Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
A wonderful, fast-paced adventure that whisks the reader off his feet. This book is still a quintessential read for the budding reader, as the pace is brisk and every sentence moves the plot forward. Stevenson covers a lot of ground quickly without falling into any lengthy digressions or artful prose. He is sharing the facts of a wholly fascinating swashbuckling fantasy in which the characters are all enjoyable and the action is intense. So many of the tropes of high sea adventure and piracy legend come from this novel and remain standard because of the quality of the lore he develops. Knowing the plot well through popular adaptation didn’t lessen the thrill of the story in any way. I was especially impressed by Long John Silver’s particular character. His personality is even bigger in the novel.
I liked this book a lot and finished it in three days. Follows the story of Jim Hawkins who starts out as working in his family's inn. Everything changes when a rough looking seaman named Billy Bones starts living there. Eventually after Billy is found by some of his old mates, he dies due to his rum addiction. Pirates are on their way to retrieve a Treasure map he has been hiding, but Jim and his mother take it and flee. Jim, the doctor, and a squire set out with a recruited crew (later found to be other old mates of Billy) to find the treasure. Jim overhears word about the plan of the mutineers, who had been effective in hiding their plans up to that point. When they read the island, the faithful crew took shelter and braced for attack in a stockade left there years before by Captain Flint. While this is happening, Jim is on his own adventure and finds "the man of the island" Ben Gunn, an old marooned pirate who had been stuck there for three years. They agree to ally eventually. Jim returns and there is an attack on the stockade that they successfully defend against but not without the loss of a few men. Jim slips out against the orders of Captain Smollett, and succeeds in using Ben's small raft to retake the main ship (the Hispaniola) and park it somewhere safe. He kills one of the pirates in the process. When he returns to the stockade, the rest of the pirates were residing there and there was no sign his friends. It is found that the Doctor had given away the stockade, all of the rations, and the treasure map to Long John Silver, all in return for just being allowed. to leave the stockade unharmed. When Silver, who the leader and most cunning of the group, had realized that the odds were against him, he used Jim as a bartering piece for his eventual freedom. The pirates set out with Jim to search for the treasure, only to find out that it has already been dug up. Jim's company ambush the pirates right as they are about to turn on Silver and Jim. It is found that Ben Gunn had found and moved the treasure to a cave, thus explaining why the doctor had given up the stockade, map, and rations. They load the treasure on the boat and set sail, taking Silver along and leaving the three other remaining pirates on the island with some rations. When they arrive at a Spanish coast to enlist the help of new crew members (only six men left) John Silver took some of the money and escaped. No one cared much, and they safely made it back and each lived on their cut of the money.
Avast ye, readers! This one is a fine read for a young pirate. I learned a lot about various parts of ships, and various pirate practices by reading this book. It's not War and Peace, but it's got a great plot, moves pretty quickly, and it's got booty! What's not to love.
I did not love this, but i'm glad I made it to the end.
And reading a book where Silver names his parrot after Flint made it all worth it.
And reading a book where Silver names his parrot after Flint made it all worth it.
adventurous
A light read that’s transports you to a different time. I suspect I would have enjoyed it more at a younger age, but I don’t regret giving it my time. It’s great fun if you’re looking for something lighthearted.
I was much more intrigued by the first half of the novel, but I’m glad that I finally read it. It is fascinating to see how it influenced the representation of pirates in popular culture.
adventurous
fast-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
adventurous
lighthearted
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