A High Wind in Jamaica - Finished!

I loved this book right through to the very end. I thought that the adventure and plot were really exciting and that it really showed the resilience of a child. Especially in the end when the writer said that there would be no way or telling Emily apart from any of her schoolmates despite what she had been through.

More words I didn't know:

ALACRITY:

1. Cheerful willingness; eagerness.

2. Speed or quickness; celerity.

ENNUI: Listlessness and dissatisfaction resulting from lack of interest; boredom

TIMOROUS: Full of apprehensiveness; timid.

IMPUDENCE:

1. The quality of being offensively bold.

2. Offensively bold behavior.

Such a great book, easy to read and a cute story. I wish I could celebrate finishing it with a trip to
Jamaica but that is out of the question!

A High Wind in Jamaica - Halfway Point

So far a beautiful and whimsically written book. I love the way that Hughes writes about the children, I feel like he really understands how the mind of a child works.

I was so happy to find out that the original Captains letter to their parents was a lie. I was confused when I read it and then looked at how many pages I had left to read. That would have made for a weird book if what he was saying was the truth. I strongly dislike the original captain. He is weak and self centered and a liar. Its weird that I like the pirate captain much more than the original one.

I was disappointed that the children were not more upset about John's death. I don't this it matters how old you are, if your brother were to die I think that you would have a much stronger reaction than they did. I feel like I, the reader was more upset than his siblings and friends. I also find it weird that the kids don't realize that something is very wrong and that they have been abducted by pirates. I guess that they are in their own little world and without their parents there to tell them they are in danger, they are completely unaware.

This book reminds me a lot of Life of Pi so far. It is mainly about the world of a child, much like Life of Pi and also the writer uses beautiful vocabulary just like Yann Martel. Here are a few words I didn't know, that I hope to remember:

EMANCIPATION: To free from bondage, oppression, or restraint; liberate.

JALOUSIES: A blind or shutter having adjustable horizontal slats for regulating the passage of air and light.

INFERNAL: Of or relating to a lower world of the dead.

APOPLEXY: Sudden impairment of neurological function, especially that resulting from a cerebral hemorrhage; a stroke.

MADEIRA:  A fortified dessert wine, especially from the island of Madeira. (mmm.. I want to try this!)

BILIOUS:

a. Characterized by an excess secretion of bile.

b. Relating to, characterized by, or experiencing gastric distress caused by a disorder of the liver or gallbladder.

c. Appearing as if affected by such a disorder; sickly.

Can't wait to see what happens!

A High Wind in Jamaica by Richard Hughes

It's about time I read something off the list that I've never heard of before so I have chosen A High Wind in Jamaica by Richard Hughes. I'm excited because I've never head anything about this one by the cover looks kinda cute. Here is the summary:

A High Wind in Jamaica - the classic novel of childhood in which Richard Hughes describes with perfect insight not only the adventures of a family of children caught up in the company of pirates but also, with magical clarity, the tropical landscape the children leave behind them and the endless ocean which they must cross.

Sounds like a cross between Pirates of the Caribbean and Swiss Family Robinson. Time to get reading!