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If I were a ten-year-old boy in 1812 and my father were reading me this novel before bedtime, I would have loved it. Indeed, when I was a child, I loved the children's abridged version of this story.
It's too bad that the adult version could have been abridged, too. The book is over 300 pages of the same thing happening. A family of 4 boys, mother and father is shipwrecked on a deserted island in Southeast Asia. After they build a shelter, for the rest of the novel they encounter animals and don't do much else. The four sons are fun to read about, as each has his own distinct and sympathetic personality.
It would be hard to truly dislike the book, though it is a bit boring. The language isn't hard to understand and the characters are nice. The problem is the characters are stale; the father in particular is a mind-numbingly sterile square.
If there is one thing to dislike about the novel, it is the fact that the author calls the people native to this island "savages." The family fears being attacked, yet they quickly come to love living on the island. Based on the end of the book, I don't think the author meant that "we" and "the savages" aren't so different. It was very "I'm going to use your land and your culture and yet criticize you, despite the fact that you invented the way of life I'm currently living fruitfully." I don't forgive this book for that, but it is written by a white European in 1812--he was among friends in this belief.
The Swiss Family Robinson did not age well...
It's too bad that the adult version could have been abridged, too. The book is over 300 pages of the same thing happening. A family of 4 boys, mother and father is shipwrecked on a deserted island in Southeast Asia. After they build a shelter, for the rest of the novel they encounter animals and don't do much else. The four sons are fun to read about, as each has his own distinct and sympathetic personality.
It would be hard to truly dislike the book, though it is a bit boring. The language isn't hard to understand and the characters are nice. The problem is the characters are stale; the father in particular is a mind-numbingly sterile square.
If there is one thing to dislike about the novel, it is the fact that the author calls the people native to this island "savages." The family fears being attacked, yet they quickly come to love living on the island. Based on the end of the book, I don't think the author meant that "we" and "the savages" aren't so different. It was very "I'm going to use your land and your culture and yet criticize you, despite the fact that you invented the way of life I'm currently living fruitfully." I don't forgive this book for that, but it is written by a white European in 1812--he was among friends in this belief.
The Swiss Family Robinson did not age well...
It was pretty boring, which was surprising to me since I loved the Disneyland attraction that was based on the book. The premise sounds interesting, family stranded on a desert island has to learn to survive. But it was so unbelievable, the father knows how to make everything out of anything. They lack for nothing because he can some how turn around and find materials on the island that he can use to build whatever they want. In addition, between himself and his older sons, they know the names and all about all of the animals on the island, even though they have never been there before. They also know all about the plants on the island, which ones they can eat and which ones are poisonous, so no one ever gets sick. The gender and racial issues in the book are not surprising because of when the book was written, but they make that last few chapters difficult to read.
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Fanatical religious tripe. I cannot believe I stuck with this. It read like a grocery list for those he'll bent on expounding the morality and great goodness of the Christian cause. The whole thing came across a bit like an overly verbose and pompous sermon from some evangelistic brainwashed zombie.
This went beyond survival. First, It seems as though they killed everything just because. Second, who are the “savages” they keep mentioning? Third, all the food they found growing on the island did not miraculously appear there.
how did they know how to do all these jungle life skills. seems sus. joyously easy to read and peak Disneyland treehouse vibes.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
tense
fast-paced
(Not sure if I had this ISBN or not.)
Having read a rewritten version of this story as a child, I decided I wanted to read the whole thing. And - well - maybe it's better in the original German. Unfortunately, I found it a little stilted, rather unbelievable, and just not as good as the rewritten version. I still suggest that everyone be familiar with this story - it is exciting, and definitely fun; however, I would suggest going with a less faithful translation, and possibly an entirely rewritten tale.
Having read a rewritten version of this story as a child, I decided I wanted to read the whole thing. And - well - maybe it's better in the original German. Unfortunately, I found it a little stilted, rather unbelievable, and just not as good as the rewritten version. I still suggest that everyone be familiar with this story - it is exciting, and definitely fun; however, I would suggest going with a less faithful translation, and possibly an entirely rewritten tale.