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ailsaod's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Something I did not realise going in was that this book is set in Scotland in the years after the Jacobite rebellion but was written 130 years after the fact as a kind of historical true-crime self-insert fanfiction.
I feel like I would have enjoyed this book more if I could understand more of what was going on. There are constant little allusions to people and events which were mentioned in the way Easter eggs in a marvel film would be presented today. Unfortunately I know very little about this period of history so being gleefully presented with such-and-such Jacobite chieftain living in a remote tree house and other such tangents is of no significance to me.
There is also the matter of Alan Breck Stewart being written as being utterly insufferable. Every time this man opened his mouth I wanted to strangle him and yet David (our main character) idolises him! Even when David tires of Alan it is framed as the fault lying with David. Now to be fair I also didn't like David as he was a bit of a wet blanket and spent the majority of the story fainting at inconvenient moments but at least he wasn't gambling with other people's money that he'd convinced them to hand over while very ill??
I feel like I would have enjoyed this book more if I could understand more of what was going on. There are constant little allusions to people and events which were mentioned in the way Easter eggs in a marvel film would be presented today. Unfortunately I know very little about this period of history so being gleefully presented with such-and-such Jacobite chieftain living in a remote tree house and other such tangents is of no significance to me.
There is also the matter of Alan Breck Stewart being written as being utterly insufferable. Every time this man opened his mouth I wanted to strangle him and yet David (our main character) idolises him! Even when David tires of Alan it is framed as the fault lying with David. Now to be fair I also didn't like David as he was a bit of a wet blanket and spent the majority of the story fainting at inconvenient moments but at least he wasn't gambling with other people's money that he'd convinced them to hand over while very ill??
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Violence, Murder, and Trafficking
Minor: Death of parent
lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I stumbled across this book at a library book sale and decided to pick it up and give it a read. I had not previously heard of this book, but I have read one other title from this author ("The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde") and really enjoyed it.
This book follows a young man, David Balfour, whose uncle sets him up to be kidnapped and taken to America so that the uncle can steal the boy's inheritance. David finds himself in an unlikely friendship with an alleged assassin, Alan Breck Stewart. Can David and Alan escape their circumstances and take back what is rightfully David's?
I do not negate the probable merit of this story. I think it is an action-packed and interesting tale that will appeal to younger kids who are just learning about classic literature. The book is more like a novella, and Robert Louis Stevenson writes in a simple way that is still approachable in today's world. For me, however, this book did not keep my attention.
This book has an audience, it is just not me.
This book follows a young man, David Balfour, whose uncle sets him up to be kidnapped and taken to America so that the uncle can steal the boy's inheritance. David finds himself in an unlikely friendship with an alleged assassin, Alan Breck Stewart. Can David and Alan escape their circumstances and take back what is rightfully David's?
I do not negate the probable merit of this story. I think it is an action-packed and interesting tale that will appeal to younger kids who are just learning about classic literature. The book is more like a novella, and Robert Louis Stevenson writes in a simple way that is still approachable in today's world. For me, however, this book did not keep my attention.
This book has an audience, it is just not me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Violence and Kidnapping
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