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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
OKAY......so ......yeah I had not read this book in my life as an adolescent. Maybe it would have been better if I had. The plot was fairly simple and predictable, the action scenes were somewhat lacking in action and some of the parts that should have been suspenseful were ...well... just not in my opinion. Having said that there were two places in the book where I was a bit shocked. The appearance of Ben Gunn being one, and the whole switcheroo at the stockade later in the book, never saw that coming. However the minute I found out about the switch I knew exactly where the good guys went. This book is considered a classic and I am sure it has set the standard for many a pirate book/movie with all the wannabe swashbucklers wishing they were Jim Hawkins or Long John Silver. I am glad to have read it, I just wish I had read it a bit earlier in life is all I am saying.
I didn't like the jarring writing style used for this adaptation.
It was an interesting story, but the older language combined with the sailing terms made certain passages difficult to get through.
Still amazing!
This was one of those formative books for me as a child - a gold standard by which all other books were judged. Treasure Island had it all - adventure, danger, a plucky kid hero who was far from cutesy, a villain who was more than just a mustache-twirling cut-out, exotic locales, history... And most importantly, NO ROMANCE. I was very strict with the no romance rule up until my late teens with very few exceptions.
Why? Well, given the restrictions on my reading while I was a kid, most of the books I read that had adult female characters were either very old or very old-fashioned. Looking back, my good female role models (as I would judge them today) basically stopped with Caddie Woodlawn and Pippi Longstocking. Older than that, and women were sidekicks, foils, or worse mewling, passive plot points either getting themselves captured or sitting at home waiting for the hero to return. Or worse yet, sitting at home waiting for a godly man to marry (I'm farting in your general direction, Elsie Dinsmore).
Given that rosy picture of womanhood, well. No thanks. I opted for books with as few female characters as possible, and Treasure Island, with its single female character who we last see in a faint in the first quarter of the book, fit the bill.
But I digress. Suffice it to say that Treasure Island had an enormous impact on me as a child. It was my gateway drug into Jules Verne and H.G. Wells, not to mention Stevenson's other works. Re-reading it this month, it even made me miss my stop one day. For a while I was actually on the Hispaniola, panicking in the apple barrel with Jim.
The one thing the excellent Disney movie with the excellent Bobby Driscoll (RIP) got better than the book was building up Jim's relation with Long John Silver. That gives it a coming-of-age element that the book noticeably lacks.
This was one of those formative books for me as a child - a gold standard by which all other books were judged. Treasure Island had it all - adventure, danger, a plucky kid hero who was far from cutesy, a villain who was more than just a mustache-twirling cut-out, exotic locales, history... And most importantly, NO ROMANCE. I was very strict with the no romance rule up until my late teens with very few exceptions.
Why? Well, given the restrictions on my reading while I was a kid, most of the books I read that had adult female characters were either very old or very old-fashioned. Looking back, my good female role models (as I would judge them today) basically stopped with Caddie Woodlawn and Pippi Longstocking. Older than that, and women were sidekicks, foils, or worse mewling, passive plot points either getting themselves captured or sitting at home waiting for the hero to return. Or worse yet, sitting at home waiting for a godly man to marry (I'm farting in your general direction, Elsie Dinsmore).
Given that rosy picture of womanhood, well. No thanks. I opted for books with as few female characters as possible, and Treasure Island, with its single female character who we last see in a faint in the first quarter of the book, fit the bill.
But I digress. Suffice it to say that Treasure Island had an enormous impact on me as a child. It was my gateway drug into Jules Verne and H.G. Wells, not to mention Stevenson's other works. Re-reading it this month, it even made me miss my stop one day. For a while I was actually on the Hispaniola, panicking in the apple barrel with Jim.
The one thing the excellent Disney movie with the excellent Bobby Driscoll (RIP) got better than the book was building up Jim's relation with Long John Silver. That gives it a coming-of-age element that the book noticeably lacks.
I was very familiar with the story of Treasure Island, but I had never actually read the book. It was an easy read and a fun story to revisit.
"Yo, ho, ho, and a bottle of rum..."
I most definitely cannot get this song out of my head...
I really liked this!
I most definitely cannot get this song out of my head...
I really liked this!
Yes, it's a classic and yes, my 5 and 9 year old sons liked it way more than I did. Adventures, treasure, mutiny, blah blah blah. There was a lot of killing too. Just not my cup of tea, I guess.
Adam read this with the kids and Zach and Ben loved it. The language took some getting used to, but the story captivated them. And they learned some new vocabulary that pops up from time to time.
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
"Sir, with no intention to take offence, I deny your right to put words into my mouth."
This book was such a fun classic! The characters were unique, and the story was very engaging.
I also love this edition with these beautiful illustrations made by Robert Ingpen
This book was such a fun classic! The characters were unique, and the story was very engaging.
I also love this edition with these beautiful illustrations made by Robert Ingpen
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No