false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171292564m/94673.jpg 94673 15 Miles O'Malley, 13-year-old insomniac, naturalist, worshipper of Rachel Carson, and dweller on the mud flats of Skookumchuck Bay, at the South end of Puget Sound near Olympia, Washington, is the irresistible center of <I>The Highest Tide</I>. He says, "I learned early on that if you tell people what you see at low tide they'll think you're exaggerating or lying when you're actually just explaining strange and wonderful things as clearly as you can" and "People usually take decades to sort out their view of the universe, if they bother to sort at all. I did my sorting during one freakish summer in which I was ambushed by science, fame and suggestions of the divine."<p> And what a summer he has! Miles, who is licensed to collect marine specimens for money, slips into his kayak late one night when he can't sleep and begins his exploratory rounds. What he sees is not the usual collectibles. He hears a deep exhale, a sound of release, and comes eye to eye with a giant squid. But, there are no giant squid in Puget Sound or anywhere around it--and when they are seen by humans, they are always dead. His discovery is confirmed by Professor Kramer, a local biologist and Miles's friend. Television cameras arrive, everyone wants to interview this small-for-his-age but very smart boy and the events of the summer begin to unfold.<p> Jim Lynch has an ability to tell a tale that glows on every page. He knows everything that lives in or near the water by name and habit. This knowledge and his sense of wonder at the natural world brings the reader very close to his story, both in its setting and its characters. One early morning Miles says, "...the water was so clear I could see coon-stripe shrimp ... and the bottomless bed of white clam shells ... Those shells, as unique and timeless as bones, helped me realize that we all die young, that in the life of the earth, we are houseflies, here for one flash of light." Such insights are perfectly natural coming from Miles, whose interests are not garden-variety. He has a mad crush on the mixed-up 18-year-old girl next door, a randy age-mate named Phelps, and a deep friendship with Florence, the elderly woman his mother refers to as "a crazy witch." Florence is a psychic of sorts and her powers come into play when she predicts an extremely high tide on a certain day.<p> All of these relationships and what is happening between Miles's parents are part of this event-filled, life-changing summer. Early on, Miles says off the top of his head, when asked by a TV reporter why a deep-sea creature has found its way to his front yard, "Maybe the earth is trying to tell us something." What the earth and the sea and the people in Miles's life are all trying to tell him is what he susses out in the days that follow--before that high tide. <p> This absolutely luminous first novel has all the earmarks of a classic. <I>The Highest Tide</I> is destined to be read, re-read, and to remain on bookshelves for the enjoyment of generations to come. <I>--Valerie Ryan</I> 814363 2005 The Highest Tide total:1102|5:247|4:476|3:297|2:68|1:14| 1102 4180 1490 272 5 1 false false Mon May 05 03:20:18 -0700 2008 Mon May 05 03:20:33 -0700 2008
Miles says that most people don't believe him when he describes what he sees in the water--they often think he is exaggerating or lying. But when he finds something that is almost unbelievable to both himself and Professor Kramer, people begin...more...]]> 5 1 false false Sat Apr 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Sat Feb 16 10:22:14 -0800 2008 Sat Feb 16 10:22:43 -0800 2008 more...]]> 5 1 false false Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sat Dec 22 09:09:23 -0800 2007 Sat Dec 22 09:09:39 -0800 2007
Miles reads voraciously about subjects he is passionate or curious about, includ...more...]]> 3 1 false false Tue Sep 25 15:15:56 -0700 2007 Tue Sep 25 15:34:08 -0700 2007 more...]]> 3 1 false false Wed Feb 06 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Tue Jan 01 20:08:19 -0800 2008 Fri Apr 04 21:08:20 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Feb 19 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 19 03:33:39 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 19 05:56:36 -0800 2009
...more...]]> 3 1 false false Sun Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 01 10:01:38 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 01 10:21:05 -0800 2009
I find it hard to believe this book would have an "universal" appeal.
...more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Jan 06 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 07 08:47:39 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 07 09:23:25 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Dec 24 16:12:56 -0800 2008 Wed Dec 24 16:14:03 -0800 2008 sewaktu SMP dulu, mungkin saya akan lebih menyukai mata pelajaran
tersebut. Atau setidaknya bahasan-bahasan dalam biologi disampaikan
dengan kemasan cerita seperti The Highest Tide, maka saya akan lebih
menaruh per...more...]]> 4 1 false false Tue Feb 24 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Nov 28 12:50:56 -0800 2008 Tue Feb 24 20:37:15 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sat Oct 10 07:19:42 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 10 07:41:36 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 1 false false Wed Mar 05 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Wed Jun 04 20:26:22 -0700 2008 Wed Jun 04 20:31:11 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Apr 10 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 08 06:21:58 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 11 08:39:47 -0700 2009

From beginning to end, this book is a call to enter the beauty and wonder which lie in the often mysterious world of nature, in particular the vast ocean and the tidal flats of Puget Sound. In one sense it is a 'coming of age'...more...]]> 5 0 false false Sat May 23 22:20:59 -0700 2009 Thu May 28 20:47:20 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri Apr 17 10:14:21 -0700 2009 Fri Apr 17 10:36:44 -0700 2009 more...]]> 0 0 false false Thu Feb 05 09:35:38 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 05 09:35:38 -0800 2009 This remarkable debut novel is one of the reasons people keep reading: occasionally, a book by a new author comes along and knocks your socks off. Lynch, formerly the Puget Sound correspondent with Portland's Oregonian, knows his terrain and describes the Puget Sound ecology with a poetic touch. Eve...

more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Jun 28 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 22 17:26:56 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 13 03:49:38 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Jan 25 05:10:37 -0800 2009 Sun Jan 25 05:10:37 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Jun 20 13:28:39 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 03 15:53:05 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Fri Feb 13 12:44:05 -0800 2009 Fri Feb 13 12:44:39 -0800 2009 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=94673