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The Mosquito Coast (Paperback)

by Paul Theroux (Author) "We drove past Tiny Polski's mansion house to the main road, and then the five miles into Northampton, Father talking the whole way about savages..." (more)
4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
RRP: £8.99
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Product details

  • Paperback: 384 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin; New Ed edition (30 Nov 2000)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0140060898
  • ISBN-13: 978-0140060898
  • Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.8 x 2.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 24,666 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #2 in  Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > T > Theroux, Paul

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Product Description

Product Description
Allie Fox is going to re-create the world. Abominating the cops, crooks, junkies and scavengers of modern America, he abandons civilization and takes the family to live in the Honduran jungle. There his tortured, messianic genius keeps them alive, his hoarse tirades harrying them through a diseased and dirty Eden towards unimaginable darkness. ‘An epic of paranoid obsession that swirls the reader headlong to deposit him on a mudbank of horror’ Christopher Wordsworth, Guardian.

About the Author
Paul Theroux was born in Medford, Massachusetts, in 1941, and published his first novel, Waldo, in 1967. His subsequent novels include Picture Palace, winner of the Whitbread Prize for Fiction, The Mosquito Coast, and the hugely acclaimed, Kowloon Tong. His travel books include The Great Railway Bazaar and The Pillars of Hercules.
Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
We drove past Tiny Polski's mansion house to the main road, and then the five miles into Northampton, Father talking the whole way about savages and the awfulness of America - how it got turned into a dope-taking, door-locking, ulcerated danger-zone of rabid scavengers and criminal millionaires and moral sneaks. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews

10 Reviews
5 star:
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 (3)
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Average Customer Review
4.7 out of 5 stars (10 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant and chilling, 4 Jun 2004
This is an absolutely fantastic novel. It works so well because Theroux refuses to let the reader make up their mind about whether to admire or detest the obsessive and maniacal central character, Allie Fox, as he plunges his family deeper and deeper into despair. His misguided search for what he sees as an alternative to the American dream is almost compelling, but the effect that this has on those who love him becomes increasingly disturbing as the plot unwinds. Theroux controls this balance brilliantly.

I read this when I was in Central America, but it's so absorbing that I could have been anywhere! Not a light-hearted read by any stretch, but the pages turn very quickly and I just couldn't put it down. Very strongly recommended.

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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Please read this book., 7 Dec 2002
By A Customer
I was hooked from the very first page. The adventures inflicted upon this family by the brilliant and dangerous Allie Fox draws the reader into a world tainted by their desperate struggle for survival. But their lives are not in danger just because they are living in the jungle far away from any kind of civilisation, but also because Allie Fox, the father and husband, demands absolute loyalty through disaster after disaster. But this book is not as depressing and frustrating as it sounds. Personally I enjoyed the inventions and plans of Allie (the most fascinationg being the ice-machine!), obviously the result of the brilliant mind behind this book. An uneasy combination of reality and an element of this-could-never-happen-in-real-life makes this a book that will not fade away once closed, rather a book one starts reading from the beginning again once the last page had been turned.

What makes a good book for me is when I never want it to end. This is one of those books.

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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars why can't all novels be like this one?, 6 Sep 1999
By A Customer
The Mosquito Coast is told through the eyes of Charlie Fox, a typical American boy. The story he tells us chronicles the "adventure" his family has when his father, Allie Fox takes them all to live in the Hounduran jungle. This is a stunning book which I have already read several times. The story is fantastic; a mixture of sarcastic humour, adventure and emotion. The character of Allie Fox (genius or goat: you decide,) is unique and hilarious and one you can just come back to again and again. I highly recommend this to anyone; all books should be as good as this.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars The fantastic Mr Fox
As probably Paul Theroux's best-known fiction work I've long wanted to read `Mosquito Coast', and not just because I am a fan of his grumpy brand of travel writing. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Demob Happy

4.0 out of 5 stars A child's view of untreated bipolar, Chilling but a great read
Really easy to read. I felt compelled to move on to the next chapter. Brilliantly written. Seems to give a good view of the Miskito Coast which runs along the eastern border of... Read more
Published 21 months ago by Joanne

5.0 out of 5 stars Dark, thrilling, and completely brilliant. A great book for people of all ages.
Who hasn't dreamed of leaving the world behind and venturing into the unknown to recreate the world without imperfections? Read more
Published on 29 Dec 2006 by Joe Cutts

5.0 out of 5 stars Lively and Imaginative
This book is a must-read for anyone who enjoys an imaginative story. It is hard to put down once you start reading, and is absolutely full of creative and interesting sub-plots... Read more
Published on 28 April 2006 by Mr. T. Ashwood

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, but often chilling
I read this book solely because I had read good reviews of it. I'm glad to say that those reviews were spot on. Read more
Published on 9 Sep 2005 by iliveinmyimagination

4.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
I haven't read any other Paul Theroux but I loved this book. I read it because I really liked the film and was happy that the source material is so strong. Read more
Published on 15 Aug 2005 by simonbrislin

5.0 out of 5 stars Fictional travel
It had been a while since I read a book by Theroux. I love his travel books. He has been called a cynic by many, though I guess that could be seen as a recommendation as well. Read more
Published on 11 April 2004 by gerbie7

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