Horrible!
How can anybody possibly like this book? This could be the worse book I've read in a long time. The language has is as interesting and colorful as a rock. The ending was beyond horrible. I would not recommend this book; actually I would say to stay away from it.
Last edited by bubbaroo; 12-10-2005 at 07:10 PM.
I'm not a fan of R. L. Stevenson, either. Aside from his obtuse writing style, he once called Henry David Thoreau a "skulker" because Thoreau refused to be a slave to social customs. Stevenson moved to Samoa where as a white man he could be at the top of the social anthill.Originally Posted by bubbaroo
You know, I don't know how anyone reads this book, there are so many movies out now that I can't even consider myself reading it for the first time anymore. I like "Treasure Island" but I try not to read too much into it. Just go for the story. Maybe the details are more attractive to men for the most part.
"Hear and you forget; see and you remember; do and you understand."
I loved Kidnapped. Still do. I have no idea why Treasure Island is more popular, its very boreing by comparison. Has anyone read kidnapped?
Maybe its morepopular because its the only accessible fiction about pirates ... maybe thats why theres so many movies about it too. I don't know.
Irish poets, learn your trade!
-Yeats
I don't usually care for Stevenson, and I don't think he was an admirable man. But Treasure Island's exciting I think. I might even go so far as to say that it opened a whole to genre to writers.
I read both Treasure Island and Kidnapped. Although I would say that I enjoyed Kidnapped more, I have a soft spot for pirates and did enjoy Treasure Island. I was around 13 when i read both and I think it was Stevenson drew me to Classics sections of bookstores - and then I found Dickens......
I wrote a poem on a leaf and it blew away...
That's it, Charles Darnay. That's what it was. Treasure Island is a good, easy introduction to classics. I was 12 or so when I read it, and though it wasn't my first classic, it was probably the first one that had me wanting to read classics. Before it was the inevitable want that all preteens have to impress their friends. You know the idea of it. I was considered a brain-iac, so I let them think so. I read classics. I liked a lot of them, but Treasure Island had me wanting to go to more of them, simply because I wanted to.
Despite bubbaroo's dislike of the language and the ending - this book remains a classic for a number of reasons. I feel sorry for those posting on this forum who have not appreciated the magic of Stevenson's characters and been captivated by the adventure found in this enchanting narrative. Easily one of my favourite books of all time, I would read it at least twice or three times a year. Read it again - it's worth it!
Actually, I found Treasure Island to be a good read as well. As a teacher, I've found it does grab the interest of readers better than most "classic" literature--indeed the fact that "pirates" are very much in vogue hasn't hurt it any either. With regard to Stevenson's life/personality, I suppose were we to judge all literature with such scrutiny, an awful lot of classics would bear the "horrible" lable as well. Fortunately, this is not the case.
I had also later read Kidnapped, and while I found it a bit more cumbersome, at first, I did enjoy the story.
Of course my personal favorite should be obvious by the name--whom I also "discovered", albeit in a different manner.
Boz
I love both!
Why waste your time?
Everything can be summed up into one word:
This book:terrible
Your angry posts:funny
You posters:Nerdy
Your reaction to reading this:
Priceless!
The first classical book I remember reading was Great Expectations by Charles Dickens when I was about 12 or 13 years old. I've never read Treasure Island, or if I have, I don't remember.
I'm a huge fan of Jane Austen, so I've already read Pride and Prejudice, and I am currently reading Sense and Sensibility.
Anyone have any suggestions of great classical books I could read?
I'm new here, as of today.
So, I'll just say hello to everyone while I'm here!
*Heather*
Well, I found that this book had a good storyline, but the wording is incomprehensible. I couldn't figure out what they were trying to say and what the plots were until we went over them in class. This book introduces too many characters with too many names for them. Overall, I found this book rather dull and hard to understand. I'm sure it's a good book, but I don't think it's worth reading.
I DO LIKE THIS BOOK AND VERY MUCH. HOW CAN´T YOU APRECIATE THE DEEP SEA AND SEAFERING MEN ATMOSPHERE THAT INVOLVES THE WHOLE STORY FROM THE BEGINING TO THE END. THE CHARACTERS AND THE WAY THEY SPEAK ARE ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC!! SPECIALLY WHEN JOHN SILVER UNCOVERS HIMSELF WHILE JIM IS HEARING INSIDE THE APPLE BARRELL.
THE PLOT IS PERFECTLY ESTRUCTURATED AND THE DESCRIPTIONS OF THE PLACES VERY GOOD TOO.
YOU DON´T KNOW WHAT YOU ARE SAYING. IF I WERE YOU I´D TRY TO READ IT AGAIN AND RELEASE YOUR IMAGINATION.
VERY RECOMMENDED BOOK!!!!!
HE WAS CALLED, IN THOSE LANDS OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN, "TUSITALA" WHICH MEANS: HE, WHO TELLS STORIES AND HE WAS ALSO LOVED BY THE POPULATION THERE.
FUTHERMORE HE WAS VERY FRIENDLY AND NICE IN SPITE OF HIS ILLNESS.
I DON´T UNDERSTAND YOUR XENOPHOBIC COMMENTARY, I FEEL ASHAMED OF IT.
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