of book you'd like to discuss with a friend.