Not Really Horror But Worth the Time

books:


	• Hawkes Harbor S. E. Hinton Brilliance Audio Unabridged Lib Ed, 2004
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Favorite S.E. Hinton book

this is my favorite S.E. Hinton book. i really dont understand some of the low ratings for this book. id recommend this to anyone. all of hinton's books have grabbed me till the very end, this book is no different and is very, very well written. Truly one of the best books i've read

Not Really Horror But Worth the Time

This is SE Hinton's first novel in over fifteen years, according to the blurb on the back. As such, there are many expectations that can come regarding the author of such works as The Outsiders, Rumble Fish, and That was Then, This is Now. Almost inevitably, Hawkes Harbor will be compared to those works that most of us will remember fondly from our younger years.

Unfortunately, Hawkes Harbor just doesn't live up to The Outsiders, which is unfair to Hawkes Harbor. On its own, Hawkes Harbor actually ends up being a very nice story. However, it does suffer on a couple of points. There is a lot of jumping back and forth in time as the main character, Jamie, struggles to remember his past while in a mental institution. Whether or not the feeling is on purpose, the disjointedness of the piecemeal recall can be disorienting and disheartening.

Also, as with the expectation of Rumble Fish quality, the reader may be confounded by expectation of plot and/or genre. Due to some of the reviews and blurbs on the covers, some people will come in with the expectation of a supernatural thriller, but the book doesn't start out like one, instead choosing to set the stage through the flashback scenes. Once involved in the book, it doesn't read like a normal supernatural thriller or romance in the vein of an Anita Blake novel. What the novel truly ends up focused on are relationships between Jamie and other characters and how those relationships change. There are certainly some exciting and terrifying moments, but more importance is placed on how people change and the evolution of their interpersonal relationships. In this exploration of perception and misperception is where there is some common ground with Hinton's previous, more well known works.

In the final analysis, I found the book very rewarding. I was ready to put it down in the middle due to the disjointed recollection of past events, but wanted to stay with it due to the book's relatively short length. In staying the course, I found the exploration of different relationships ultimately very satisfying. The jumping back and forth will kill off some readers' enthusiasm as will false expectations of what the book is supposed to be about. In the end, the enjoyment each person will derive from Hawkes Harbor will ultimately be up to that individual's taste. Your reaction will be a very personal thing.

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One of the best, a great find.

Maybe I've lived a deprived childhood having never read a Hinton book before Hawkes Harbor, but I love this story. There is no predictablity as Jamie Sommers' life unfolds, then unravels. Jamie lives his life to the fullest but trusts the wrong people and is launched into heart wrenching situations often with no possible outcome but tragedy. Yet he perseveres thorough some of the most difficult of life situations, including horror no one would believe - even if he could speak of it. But by the end of his story, Jamie is a completely remade man with a rich life he so deserves.

It is this last glimpse of his life which moves me most; and though I know I will be emotionally wrenched once again, I find myself putting that first cassette in my player and willingly live it over again.

Ms. Hinton, thanks so much for this first foray into an adult story. It is one of the best I've found.

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I really wanted to like this

I knew that this book had been poorly reviewed when I bought it, but because I like both Hinton's YA novels and novels about vampires, I expected this book to by right up my alley. Unfortunatley, the characters in the book were universally unappealing. I just couldn't bring myself to care much about any of them. I was frankly relieved when I finished the book and could move on to something more interesting.

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Dr. Phillip McDevitt, director of Terrace View Asylum, is intrigued by his newest patient, a troubled young man recently transferred from the state hospital for the criminally insane. Jamie Sommers suffers from depression, partial amnesia, and an unaccountable fear of the dark. Dr. McDevitt is determined to help Jamie conquer his demons, but the more he probes the young man?s fractured memories, the stranger his case becomes....

An orphan and a bastard, Jamie grew up tough enough to handle almost anything. Taking to the sea, he found danger and adventure in exotic ports all over the world. He?s survived foreign prisons, smugglers, pirates, gunrunners, and even a shark attack. But what he discovered in the quiet seaside town of Hawkes Harbor, Delaware, was enough to drive him almost insane - and change his life forever.

Hawkes Harbor is a compelling and unpredictable new novel by one of America?s most honored storytellers.

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