The Mosquito Coast (Penguin Longman Penguin Readers)
by Paul Theroux
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List Price: ££5.60
Our Price: ££2.00
Your Save: £ 0.00 ( % )
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
Manufacturer: Longman
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 428
EAN: 9780582418141
ISBN: 0582418143
Label: Longman
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 57
Publication Date: 1999-12-15
Publisher: Longman
Studio: Longman
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating: 
Summary: A child's view of untreated bipolar, Chilling but a great read
Comment: Really easy to read. I felt compelled to move on to the next chapter. Brilliantly written. Seems to give a good view of the Miskito Coast which runs along the eastern border of Honduras and Nicaragua.
The insight of Charlie, the eldest son of the family, into what is happening as his father moves them to Honduras to escape the destruction than he predicts of the US and his persecution complex is brilliantly written. The conflicting emotions of Charlie and his observations of his mother and siblings reactions as he is both frightened by and loves his father are fascinating.
You end up wishing for the death of the father as you feel he will destroy his family and feel he is saving them.
Although it never mentions directly that Allie Fox (the father) is mentally ill, the descriptions of his behaviour make that evident in both his genius and his delusion.
You feel hot, humid and dirty just from reading of the life in the swamps and jungles.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Dark, thrilling, and completely brilliant. A great book for people of all ages.
Comment: Who hasn't dreamed of leaving the world behind and venturing into the unknown to recreate the world without imperfections? Seeking to escape globalisation, commercialism, and a multitude of abominations and maladies, inventor and genius Allie Fox abandons civilisation and heads for the Honduran rain forest, taking his family. Whereas the missionaries he so despises use the pretense of bringing religion to the forest in order to colonise it, Allie brings ice - the symbol of his god-like ingenuity - and sets about creating a new world free of the poisons of the West.
Although The Mosquito Coast sounds like a contemporary version of Henry David Thoreau's Walden (which, like this story, is also and allegorical fable) it's an infinitely darker exploration of flawed genius, made all the more disturbing by being presented through the eyes of Allie's twelve year old son.
For me, the biggest attraction to this story aside form the travel aspect is the fact that it can be read on so many levels. At once it's a book children will enjoy, but as an allegory a lot of people will see the deeper meanings and possibly learn from them.
Overall, a fantastic book which can be re-read and studied many times.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Lively and Imaginative
Comment: This book is a must-read for anyone who enjoys an imaginative story. It is hard to put down once you start reading, and is absolutely full of creative and interesting sub-plots.
The personalities of the different characters in the book are key to understanding the plot, and they are portrayed in a way which grips the reader. The strange mind of the father pushes the family further and further into their own secluded world, shutting off the outside technology.
Overall, a must-read book! Fantastic!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Fascinating, but often chilling
Comment: I read this book solely because I had read good reviews of it. I'm glad to say that those reviews were spot on. The Mosquito Coast poses questions on a wide range of subjects from family to modern culture. The story is intriguing and after a few chapters I found I was totally gripped.
The father is ingenious, and its difficult not to admire his creativity and intellect, but he has a very cruel streak. There are a few episodes that illustrate his callous nature towards his children in the beginning of the book, but as it proceeds, his actions and attitudes become all the more chilling. The devotion of his wife and children (especially that of Charlie) show the amazing control one person can have over others.
The last three-quarters of the book are utterly gripping, as the father's inability to accept blame for his own mistakes pushes the family into extremely difficult circumstances. From here readers are kept on a knife edge to the shocking climax.
Gripping story, effective writing, interesting characters. Read this book.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Brilliant
Comment: I haven't read any other Paul Theroux but I loved this book. I read it because I really liked the film and was happy that the source material is so strong.
It drags occasionally but that is about the only citicism you can level at it. If the idea interests you then buy it.
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