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A review by christopherdrum
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
3.0
The pacing of the story is kind of weird. Defoe will spend paragraphs explaining exactly how many gold pieces and crates of sugar were distributed to a dozen benefactors, the debts that were made and squared away, and other financial minutiae among names we know almost nothing about. Then he'll "yada yada" 20 years of Spaniard history on the desert island post-rescue in a single paragraph. There's zero human contact for 25 years, then suddenly dozens upon dozens are accidentally bumbling their way onto Crusoe's island which he leverages into unquestioned leadership and authority over those men. We'll have to chalk it up to "being of the times" that despite Crusoe's supposed spiritual growth and introspection, Friday being his slave is treated as matter-of-fact as breathing oxygen and that Friday craves that domination. But that doesn't mean it won't leave an exceedingly bad taste in the modern mouth.
There are moments in the book when you kind of get the feeling that it could (and maybe wants to?) really make a pointed comment on "what truly makes a man wealthy?" And it kind of pays lip-service to the idea, even post-rescue. But any lessons on spirituality and morality are very conveniently ignored by the author post-rescue. Is God even brought up once, despite the major role Christianity apparently played in keeping Crusoe sane on the island? Is that supposed to be a comment on how easy it is to take life for granted even after having had nothing? Or is it just sloppy writing? It doesn't *feel* intentional in my reading of it.
Post-rescue portion is really quite boring, though Defoe tries to spice it up with a cartoonishly over-the-top wolf attack. And what was with the whole "Friday teased and killed a bear to make us laugh" part? Then the book ends. It just ends with a literal, "Now read book two." to which I reply, "No, thanks, that was enough."
There are moments in the book when you kind of get the feeling that it could (and maybe wants to?) really make a pointed comment on "what truly makes a man wealthy?" And it kind of pays lip-service to the idea, even post-rescue. But any lessons on spirituality and morality are very conveniently ignored by the author post-rescue. Is God even brought up once, despite the major role Christianity apparently played in keeping Crusoe sane on the island? Is that supposed to be a comment on how easy it is to take life for granted even after having had nothing? Or is it just sloppy writing? It doesn't *feel* intentional in my reading of it.
Post-rescue portion is really quite boring, though Defoe tries to spice it up with a cartoonishly over-the-top wolf attack. And what was with the whole "Friday teased and killed a bear to make us laugh" part? Then the book ends. It just ends with a literal, "Now read book two." to which I reply, "No, thanks, that was enough."