From the Bookshelf of Constant Reader…

The Mosquito Coast

Paul Theroux

Start date: July 1, 2012

Finish date: August 1, 2012

Discussion: Classics Corner

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Classics Corner

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What Members Thought

Mar 22, 2008 Robert rated it really liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I have to say that I didn't find anything at all funny about the book. It was a bleak, bleak tale, a heart of darkness, a descent into madness, a story of horrific hypocrisy and abuse. It features an amazingly weak female character, a man who abuses his own children to the point where his two sons openly fantasize about killing him (and for good reason!) even as they are overwhelmed by his personal charisma and energy.

Truthfully, I didn't like the book. I'll never read it again. I do, however, t ...more

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Feb 02, 2008 Ruth rated it it was amazing

Funny, funny book.

Well, that was my review the first time I read it. Now, after a reread some 20 years later, I wonder why I didn't pick up on what was really going on with the father. This time it was clear to me, and gave the book, despite its comedic moments, a sense of ever-increasing dread.
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Jun 12, 2012 Cathy rated it it was amazing

I didn't think I could stand Allie for the length of the book. Theroux, telling the book from Charley's point of view, made me more sympathetic. The insight into a man teetering on the edge of obsession and madness was intriguing; you come to understand how a man, held in check by our society, goes off into the wild and follows his instincts to the inevitable consequences. The book also raised valid issues about America and our values for me. The book also serves as a great travel story: well re ...more

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