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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Stevenson just didn't have the sauce, apart from Treasure Island. This is mostly a bore.
Dreadful. There are some exciting bits in the middle but I really didn't like it.
Overall I enjoyed this story of a 17-year-old from Scotland set in 1751. David Balfour finds himself orphaned when his father, not a paragon of good planning, dies with minimal information or resources for his son's future. David finds out from the local clergyman that he should go to his uncle, who is the owner of a large estate. The uncle turns out to be a Relative from Hell, as he's a miserly coot who tries to kill him. When the uncle doesn't succeed, he has David kidnapped by a sea captain whose ship is bound for the Carolinas in America, where David is meant to be enslaved. But the ship has a mishap, and David and his friend Alan find themselves in the Scottish Highlights.
The rest of the story is about their friendship, and their attempt to return to the Scottish Lowlands where David has claim to the family estate, given rules of primogeniture (David's father was older than David's uncle, so David should is the rightful heir).
The story has become somewhat difficult for modern readers as it uses Scottish terms from the 18th century and because some of the conflict stems from difficulties between the Protestant Whigs and the Catholic Jacobins, not something most modern readers can relate to. Although the author wrote the book for a young audience, today apparently most of its readers are adults. I would recommend it to adult readers who are interested in the geography and time period, as the story serves as historical fiction.
The rest of the story is about their friendship, and their attempt to return to the Scottish Lowlands where David has claim to the family estate, given rules of primogeniture (David's father was older than David's uncle, so David should is the rightful heir).
The story has become somewhat difficult for modern readers as it uses Scottish terms from the 18th century and because some of the conflict stems from difficulties between the Protestant Whigs and the Catholic Jacobins, not something most modern readers can relate to. Although the author wrote the book for a young audience, today apparently most of its readers are adults. I would recommend it to adult readers who are interested in the geography and time period, as the story serves as historical fiction.
adventurous
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
adventurous
challenging
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A wonderful story of adventure and intrigue. This was also about the truest of friendships, between David and Alan. It took me awhile read the book only because of the heavy Scottish dialect that had me pausing to decipher it on many an occasion. Stevenson writes so beautifully of the nature of the world, and of people. Written in 1885, Stevenson wrote of the fortunes of 1751 Scotland - the Highlanders and Lowlanders. He also wrote of the friendship of David Balfour and Alan Breck, Two men who at times almost came to blow over their political allegiances and yet remained true friends till the very end. This carried the narrative til the last chapter as David sought to win back his estate.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced