3.57 AVERAGE


The smaller Suvi, who used to climb on the rocks of the nearby forest and build castles with pillows and sheets into our living room, would have probably appreciated this a tad more than 23-year-old Suvi. Absolutely an entertaining story, after all I did kind of forget myself with this instead of studying. However, I didn't have any particular negative or positive feelings one way or the other. One thing though that would have connected these two versions of me, is the complex and multifaceted character of Long John Silver, whose moral isn't quite as black and white as with the patriotic characters of the novel and the pirates. As far as I know, this moral issue is quite rare in children's literature, at least of this time period.

I don't know whether Treasure Island was the first pirate story, but there's a lot of (perhaps stereotypical) conceptions and ideas in here relating to pirates that have survived to this day. The most important of these are at least one legged pirates with a parrot on their shoulder, treasure maps with an X, and buried treasures. The ship Hispaniola sounded familiar, but I have no idea why. There are no wooden legs though, because Silver uses a crutch. Believe it or not, but it doesn't seem he has much difficulties using that on a swaying deck or on a soft sand beach. History buffs might want to know that Israel Hands really existed, and that he was Blackbeard's boatswain.

All in all, an entertaining adventure story and deserving of its status as a classic, although maybe not suitable for the smallest children. In addition to the flickering morality of Silver, I noticed that Stevenson doesn't try to glorify piracy in any way. Still, if I had read this sometime before the age of 12, I'd probably started dreaming of similar pirate adventures that Jim Hawkins got himself into. I already thought about what it would be like to run away with the circus (while considering the good and bad aspects of being a lion tamer), or hide myself into gypsies' wagons.

This just wasnt really my speed, but it was obviously well written, and a great adventure to be told. ;o)

Audiobook

If you have not tried an audiobook yet, try the audible version of this one. *chef's kiss* It was perfect.

Just ok. Different from the actual text, in that it's an audioplay - so don't go in expecting a reading of the book. The voice cast was great, but I'm so partial to Disney's Treasure Planet in terms of visualization, that this might be a better straight read than an audiobook for me. Though, I could see it being a good family listen. However, the other reviews indicate the changed the ending from the original text... so definitely take that with a grain of salt.
adventurous inspiring lighthearted fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Un clásico atemporal es la mejor manera de definir este libro. Me gustó mucho aunque debo admitir que me gustó más aún la adaptación de Disney y la banda sonora.
adventurous slow-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: N/A

Argh! A fun swashbuckler, and you may lay to that!

I can't help wondering if Stevenson was influenced by The Count of Monte Cristo which was published 40 years before Treasure Island. The islands in both stories had pirates, hidden treasure, goats and caves.

time to go watch black sails ig