Scan barcode
franzisreading's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
katherineleo's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
kittya's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
psantic's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
kylegarvey's review against another edition
2.0
The plot of Daniel Defoe's journalistic pirate novel Captain Singleton is not the floor-to-ceiling mischief that I expected. It's never page after page of rough-and-tumble, bloodthirsty, irresistible mayhem. It's actually rather boring, in that all the literary work (heavy description, detail, focus) goes to the dullest parts of the story: instead of fighting or piratical industry or awesome English naval power, we're treated to the mediocre routines of a bunch of plain-faced nobodies. Singleton's men simply "took" a ship, while the exact length, direction, and difficulty of a short march is excruciatingly reported.
I knew I wouldn't be getting anything like an action/adventure book written at the present, or even like one written a hundred years ago; a book from 1720 would of course be primitive all in all. But I thought if its writing weren't fit for a modern piratophile then surely its plot would be. Sadly, it falls short even there.
There are a few brief bits of magic, though: as a young man, Singleton was brought before the Inquisition, and he's thankful that "Catholic" was the first option they gave him, or he might have picked the other one in his religious ignorance; and then, toward the end of his African adventure, he marvels that one group of natives, in spite of the fact that "our Men had made something free with their Women," never went to war with him. Both are fairly surprising shots at comedy in a book that's otherwise filled with stolid, impersonal 18th-century prose.
Defoe's book also shows a very fascinating personality within its characters' chauvinism, a kind of marvelously ridiculous might-is-right bullheadedness. I suppose that sort of thing is appropriate for a pirate, but one overall thread of appropriateness can't stitch together all the other drawbacks and weaknesses of his novel. Arr.
I knew I wouldn't be getting anything like an action/adventure book written at the present, or even like one written a hundred years ago; a book from 1720 would of course be primitive all in all. But I thought if its writing weren't fit for a modern piratophile then surely its plot would be. Sadly, it falls short even there.
There are a few brief bits of magic, though: as a young man, Singleton was brought before the Inquisition, and he's thankful that "Catholic" was the first option they gave him, or he might have picked the other one in his religious ignorance; and then, toward the end of his African adventure, he marvels that one group of natives, in spite of the fact that "our Men had made something free with their Women," never went to war with him. Both are fairly surprising shots at comedy in a book that's otherwise filled with stolid, impersonal 18th-century prose.
Defoe's book also shows a very fascinating personality within its characters' chauvinism, a kind of marvelously ridiculous might-is-right bullheadedness. I suppose that sort of thing is appropriate for a pirate, but one overall thread of appropriateness can't stitch together all the other drawbacks and weaknesses of his novel. Arr.
epictetsocrate's review against another edition
3.0
Despre originea mea – Cum am fost furat în frageda copilărie şi vândut unei ţigănci – La doisprezece ani, stăpânul unei corăbii mă duce cu el în Terra Nova – Suntem capturaţi de o corabie algeriană – Luaţi înapoi de portughezi – Mă ia în grija lui un bătrân pilot, cu care fac o călătorie şi mă apuc de furat – Sunt amestecat într-o răscoală şi coborât la ţărm împreună cu alţi cinci oameni din echipaj – Aici au loc negocieri.
Aşa cum se obişnuieşte în privinţa marilor personaje ale căror vieţi s-au dovedit vrednice de luat în seamă şi ale căror fapte merită a se aminti urmaşilor, ca să se stăruie asupra obârşiei lor şi să se dea toate lămuririle cu privire la familiile şi la istoricul strămoşilor lor; tot astfel, şi ca să fiu cât mai metodic, voi face şi eu, deşi – după cum o să vedeţi îndată – nu pot privi decât foarte puţin îndărăt în genealogia mea.
Dacă e s-o cred pe femeia căreia am fost învăţat să-i zic mamă, eram pe vremea aceea un băieţel de vreo doi ani, foarte bine îmbrăcat şi aveam dădacă o femeie care mă îngrijea şi care m-a luat la plimbare într-o minunată seară de vară, de-a lungul câmpiilor dinspre Islington, căci, spunea ea, trebuia să iau aer; cu dădaca mai venise şi-o fetiţă din vecini de vreo doisprezece sau treisprezece ani. Dădaca, fie că avea sau nu întâlnire, fapt este că s-a întâlnit cu un tânăr, ibovnicul ei, pe cât bănuiesc; acesta a dus-o într-o cârciumă să-i dea o gustare şi ceva de băut şi, pe când ei se veseleau acolo împreună, fata se juca afară cu mine, ţinându-mă de mână, prin grădină şi pe la poartă, uneori chiar mai departe, aşa încât scăpăm de supraveghere; fata însă nu voia să-mi facă nici un rău.
Aşa cum se obişnuieşte în privinţa marilor personaje ale căror vieţi s-au dovedit vrednice de luat în seamă şi ale căror fapte merită a se aminti urmaşilor, ca să se stăruie asupra obârşiei lor şi să se dea toate lămuririle cu privire la familiile şi la istoricul strămoşilor lor; tot astfel, şi ca să fiu cât mai metodic, voi face şi eu, deşi – după cum o să vedeţi îndată – nu pot privi decât foarte puţin îndărăt în genealogia mea.
Dacă e s-o cred pe femeia căreia am fost învăţat să-i zic mamă, eram pe vremea aceea un băieţel de vreo doi ani, foarte bine îmbrăcat şi aveam dădacă o femeie care mă îngrijea şi care m-a luat la plimbare într-o minunată seară de vară, de-a lungul câmpiilor dinspre Islington, căci, spunea ea, trebuia să iau aer; cu dădaca mai venise şi-o fetiţă din vecini de vreo doisprezece sau treisprezece ani. Dădaca, fie că avea sau nu întâlnire, fapt este că s-a întâlnit cu un tânăr, ibovnicul ei, pe cât bănuiesc; acesta a dus-o într-o cârciumă să-i dea o gustare şi ceva de băut şi, pe când ei se veseleau acolo împreună, fata se juca afară cu mine, ţinându-mă de mână, prin grădină şi pe la poartă, uneori chiar mai departe, aşa încât scăpăm de supraveghere; fata însă nu voia să-mi facă nici un rău.
alatarmaia's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I wouldn't have cared for this book much (read it for class, and it's full of period-typical racism) but...
One of the major characters is a Quaker kidnapped into working for pirates who turns out to be REALLY enthusiastic about the whole piracy thing despite being a pacifist, and he and the main character develop a whole Thing™ of a relationship that seems not TOO interesting until, at the end, they abruptly swerve into what seems like the promising start of something extremely homoerotic. I am intrigued despite myself.
One of the major characters is a Quaker kidnapped into working for pirates who turns out to be REALLY enthusiastic about the whole piracy thing despite being a pacifist, and he and the main character develop a whole Thing™ of a relationship that seems not TOO interesting until, at the end, they abruptly swerve into what seems like the promising start of something extremely homoerotic. I am intrigued despite myself.
More...