Journey to the
River Sea – Eva Ibbotson
When I was
younger I thought this book was quite enchanting.
Maia is a girl
sent to live with distant relatives in the Amazon. They are extremely
intolerant to the local native ways and are keep Maia for the allowance she
provides them – so they may spoil their repulsive twin daughters. In the
Amazon, Maia meets two boys who are both remarkably different and helps them to
realise what it is they want. The book tells of their trials on the Amazon, and
their interaction with the wildlife and old, mysterious traditions. The
message: a place is what you make of it.
Although the
book still holds its charms I was a little disappointed on a recent re-read. In
my mind, the Amazon was written in a wonderful, almost magical way, with many
bright colours – I was transported to a different world. It’s a story about
children who are thrown into a difficult situation, and their lives there.
Maybe my adult reading of it separated me to what it showed me as a child.
Maybe I will
keep it on my shelf. I still think of it as enchanting: my image of it remains
magical, and it transports me worlds away.
“Those who think of the
Amazon as a Green Hell bring only their fear and prejudices to this amazing
land, for whether a place is a hell or heaven rests in yourself and those who
go with courage and an open mind may find themselves in Paradise.”