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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
fast-paced
Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island is a classic, featuring nearly everything a good story should have (I need a little romance, personal preference and all), pirates, mutiny, a pursuit of treasure, the battle of good vs evil and children defeating adults. I loved the beginning of the novel, its full of action and drama. We're introduced to Jim Hawkins, a young boy living in a inn with his parents, who are irrelevant to the narrative - dad dies, mums never mentioned. Billy Bones, a salty sea dog stays in the inn, racking up debt and drinking them dry. As a bar maid I can appreciate how awful he would be as customer, I really felt for Jim. Thankfully, he suffers a stroke and Jim can rob him of their owed money before pirates show up looking for his treasure map. Jim shows the map to his father to be, Dr Livesey and they form a crew to find the buried gold. After all the excitement, the middle where I expected the climax to be wasn't as interesting when they were all on the ship, even with Long John Silver's character. By the way, I know everyone sees him as a loveable rouge, and his character is seen as very mixed, but I felt Jim should have been able to see through him. He was obviously manipulating everyone and only had his own interests at heart, so why do so many critics and readers love his character? The middle dragged on and I found myself skipping lines and having to force myself to read back, but the resolution and end battles was entertaining and I enjoyed reading about Jim overthrowing the pirates and surviving the voyage. Although I probably won't reread the text, I can appreciate how Stevenson changed genre expectations with this book, showing that a children's text can be both entertaining for adults and children. Treasure Island created the pirate legacy we all know and love, the sheer influence this text has had is astonishing.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It was a great classic and it’s made me want to read more of Robert’s Louis Stevenson’s novels. Long John was a great character even if he were the antagonist. I loved the beginning where a sailor comes to the inn and they get a map. Overall it was a great classic with good adventure.
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I mean, does this book even need a review? It’s the grand-daddy of all adventure books for kids, and THE genus of most modern pirate stories. Everybody should read it once, it’s delightful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Gun violence, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol
Moderate: Death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Toxic friendship
I know that’s a lot of trigger warnings but if you’re familiar with the plot of treasure island at all you’ll be ready for them.