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Treasure Island

(Penguin Popular Classics)

By Robert Louis Stevenson

(350)

| Hardcover | 9780140620832

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Book Description

Treasure Island is arguably one of the greatest works of storytelling in the English language. Stevenson created other novels, with greater depth and insight, but the highlight of Treasure Island is the combination of color and poetic prose that distinguishes his tale of piracy and boyhood adventureContinue

Critics

Treasure Island

Having tried in vain to persuade my pre-teenage children to read Treasure Island years ago - the 10-year-old said he couldn't handle all that "if he durst, quoth I" stuff and asked for the latest Ian Rankin instead - I now realise where I went wrong. ... (read full critics)

guardian.co.uk published on Fri, 24 Sep 2010

Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson

Home Contact us Posts Comments You may think you know the story of Treasure Island from the many films that have been produced over the years but these are often quite loosely based on the book. Read the real thing and you’ll find a much more siniste ... (read full critics)

bookgeeks published on Fri, 24 Sep 2010

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9 Reviews

1 person find this helpful

A great adventure (and you may lay to that)

The only good thing I can say about the tvmovie Treasure Island (the one with Eddie Izzard disguised as a "Jacksparrowy" Silver) is that it led me to read the book some 30 years after the first time.
And as Cap'n Silver might have said, this here is a great lad's book, and you may lay to that.
Like ... (continue)

The only good thing I can say about the tvmovie Treasure Island (the one with Eddie Izzard disguised as a "Jacksparrowy" Silver) is that it led me to read the book some 30 years after the first time.
And as Cap'n Silver might have said, this here is a great lad's book, and you may lay to that.
Like Jim trying to hold his eye on the sight of Spy Glass hill disappearing in the ocean while leaving the Island, it is now quite difficult for me to recapture the magic of a ten years old reading of this adventure, pirates, treasures, musket fights and knife killings. Many naive sides of the novel come too quickly on the surface.
In my 42, I am now really hit by other, maybe more subtle aspects.
The main one, I think, is Jim looking for a father figure among some very different candidates.
Captain Smollet, the authority, Doctor Livesey, the understanding father, and Silver, why not, he the deceiving yet seductive scoundrel, to whom Jim remains somehow bound.
The orphan Jim eventually finds out that the boy he used to be is a grown man now that the Hispaniola is sailing back to Bristol.
That is the perfect end of any great kids' adventure.
And you may lay to that.

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Rosenkavalier70 said on Apr 29, 2012 | 1 feedback

Aye, aye Captain....

Really, really enjoyed this book. I've had a copy of this for ages but it went missing so I re-purchased this edition and found out I was denying myself a very good read! Treasure Island is a classic for a reason and not only has it's title become a staple in every childs make-believe games but so h ... (continue)

Really, really enjoyed this book. I've had a copy of this for ages but it went missing so I re-purchased this edition and found out I was denying myself a very good read! Treasure Island is a classic for a reason and not only has it's title become a staple in every childs make-believe games but so have the characters even if they don't know it themselves.
Long John Silver with his one wooden leg and his parrot established what has become the known figure for a pirate. In fact as I read this I had Geoffrey Rush's character in Pirates of the Carribean in mind for Long John but then of course thats exactly what his character was probably modelled on! Its a great story as well as having fantastic characters and I loved the whole who's side is he on and whatnot. It's a classic, I can't say anymore.

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Lauraolsthoorn said on Mar 4, 2012 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

Thoroughly enjoyable! The quintessential pirate tale. The story of a boy tangled up in a mutiny on the high seas, pirates, buried treasure, fighting, discovery and adventure. Besides being a fun and exciting book to read, well-written, with a number of contrasting A vs. B themes woven into the dialo ... (continue)

Thoroughly enjoyable! The quintessential pirate tale. The story of a boy tangled up in a mutiny on the high seas, pirates, buried treasure, fighting, discovery and adventure. Besides being a fun and exciting book to read, well-written, with a number of contrasting A vs. B themes woven into the dialogue, this book shaped about how we think of a stereotypical pirate today.
I first got the idea of reading this book after spending an afternoon on Norman Island, in the British Virgin Islands, which is considered the most likely setting inspiring the fictional Treasure Island. That was 3 and a quarter years ago, and now I've finally read it. Interestingly, Norman Island with the site of real buried pirate booty in the mid-eighteenth century which was dug up!

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audioreader said on Aug 31, 2011 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

I have read this novel before but as I found this copy sitting on our bookshelves decided that it would make a suitable read for The Victorian Literature Challenge
Treasure Island is an adventure story of pirates and buried gold and has tremendous action told with plenty of atmosphere. When I read ... (continue)

I have read this novel before but as I found this copy sitting on our bookshelves decided that it would make a suitable read for The Victorian Literature Challenge
Treasure Island is an adventure story of pirates and buried gold and has tremendous action told with plenty of atmosphere. When I read it as a child it left a great impression on me as I went on to use the idea of a Treasure Island in a school essay writing competition calling mine simply ‘The Island’. I won a prize!
Pirates still hold a fascination with children and adults today, just look at the popularity of the Pirates of the Caribbean series of films.
Set in the 18C Treasure Island is a potent tale of piracy, an incomprehensible treasure map and a cast of villainous characters with the most appalling intentions. The story of the expedition and mutiny led by long John Silver is told through the eyes of Jim Hawkins, the cabin boy on the ‘Hispania’ as it sails to exotic waters to hunt for buried treasure.
The underlying theme of the novel is that it deals with the moral growth of our protagonist Jim Hawkins from adolescent to adult. Truth versus lies, drunkards versus abstainers, frugalness versus extravagance and religion versus agnostics all subjects of which Jim has to deal with in the course of his adventures.
Treasure Island will continue to captivate readers of all ages for many more generations, even if it is on their E–Readers.
http://lindyloumacbookreviews.blogspot.com/2011/07/trea…

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Lindyloumac said on Jul 5, 2011 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

A good adventure book about the sea, pirates and buried treasure. This is another book that fell into the category of "I can't believe I haven't read this one before" too. Probably written for a younger age group but it was fun to follow all the deals, crossings and double-crossings in search of " ... (continue)

A good adventure book about the sea, pirates and buried treasure. This is another book that fell into the category of "I can't believe I haven't read this one before" too. Probably written for a younger age group but it was fun to follow all the deals, crossings and double-crossings in search of "Pieces of Eight"

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Stcin10 said on Jan 17, 2011 about the Mass Market Paperback edition | Add your feedback

Fifteen men on the dead man's chest-- ...Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!

Not a page-turner, but the very first page-turner...

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Plucino said on Jan 14, 2010 | Add your feedback