Herman Wouk's novels include
The Caine Mutiny (one of the
best books on World War II) and
The Winds of War.
His new book is
The Lawgiver.
Wouk named
five top nautical yarns for the
Wall Street Journal, including:
A High Wind in Jamaica
by Richard Hughes (1929)
This is Richard Hughes's masterpiece. Titled in England "The Innocent Voyage," a huge international success, it remains a classic for the discerning. This decidedly original tale of children trapped aboard a pirate ship mingles comic passages with sinister undertones anticipating William Golding's 
later "Lord of the Flies." The seductive narrative voice establishes its hold at once in this story of the English Thornton children, Emily and John, who live with their parents in Jamaica. By turns sunny and darkly suggestive, innocent and slyly witty, the novel tells us at every turn that this is no ordinary child's adventure tale—more to the point, this is no ordinary view of children. Neither is it revolutionary. It is a richly perceptive portrait of young children set in a novel of utterly adult, endlessly bewitching charm.
Read about
another book on the list.
A High Wind in Jamaica is one of
Wesley Stace's top ten books about children aimed at adults.
--Marshal Zeringue
His new book is The Lawgiver.
Posts
