About this title: Jim Hawkins, who narrates Stevenson's classic tale, is rewarded for his assistance to an old pirate, Billy Bones, with a map showing the way to buried treasure. He and his associates set sail for the island on a ship manned by a band of pirates--a fact they discover en route. The pirate king is the notorious one-legged cook Long John Silver, one of Stevenson's most delightfully conceived villains. The pirates are vanquished, the treasure is retrieved, and Stevenson's novel is widely loved, and admired as one of the great adventure novels of all time.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Atheneum Books
Date Published: 1982
ISBN-13:9780684176345ISBN:0684176343
Description: Good in good dust jacket. Very Good, In very good dust jacket. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. 289 p. Ex-Library expected imperfections. read more
Edition: Library ed.
Binding: Audiobook CD
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Date Published: 11/1999
ISBN-13:9781567406795ISBN:1567406793
Description: Fine Like New, Unread, not previously owned. May show signs of wear including remainder marks or stickers on book or cover. 6 cassettes. read more
"This book is, at heart, a ripping good yarn. Filled to the brim with unfamiliar Scottish terms, it requires a lot of either deciphering by context, or flipping back to the glossary. I chose context, and didn't have any trouble following the story. In fact, once I got into the story, the rhythm of the speech became charming. Stevenson manages to create an unlikely friendship in the middle of an unlikely adventure, while weaving in actual historical figures and keeping true to Scottish history. I have only two quibbles:
First, the ending, while satisfying in some respects, left me wanting more. Fortunately, through forewords, commentaries, and other extras included in the Penguin Classics version, I have learned that there's a sequel, Catriona, which is going on my list.
Second, the main character and the author (in the extras) both use the word Scotch instead of Scottish, something that a friend of mine once told me was offensive, as Scotch is just a drink, not a person. So now I don't know who to believe, and live in daily peril of offending someone no matter what I do."
"There was a movie out recently called "Taken". It was about a kidnapped young lady, and the atrocities that threatened/happened to her and the atrocities that were done to get her back/avenge her. (I didn't actually see it.) Now, compare that with the eminantly Victorian and Romantic Kidnapped. Same basic premise, same (probably) amount of violence involved, and yet the two plots are as different as night and day. Why? Because Realism has forgotten about half of what "real life" (a phrase college professors hate) is about: morality, courage, friendship, faith. And this is where I stand firm with the oldies-but-goodies: give me shipwreck, swordfights, murder and intreague all day, but let it be wrong, rather than an unfortunate fact. Anyway, Stevenson rocks my world. The three works of his with which I am familier are this, Treasure Island, and Jekyll and Hyde. If one could flex one's imagination, Stevenson would be Steven Jackson (the Rams' Ajax-like RB). He's a goodn'."
"This book had moments of magic; the kind that makes you young again, dreaming of adventure where life on the high seas as a pirate or living in the Swiss Family Robinson tree house is real and vivid- perfect in only the way a young child can dream it. However, once past the first part the book lagged for me; I actually found it a chore to finish. Stevenson does a good job of building up suspense in the beginning, giving the reader only a little information at a time like bait. But once the deceptions, sword fights, and shipwreck are accomplished, the writing drags on while David Balfour, the protagonist, spends the rest of the book sloshing over the Scottish highlands. A reader knows the thrill of good adventure reading when he/she reads it- hence why this book was such a disappointment to me, because it had moments of enthralling adventure but became muted and dull as the pages turned. Sure it's written well, but that's not enough- it all has to come together. Too bad- Kidnapped is like going to Sonic for a Lemon-Lime Aid and getting an over carbonated Sprite.
A few fun quotes I enjoyed:
"I make bold to say that ye would keep your breath to cool your porridge" - hmmm dawg not that's a good diss.
"The whole world now heaved giddily up, and now rushed giddily downward; confounded, that it took me a long while, chasing my thoughts up and down, and ever stunned again by a fresh stab of pain, to realize that I must by lying somewhere bound in the belly of that unlucky ship" - a perfect rendering of sea-sickness!"
"This book was weird, and hard to read at places. It took me a while to realize that 'to ken' means 'to know', and there were some stuff that, when I read to myself, I thought I sounded like some gangster talkin' on tv. I dunno..???
I don't exactly remember a single spot in the book when I absolutely HAD to read and couldn't put the book down. But again, maybe it's not the book's fault. I wasn't really reading with that intention on my mind. I was reading like a..reader. Yep. One who just reads. I dunno I didn't really get time to be part of what was taking place, and also, this is lyk the shortest story I've ever read!
I liked the characters, tho. Alan and David, and that Rankeillor lawyer who can't hear or see right..:P and I hated Uncle Ebenezer!! Since the page he came up, I never liked him!
I would have liked it better, though, if there had been more emphasis on the conflict between Uncle Ebenezer and David's father; that was almost the only thing that I found really interesting and it finished in no time! Good conflict, I just wish he emphasized it more!
I'm planning on reading the book again. Maybe then I'd write a review that does it justice!! But I think that's like..really really later on!"
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