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krista_lm's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
Minor: Racism
seanml's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Well, it was exactly as you might expect. Pirates, parrots, treasure, yar-har and rum. And like all books written back then, it ends very suddenly in a handful of pages. But it’s a kids’ book, so there’s no reason to expect a metaphysical masterpiece. This is about talking parrots and captains named Billy Bones. 7.5/10.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Murder, Death, and Violence
Minor: Alcohol, Racism, Torture, and Blood
books_and_cream_cheese's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
My favourite childhood classic! Although some parts haven't aged very well, this story has a special place in my heart.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Racial slurs
millieclark's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I really enjoyed the plot of the book but struggled to follow along at times.
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism
poirot's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Death
Moderate: Addiction
Minor: Racism and Death of parent
elwirax's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
*3.5/5
I don't think I ever read "Treasure Island" as a kid but what I did do was watch Disney's "Treasure Planet" and since then it has been my favourite Disney "comfort" movie. I only recently realised that the animated movie was inspired by this books so I had to read it. I definitely don't regret that decision (there are worse classics out there).
PROS:
The first half of this book was quite slow, however, part 5 and 6 were quite fast paced and definitely the most enjoyable.
I liked Jim's character, since this is technically a children's book it makes sense that the protagonist would be younger. He was a great character who had to face a lot of tough situations such as being surrounded by calllous pirates, murder and the fight for survival.
My favourite character by far was Long John Silver as he seemed the most complex to me. I liked that despite the double crossing he chose to stand by Jim's side at the end when all the other pirates wanted to kill him (to be fair it was to save himself from the gallows but such are the ways of morally grey characters).
What annoys me most about classics is that they'll ramble on and describe things for 100 pages straight and call it a day. In this case, Stevenson's use of word choice was enough to allow me to visualise the scenes but not overwritten to the point I lost interest.
CONS:
There were a few parts that I found bothersome namely the racism. Even with the understanding that "Treasure Island" like most other classics was written at a time when thoughts on race were much different than they are now, as a modern reader I hate reading such comments in literature altogether. It particularly bothered me when Trelawney assumed that the reason Silver was always sailing was because he was married to a Black woman.
Although there was definitely action and adventure I didn't really feel the excitement of this until the last 2 parts which is ironic. As well as this I didn't really like many of the decisions made in this book by the adults.
I think I would've appreciated the story much more had I read it at a younger age. However, Stevenson did a great job of combining more mature aspects such as the grim imagery, the drinking and murder with fun characters and looking for treasure to appeal to both younger and older audiences. Hence as a whole this was still quite an enjoyable read (minus the racism of course).
I don't think I ever read "Treasure Island" as a kid but what I did do was watch Disney's "Treasure Planet" and since then it has been my favourite Disney "comfort" movie. I only recently realised that the animated movie was inspired by this books so I had to read it. I definitely don't regret that decision (there are worse classics out there).
PROS:
The first half of this book was quite slow, however, part 5 and 6 were quite fast paced and definitely the most enjoyable.
I liked Jim's character, since this is technically a children's book it makes sense that the protagonist would be younger. He was a great character who had to face a lot of tough situations such as being surrounded by calllous pirates, murder and the fight for survival.
My favourite character by far was Long John Silver as he seemed the most complex to me. I liked that despite the double crossing he chose to stand by Jim's side at the end when all the other pirates wanted to kill him (to be fair it was to save himself from the gallows but such are the ways of morally grey characters).
What annoys me most about classics is that they'll ramble on and describe things for 100 pages straight and call it a day. In this case, Stevenson's use of word choice was enough to allow me to visualise the scenes but not overwritten to the point I lost interest.
CONS:
There were a few parts that I found bothersome namely the racism. Even with the understanding that "Treasure Island" like most other classics was written at a time when thoughts on race were much different than they are now, as a modern reader I hate reading such comments in literature altogether. It particularly bothered me when Trelawney assumed that the reason Silver was always sailing was because he was married to a Black woman.
Although there was definitely action and adventure I didn't really feel the excitement of this until the last 2 parts which is ironic. As well as this I didn't really like many of the decisions made in this book by the adults.
I think I would've appreciated the story much more had I read it at a younger age. However, Stevenson did a great job of combining more mature aspects such as the grim imagery, the drinking and murder with fun characters and looking for treasure to appeal to both younger and older audiences. Hence as a whole this was still quite an enjoyable read (minus the racism of course).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Death and Violence
Minor: Racism, Blood, and Alcohol
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