The Highest Tide: A Novel by Jim Lynch Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Highest Tide: A Novel
Book Review: not for dim bulbs
Summary: 5 Stars
This book was a ripping, but subtle read. The description is so vivid and energizing, it makes you want to head for the shore post-haste. What's less noticeable is the way the author paints deep pictures of character and subplots, using nuance and dialogue as his tools. This was the first time that a book ever made me so ambivalent about turning its pages: I felt joyous anticipation for the next scene or humorous vignette, as well as dread that I was ever nearer the finale. For those who pay attention, this is both powerful and entertaining literature. It is a book you want to read again and again.Book Review: a great book
Summary: 5 Stars
This book sucked me in with its exquisite description, frequent humor and subtle character sketches. It's not an action-type thriller, more of a tale that just sucks you in deep. By the time I was well into it, it literally made me sad to turn the page because it meant I was that much closer to the end. It will change the way you look at the world around you. I definitely will read it again.Book Review: The tides they are a-changing
Summary: 3 Stars
This book begins brilliantly, drawing you in like quicksand, but, disappointingly, midway through, Lynch lays down a plank of plodding chapters which allows you to crawl out of the opening's tight grip. With climate change and global warming at the forefront of society's concerns and the Boxing Day tsunami disaster of 2004 still fresh in our minds, The Highest Tide feels very much a book of its time. The first few chapters are highly enjoyable, poetically depicting the sea and its inhabitants with flare and passion. The characters, including protagonist Miles, are introduced vividly and you expect them to develop into memorable literary creations. However, this never really happens. For what seems like a relatively short novel, too many chapters fly by where you are left with the impression that nothing has progressed. The climax does finally reawaken your interest, but even it can't quite live up to the promise of the early chapters and is also made somewhat predictable by the book's title.
There are few who can resist the charms of ocean, and this book will unquestionably make those who read it feel a strong desire to pay a visit to a nearby beach, so fervent are the mental images left by Lynch's descriptions, but as for the story itself, it's uneven and ultimately lacking. It promises much but fails to deliver a satisfying pay off. Regardless, it's worth dipping a cautionary toe in its warm waters.
Book Review: A must for school libraries
Summary: 5 Stars
This is such an insightful book. You empathise with the teenage angst, first love and ups and downs with his friends. The most ordinary and extraordinary events in the main character's life and his feelings about them all. Alongside all of this is his relationship with his elderly neighbour and friend, and his fears about his parents. This was my "best read" of the summer adn it ought to be in every school library.Book Review: Enjoyable read
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a good book. It's beautifully descriptive with an engaging storyline. I've seen reviews criticising the content in light of world events - but remember this is fiction. This book is a page turner - anyone with an interest in the natural world will share the protagonist's wonder at the things he sees around him, whilst still enjoying an enjoyable yarn. The author conveys thoughts and feelings of a developing young boy faced with the challenges life throws at him.