Customer Reviews
a little pearl - By: Paul de Lappe, 30 Sep 2008 
This is a lovely little tale of coming of age & realisation that the world can be as strange a place as the sea. A story of friendship at its centre, I loved this book for its mystery, its whimsy & its heart.
A beautiful read - By: Emma, 26 Aug 2008 Radio 4 made this into a play this spring, & it was so spell binding, that aside from listening again,I hunted down the book. It doesnt disappoint! I can't put it down but also find myself still trying to read just one chapter at a time to make it last. The words just flow from the pages & it makes you want to move to a rocky coast & relive your childhood once more. I'm buying copies for my dad & for my daughters friends. It reminds me of The Book Thief if that helps? pages of wonderful imagery & stories
INFLUENCED BY JULIE BERTAGNA? - By: Wigglyfan, 19 Mar 2008 
I enjoyed reading this book & learnt a lot about marine life & as a consequence have a greater respect for the sea, but it seems to bear many similarities to a book published 6 years earlier callled 'Soundtrack' by Julie Bertagna. It's even written in the same poetic style although 'The Highest Tide' is more detailed & perhaps aimed for an older audience or sea life enthusiasts.
Similarities:
1. A coming of age story with a teenage boy protagonist.
2. A story centered around a bay.
3. A wise elderly female friend & confidante.
4. Predictions of ominous events.
5. Being hounded by journalists.
6. A friend who cannot play the guitar but tries to to seem cool.
Coincidence?
Warning - If buying for younger readers be aware that there are adult themes ( sex ) explicitly discussed.
Not sure what i think about this book - very random - By: L. Green, 07 Mar 2008 Barcode: 9780747579380
This book left me baffled. It was relatively well-written & painted a pretty picture of a sunny US coastline idyl but the plot itself felt hollow & aimless. Basicallly it's about a young boy coming to terms with puberty. The boy is very interested in marine life & with his house right on the beach, he frequently goes swimming in the sea. One day he spots a massive squid & tells the story to the papers who then prompt big media interest in his little bit of America.
It's a quaint little tale & a nice summer read & Lynch clearly knows enough about the subject/area to paint a convinving backdrop. But the story just has no substance to it. Maybe it's meant to be like that, conveying the confusion of a boy who finds himself lost in his emotions & amongst a sudden increase in attention in him but i didn't find that aspect of the novel appealing. It came across like a cheap American teen flick. Basicallly, 'The Highest Tide' makes for a decent enough summer read but don't expect to find it particularly memorable.
Left me cold - By: Sylv, 29 Jan 2008 I can see what this book's trying to do - ostensibly a story about strange marine events, it's actuallly a rites of passage or coming of age tale. Unfortunately, it left me cold, other than to visualise the protagonist as a young version of Hooper from Jaws.
