Title: Treasure Island
Author: Robert Louis Stevenson
Genre: Classics, YA, Historical Fiction
First published: 1883
Finished reading: May 24th 2015
Pages: 190
“It was Silver’s voice, and before I had heard a dozen words, I would not have shown myself for all the world. I lay there, trembling and listening, in the extreme of fear and curiostiy, for, in those dozen words, I understood that the lives of all the honest men aboard depended on me alone.”
I wanted to like this classic pirate story by Robert Louis Stevenson so bad. A children story about pirates and a treasure hunt sounded like the perfect read, but unfortunately I ended up being quite disappointed by it. I was unable to warm up to the main characters and there is a significant lack of action during the whole novel. I mean, the story is supposed to be about a treasure hunt, but they all seem to talk more than they actually ‘hunt’. To be honest, I cannot see why Treasure Island would actually be considered children literature… I felt bored during most of the story (not counting the final chapters), so I wonder how children will be able to pay attention for so long. I didn’t mind the prose; that is what you expect when you start reading a classic written in the 19th century. Plus, with my kindle I was able to look up any old-fashioned words quickly anyway. But I did mind the characters and their sometimes less convincing actions. Taking Jim Hawkins for example: he sure is entitled to survive a lot of dangers for a boy his age! I know a lot of people love this classic and my opinion won’t be popular, but Treasure Island really just wasn’t for me.
Jim Hawkins is a very clever boy who ends up outsmarting a whole gang of dangerous pirates. When he gets his hands on a treasure map, he and local Doctor Livesy decide to go look for the treasure before the pirates that killed the original owner show up again. But the squire that works for the doctor doesn’t know how to keep his mouth shut, and soon they are in more trouble than they can imagine… As they board the ship that will take them to the island the treasure is hidden, the three don’t realize that half of the crew is made out of the same pirates they tried to run away from. Looking for the treasure won’t be as easy as they had originally planned…
I feel almost bad for not enjoying Treasure Island, but to be honest I had a hard time finishing this classic. I found especially the first part of the story quite boring and the characters didn’t exactly convince me. It could have been because I was expecting something different or because I had really high expectations, but I know one thing for sure: Treasure Island won’t be making it to my favorite classics list.
I finished Treasure Island the other day, and unfortunately I cannot say I ended up enjoying this classic by Robert Louis Stevenson. I feel a bit guilty, but I was almost bored by the story and couldn’t connect to the characters… I also finished City Of Ashes by Cassandra Clare, and I’m still sticking with the fact that I like the prequel trilogy better. There are so many love triangles going on that it’s becoming annoying!
