Susan Norman

While I found "The Bookshop" sad and dreary as opposed to the quirky romp I was expecting, I'm writing this review for a tangential reason. This isn't much of a spoiler but just saying... The bibliophile recommends a book, "High Wind in Jamaica," to a girl who doesn't like to read. Since I'd heard the title before, I listened to the audio book based on this recommendation. Be warned; it is not for the sensitive (like me). If I'd read it as a child, I would have had nightmares and possibly never dared open a book about pirates (or children, for that matter) again. What an odd choice to recommend out of all the wonderful children's books published at that time. I understand why "High Wind" is considered a classic as it was written very well (and the reader was terrific). I would have stopped listening at the first warning sign that this would be a bumpy ride, but the writing was so good I kept on going. It was like watching a train wreck in slow motion. Although I admired the impassive, non-manipulative style, I found this book quite disturbing on an intellectual level. "High Wind in Jamaica" was made into a movie starring Anthony Quinn and James Coburn (my favorite), but I don't see how the screenplay could possibly have been "Disney-fied" enough to comfort me. Give me the "Bloody Jack" series by L.A. Meyers any day!