Sunday 26 June 2011

Review: Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

It’s easy to see why Treasure Island is such a classic. The story is jam-packed with action, curious characters, and beautiful, flawless descriptions. Stevenson literally leaves no stone unturned in describing the island and these characters so that your mind can be utterly transported.

I thought the plot was fast paced for a book of its time. As far as my knowledge and opinion stretch, stories written within the 19th century usually evolve slower than this one seems to, but I could be completely naïve thinking that. Anyway, this pleased me because as much as I love the classics, I do find it a bit monotonous at times to go through pages of descriptions and conversations without anything really explosive happening. Well, Treasure Island truly is a full-on adventure from beginning to end; something new happens whenever a page is turned.

And the characters? What can I say apart from that they are all pretty extraordinary. I loved reading/hearing all the 'shiver me timbers', 'pieces of eight', and the talk of pirates completely drunk on rum! If I had to pick a favourite character, I would have to say Long John Silver, even though I couldn't figure his shifting personality out (which is probably how the author intended it in the first place).

I would definitely recommend Treasure Island to you if you love a book with some diverse characters and first class adventure. And I would especially encourage you to read it if you’re a fan of the Pirates of the Caribbean series. It’s obvious that the creative staff working on those films (and the Disneyland ride) took a bunch of inspiration from Treasure Island – I found it pretty entertaining as I read on of how many parallels there seem to be! But I won’t point out the particulars just in case I spoil something for somebody out there!
Overall, an extremely enjoyable read. I'm very glad that I finally got around to reading this classic!

9 comments:

Sam (Tiny Library) said...

I haven't read this but my fiance has and loved it. The pirate language puts me off a bit - is it hard to get used to?

Sophie said...

Nah I wouldn't say so - I didn't think it was very overwhelming. Have you read Buddha Da? Let's just say, for the sake of comparison, the pirate language in Treasure Island is vastly easier to read than the Glaswegian in that book. Unless, of course, you're Glaswegian, lol. :)

Sharon Wilfong said...

Nice review. Of course I love everything written by Robert Louis Stevenson. I'm having the same problem with my font size over at my blog as well!

Sophie said...

I'd love to read more of his books! More to add to the list. :)

ibeeeg said...

Hi. I came over here from Book Blogs. I thought I would mention to you, Blogger is tricky with its font. For that reason, I use Windows Live Writer for creating my posts and publishing them. I also know a few basic html commands which helps too. Windows Live Writer is a free download, and really made blogging on Blogger so much easier.

Besides that, I am liking your blog. Have just added myself to your GFC.

ibeeeg said...

P.S. My daughter and I are reading Swiss Family Robinson, and are greatly liking that book. Treasure Island is another book on our list to read. we are looking forward to that adventure and good to know that it really is jammed packed with action and fabulous characters. :)

Sophie said...

I've found out since writing this post that if I adjust the font size on the Blogger writer from normal, to small, then back to normal I get the size I want. But then, for some reason, the paragraph spacing gets messed up so it takes ages to sort out. Yikes! So Thanks for pointing out Windows Live Writer - I'm going to have to check that out.

Treasure Island really is an excellent book. You'll enjoy it!

:-))

Olga said...

This is one of my favorite books! Thanks for the review! Now I want to re-read it :)
And I totally agree that older books tend to be less action packed than books written recently. I usually warn my friends about things moving a bit slower than what they may be used to.
Btw, you've got a new follower!

Sophie said...

Thanks for following, Olga! :)

It's definitely fantastic read. Have you read any of Robert Louis Stevenson's other books? I just ordered Kidnapped - am hoping it paces the same as Treasure Island!

Post a Comment

If you can see this message, please don't post a comment!