Friday, September 19, 2014

Hamlette's Piratical Blogathon / Book Bingo: Treasure Island

I meant to mention this before so you could participate if you so desired (sorry!), but I am taking part in Hamlette's Piratical Blogathon for Talk Like a Pirate Day! I don't ever talk like a pirate...pretty sure none of my customers at the store would know what I was saying...but I enjoy a good literary celebration! My role in this party is to review Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, a classic of which I'm sure most of you have heard. Here's a button for the blogathon!:

HamlettesSoliloquy

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson is about Jim Hawkins, a boy whose family owns an inn on the coast. At the beginning of the book, a pirate captain on-the-run shows up at the inn flashing some gold, and they accept him as a boarder. The situation quickly becomes dangerous and unpredictable, and Jim finds himself with a treasure map, an adventure ahead, and some dangerous pirates at every turn!

First Impression: This isn't really what I expected. When the Captain showed up, I assumed he would lead Jim Hawkins on an adventure of some sort (maybe directly to Treasure Island), but the Captain is hardly part of the story at all now! Also, the rough treatment of Jim by the pirates (even the milder ones) is much more accurate than many books published today. It kind of scares me for him but excites me as a reader wanting a more legitimate experience. I'm curious to see if Jim's mother will last through this adventure or if he'll go it alone. I'm also interested in how much the current characters and plot points so far will come into play later in the story. It's tempting to guess that the whole story will lead to nothing as a bit of a joke, but since this is a traditional adventure story, I doubt it.

(picture taken from Goodreads)

Conclusion: Even though I don't consider adventure fiction to be one of my genres, this one held my attention and was fun to read. The story is actually a series of small adventures that play into one big scenario. I'm a little surprised at Long John Silver's character. Rather than the violent, immediately terrifying creature I've heard described, Silver is a friendly smooth-talker. He may look a little sea-worn, but he puts up a good front and keeps everyone at ease. And his ability to wiggle through every situation amazes me! Jim Hawkins is a typical kid with a taste for adventure, although he seems to handle seeing dead bodies better than most kids. The squire is a bit foolish, but he and the doctor are the ones who keep the crew going until the end. My favorite character is probably Captain Smollett--a dependable, trustworthy sailor who warns the men at the beginning that their plan is crazy. I can't believe it took me so long to read this book! I tend to find a lot of adventurous stories to be over-the-top, but this one wasn't! It was fun and a little bit dangerous--a great read in this early fall weather I've been getting!

Recommendation: Anyone who likes a little excitement and adventure (19th-century style) will like this book!


I got kind of lucky that this book fits so nicely on my Book Bingo board, so there's another box checked off! I'm using Treasure Island as my "Classic" choice for the 2014 Book Bingo Challenge. I'm making surprising progress, I think! Thirteen boxes to go! Don't forget to click through the Piratical Blogathon link for more adventure!

HamlettesSoliloquy

15 comments:

  1. Ahoy! This were one of me favorite books as a child, and I be powerful fond of it still. Like ye said, it keeps yer attention and moves at a good clip. Have ye read anything else by RLS? Me favorite be "Kidnapped."

    Thanks fer signing on fer me blogathon! Arrrrrrrrrrr!

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    1. I haven't read anything else by him. I keep planning to read The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde...some day.

      And you're welcome! It was fun; I'm glad I had time to participate!

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    2. I just read Jekyll & Hyde for the first year, and it astonished me! It was so much deeper and less hokey than I'd expected. And it's short. I heartily recommend it.

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    3. Have you seen the musical, Hamlette? It was supposedly written fairly close to the book (which I haven't read, so I can't say definitively), and it is very dramatic! I almost cry every time I watch it--so emotional! I will be reading it soon if I can get my hands on a copy.

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    4. I haven't seen the musical, but I'm pretty familiar with the songs because a college friend was a big fan of it and played the soundtrack All The Time.

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  2. I read this book after watching one of the movie versions and really liked it, but, of course, knew the story and events from the adaptation. My favorite character is also Capt. Smolett. :-D

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    1. Gotta' love the dependable Captain! I haven't seen any of the movie versions yet. Which one did you watch (or which do you recommend)?

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    2. I liked the 1990 version the best. It was the first one I saw, then I read the book, then I saw the Disney version, and the 1990 version really seemed to match the book so well. I found it a very satisfying adaptation. I wrote about it here, not sure how to make this show up as a clickable link, but here were my thoughts on the 1990 version. http://fencernanowrimo.blogspot.com/2012/02/treasure-island-1990.html

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    3. Thanks for the suggestion! I'll find that one first; it sounds like the best adaptation.

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  3. It most certainly sounds like an adventurous story! After reading a review for a film version, this book should definitely go on my TBR pile. :)

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    1. Yes, definitely! I never knew what I was missing 'til I read it, so you can thank Hamlette for this chain of events!

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  4. I haven't read this for a while -- but I've been thinking about it lately (somewhat on a tangent) as I absolutely love my family's copy with N.C. Wyeth's classic illustrations...

    (And btw, ahoy there from Missouri, too! ;-))

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    1. Oh, nice! I didn't own a copy, so I borrowed it from my local library, but I might have to find a nice copy now!

      And how funny! I haven't met hardly any other book bloggers from MO--we should talk more or try to meet up some time! I'll e-mail you.

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  5. Hi! I agree with your review. I wouldn't call Treasure Island one of my *absolute" favourite classic novels but it's a lot of fun. Have you seen The Muppet's take on the story. It's awesome! :D

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    1. Thanks! I saw the Muppet version a while back and don't remember much. I need to watch it again as a refresher!

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