The Mosquito Coast [Paperback]

Paul Theroux (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2006 | ISBN-10: 0618658963 | ISBN-13: 978-0618658961 | Edition: Reprint

In a breathtaking adventure story, the paranoid and brilliant inventor Allie Fox takes his family to live in the Honduran jungle, determined to build a civilization better than the one they've left. Fleeing from an America he sees as mired in materialism and conformity, he hopes to rediscover a purer life. But his utopian experiment takes a dark turn when his obsessions lead the family toward unimaginable danger.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

PAUL THEROUX is the author of many highly acclaimed books. His novels include The Lower River and The Mosquito Coast, and his renowned travel books include Ghost Train to the Eastern Star and Dark Star Safari. He lives in Hawaii and on Cape Cod.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books; Reprint edition (June 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618658963
• ISBN-13: 978-0618658961
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (95 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #26,639 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Paul Theroux's highly acclaimed novels include Blinding Light, Hotel Honolulu, My Other Life, Kowloon Tong, and The Mosquito Coast. His renowned travel books include Ghost Train to the Eastern Star, Dark Star Safari, Riding the Iron Rooster, The Great Railway Bazaar, The Old Patagonian Express, and The Happy Isles of Oceania. He lives in Hawaii and on Cape Cod.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

104 of 106 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars For Kindle buyers September 5, 2011

By Robert Merivel

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I won't comment on the book itself for many have done that already but I want to give feedback to those Kindle users who may consider buying the e-book.

Obviously like so many, the book was scanned to obtain its digital format. Ostensibly there was no proofreading done after that which considering the many "typos" and transposed characters in words is inexcusable. EX: The capital letter I is often the number 1, The ship's name alternates between Unicorn and Unicom, the list goes on. Now this wouldn't be as big a deal if the writer hadn't written the dialect of some of the characters. EX: experiment=spearmint so as you read along you are baffled by a sentence sometimes which stops you in your tracks while you try to figure out what the author really meant and sometimes you wonder of the dialect is a typo etc. All and all a good book but just wanted to warn those Kindle users who might become a bit irritated by it and would prefer to buy the hard print.

75 of 76 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Hubris in a jungle hell December 15, 1999

By Doug Vaughn HALL OF FAME

Format:Paperback

Paul Theroux never repeats himself and what he chooses to present in each book is quaranteed to surprise anyone who has read any of his other books. In this novel, part travelogue/adventure and part American social critique, the chief character is one of the most fascinating and least likeable figures I have encountered in recent fiction. An American genius with no patience for the opinions of anyone else and a hatred for most of modern life, determines to take his family into the jungles of South America, where he sees himself becoming something of a saviour to the natives - bringing them a few simple forms of technology that will uplift and transform their lives. Instead, he plunges himself and his family into a hell of conflicts that he doesn't even try to understand.

The story, told from the point of view of his initially adoring (and fearful) son, follows the decline in the family's fortunes until it is clear that it is the father himself who is their real enemy. A tragic and deeply moving tale, this book stays in the mind - not always pleasantly - long after it has been read.

47 of 49 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinary Character Study December 14, 2003

By Westley VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Paul Theroux's novels generally feature carefully etched characters, but he surpasses himself with Allie Fox, the protagonist of the Mosquito Coast. Allie is a husband and father of four, but he seems to care far more about his "inventions" and radical social ideas than he does about their welfare. To act out his ideals, he moves his family to Central America to start a utopian society, unencumbered by traditional materialism. Some of his contraptions work and the community begins to flourish, until his plans become grandiose. Although the reader can see the tragedy that is to come, Theroux constructs an intriguing plot that keeps the reader drawn into the novel.

Some readers may be greatly off-put by Allie and his behavior; however, he is undeniably a magnetic and fascinating force. Fortunately, the book is narrated from the point-of-view of the teenaged son, Charlie, which allows the reader some distance from the sometimes repugnant Allie. Other readers may be disappointed by Allie's wife. She plays a relatively small role in the proceedings, and she seems to blindly go along with Allie, even when she suspects detrimental effects on her family. However, a man like Allie probably would be married to such a woman, as he likes to be in charge and assert himself on others strongly.

Overall, the Mosquito Coast is a one-of-a-kind literary experience, with a fantastic main character embedded in a rollicking-good story. Most highly recommended.