Treasure Island (Enriched Classics Series) Reviews

• Yo ho ho, and a bottle of rum!

  
  By A3OH101U0CPUC7 on 2007-09-08
  Treasure Island is perhaps THE classic pirate's tale. Robert Louis Stevenson, the author, created a rich story of adventure and treachery on the high seas all seen through the eyes of a boy named Jim Hawkins. Jim starts off as the son of tavern owners in a humble little port village. When an old seaman stays at the tavern, trouble soon follows him in the form of a pirate crew seeking revenge. I will not give away any more specific plot points, but events move forward to a great treasure hunt, treachery, and a surprisingly engaging story for adults as well as children.
  
  Jim Hawkins is the hero of the story and he's a good lad with a stout heart. Long John Silver is the real star, however, and his character is a fascinating character study in moral ambiguity... or perhaps a study in amoral perfection. The pirate language is good and thick but this edition has plenty of notes to help you decipher some of the references that have become too obscure for today's readers. The plot moves along very briskly with no wasted scenes.
  
  In short, Treasure Island well deserves its status as a beloved classic. It's a story of suspense and adventure that can be enjoyed at a child's level, but has substance for adults as well. I would recommend without reserve it to virtually anyone.
  
  

• Arrrr....a fine book, me hearties

  
  By A2BT578J4IZOK6 on 2007-09-20
  RL Stevenson was born in 1850, and died in 1894. "Treasure Island" was first published in 1883, though was originally written for the amusement of Stevenson's stepson, Lloyd Osbourne.
  
  Set in the 1700s, the book's hero is Jim Hawkins. Jim is, apparently, an only child whose parents run the Admiral Benbow - a quiet inn, though with a good reputation, not far from Bristol. His troubles begin with the arrival of a mysterious sailor - a rather intimidating, poorly dressed and generally filthy character, though not one who was short of money. He's reluctant to give his name, though claims to hold the rank of captain, and he generally says little. However, occasionally his tongue is loosened a little by his fondness for rum - upon which he would either burst into song or tell the most terrifying stories. At the mysterious sailor's request, meanwhile, Jim keeps an eye out for another salty old sea dog the nameless captain seems keen to avoid : the unwanted visitor's most notable feature is his one leg.
  
  Things change with the arrival of an even nastier sailor named Black Dog. He's obviously acquainted with the Admiral Benbow's resident sailor - whose name, Billy Bones, is soon revealed - though they're not on the best of terms. Things turn nasty, one thing leads to another and before you can say "oh, arrr", Billy has died of a stroke. Jim and his mother quickly rifle Billy's sea chest - he'd left a substantial bar bill, and Mrs Hawkins meant to collect payment - though among his possessions they also find a mysterious sealed packet. When eventually opened, the packet proves to hold treasure map of a notorious pirate called Captain Flint. Shortly afterwards, Jim joins Squire Trelawney and Dr Livesey on a mission to retrieve the treasure. Unfortunately, their ship proves to be manned by a crew of treacherous pirates - including the one-legged Long John Silver...
  
  A very easily read, fast-moving and enjoyable book - and one that (presumably) has had a huge impact on how we still see pirates : lots of songs about rum (naturally with a few yo-ho-hos thrown in), treasure maps where X marks the spot and one-legged salty old sea dogs with parrots that scream "pieces of eight". Highly recommended.
  
  

• Classic that should be mandatory reading

  
  By A34RJ0XMVA5R24 on 2007-11-21
  While Treasure Island may have its detractors (usually those who were forced to read it as children or those who cannot handle the period speech) it is certainly a classic that can delight both young and old. Stevenson make a strong effort to catch the "tune of the time" and give vivid prose to the tedium of long sea journeys and the rapid pace at which life can offer strange events to deal with, as young Jim Hawkins discovers.
  
  The story is set in mid-18th century western England where Jim helps to run a small out-of-the-way inn with his parents. They have a strange boarder: a grizzled sailor very fond of his shanties and rum. The sailor hides a secret map to a buried pirate treasure that comes into Jim's hands. The local squire recruits Jim and the village doctor to join him on a sea voyage to find the treasure for themselves.
  
  They obtain a ship and a crew including the most iconic pirate of all: Long John Silver (created well before the seafood restaurant and Jack Sparrow!). Silver eventually betrays Jim, revealing himself as a longtime pirate, but makes good his escape in the end. Stevenson filled Treasure island with all of the--now cliche--paraphenalia: marooning, parrots, and such. The pirates have enough colorful language that even Robert Newton must have tired of it during his enthusiastic performance in the 1950 Disney film adaptation.
  
  Perhaps my fondness is newfound since I only read it for the first time this year while I was on a week's cruise in the Caribbean, but Treasure Island now holds a favored spot on my bookshelves.
  
  

• A classic at a reasonable price

  
  By AEWNMBHW42GGE on 2007-02-11
  I bought six copies of this edition of Treasure Island. They were passed out to my six enriched reading 4th grade students. My intention was to give a single copy up to the winner of a quiz. However, the price per copy was so reasonable that I decided to make a gift to each student. I like this edition because it has a series of post scripts.
  
  

• The Hobo Philosopher

  
  By A1U8DHSI18EEJ1 on 2007-09-14
  This is the first complete novel that I ever read as a child. Years later when I was traveling around America with my wife and concocting my first book "Hobo-ing America", I read this book aloud to my wife before turning out the camper lights every evening.
  For many years I could only imagine that Robert Louis Stevenson had grown up to be a pirate. How else could he have known the pirates ways so intimately? When I read a biography of Mr. Stevenson and found that he was a sickly child who was often confined to his room for long periods and had thought this whole business up in his vivid imagination, I was more than impressed. I was astounded. As a writer I have always found this fact inspirational.
  Long John Silver is now folklore like Paul Bunyan and John Henry. And Robert Louis Stevenson is one of the greatest writers ever.
  Can you believe that the same man who created Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hide also concocted Treasure Island. Wow!
  
  
• Treasure Island
  By A3D9OCZKZKH4GK on 2007-12-13
  I have not read this book since I was in 7th grade, but this summer my son wanted to read it. As a 5th grader it was a bit over his head, but we both enjoyed it very much. This book is the reason I became so fascinated with pirates. It's a story that just sticks with you. There are memorable characters and slippery plot complications that make this literally a genuine trip as you turn the pages. Some may consider this an unnecessary read given its time frame, but put in context, this is a delightful story that should resonate with young boys. It's a classic for the very reason that it endures. It finds a place in that little place in the mind called adventure and wanderlust. Jamestown: Journey Back in Time
  
  
• An adventure in learning!
  By AHPKH0H1OT057 on 2008-01-14
  Although written primarily for boys, Treasure Island is one of the few books I remember being wildly excited about as a girl. I decided to share it with my 5 year old (who appreciates a pirate adventure) and I am reading a chapter at a time to him at bedtime. Although it is sometimes a little much for a 5 year old (some deaths and pirates with missing body parts) I can read it in a way that interests him. And, it is a great learning experienced due to this "enriched classic" version. I can tell my son about real pirates (who he now knows were actually "bad guys") and about the way things were in the mid 1700's. I explain a lot as I go, but he is fascinated- and we're learning a lot together! I highly recommend it... especially to read to kids slightly older than my 5 year old. However, this works as well!
  
  
• Treasure Island review
  By ABZ73GVWULMQD on 2006-03-02
  The main character is Jim and the book is about how all the pirates on the ship are trying to get to treasure island. I think that the auther did a very good job with describing the characters and places in the book. I also think that the auther was not very descriptive when he was talking about things. At times the plot was very confusing. In the book the sentence structuse I think sometimes was very pourly done. I think that because the sentences went on and on but the pharagragh was vey fine sizes.
  Sometimes the book is very hillarias. Over all the this book was pretty good. I would not recommend this book to younger aged kids because the book uses a couple curse words and some of the words are kind of challenging. When you read the story it keeps you interested, yet it is a good sized book. I think that this book is really interesting because it will keep you thinking the entire time and it relates to other sea books.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Writen in XIX Century and good
  By A3GK6YHJVPSEMM on 2008-02-11
  I read this book, here in Brazil, when I was a teenager.This book is a fiction and was writen while the author was sick, with tuberculosis in Davos, Switzerland, during XIX Century.
  If you want to read a good fiction, this book is a good choice.Don't wait a book about history of real pirates.This is a fiction.A so good fiction that it was used by Hollywood to produce many movies, following this good book.
  
  
• Laborious, wearisome, boring
  By A3RHLOAOPIOZ29 on 2007-11-13
  Too many unnecessary details - a chore to read. Was reading this with a group of 8th graders and we couldn't wait to get done with it - no one liked it. Too many times after reading a page, we would all go - HUH?? - what did the author just say?
  You know there have been more novels written since then- why do students have to keep reading the same ones their grandparents read when they were in school?
  
  

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