I believe the author himself, Robert Louis Stevenson, gives a great summary of his book before the story even starts with his poem to the hesitating purchaser. He promises the book to include sailor tunes, storms, adventure, schooners, islands, maroons, Bucaneers, and buried Gold. Treasure Island is the ultimate pirate story. When asked to explain the plot by my coworkers, the simplest reply was 'think of any pirate story ever told, and that is this book.' We follow young Jim Hawkins with his travels through the world of pirates in search of buried treasure. Throughout his journey he is joined with a numerous amount of characters, including Doctor Livesey, Long John Silver, Captain Smollett, Ben Gunn, and the parrott named Captain Flint.
I chose this book for my next read for a number of reasons. The Old Men at the Zoo was a complicated read, but Treasure Island is a wellknown book that is cherished by people of all ages. I needed a lighter read. Also, I happened to find a copy that was illustrated - and we all know that pictures help a boo go along. However, I believe there was one major illustration missing in this novel. As I continued reading about Jims adventures, I wanted nothing more than a map of the island that he inhabits in order to find Captain Flint's hidden treasure. I'm not a seafaring person myself, and therefore I have trouble imagining an island off the top of my head. Also - I'm a very detail oriented person and an expert navigator, when given a map (if I do say so myself), so I rely very deeply on maps. Perhaps other editions have maps and I just chose the wrong one from the library - always a possibility..
This was an excellent book, and, as to be expected from a pirate story, included adventure, suspense, and plot turns at every corner. There were many times that I was reluctant to put the book down in order to go to bed and get the required amount of sleep. However, there were a few points of this book that disappointed me. I believe that Mr. Stevenson attempted to add too many characters to his novel in too short of an amount of time. Of course, I knew who the main characters were, but often a character who had no importance previously in the book would be the main character for about one chapter before being killed off. It was really hard to distinguish these different characters, and was often very frustrating.
Another thing that was sometimes good and sometimes bad was the dialogue of the book. Robert Louis Stevenson did an excellent job of capturing the pirate speak in his novel, but it was often difficult to distinguish exactly what they were saying. In a book meant to be a light-hearted adventure, people often don't want to have to reread a sentence multiple times (and occasionally use an internet search engine) in order to understand what exactly the character was saying.
The one thing I did enjoy was how we kept with the main character. It is always a let down for me when we never really understand who the main character is or why they are doing what they're doing. However, I feel we get a great feel for, not only Jim Hawkins, but other main characters such as Long John Silver. Also, there is a great deal of surprise in this book. At one moment you think someone will be the villain or perhaps Jim's companion throughout the book, and the next page they're dead!
That's another thing I enjoyed about this book, he wasn't afraid to add some realistic blood, which wasn't over the top. I grew up with a mother who taught me that if a book didn't have a good dead body, it wasn't a good book. Being raised with this idea, I've read many a murder mystery, and it frustrates me when an author chooses to shy away from a death scene. It would have been especially annoying in a subject as brutal as pirates. However, there was always an awesome fight scene to look forward to.
This book kept me going until the very end. Literally, you don't know what the outcome will be to the main character until the last two chapters! I thoroughly enjoyed following Jim Hawkins through his pirate journey. However, because of the additional characters, overly difficult pirate talk, and sometimes too much detail to hold my attention, I give this book THREE STARS OUT OF A POSSIBLE FIVE
Reading Next: A Fairy Tale of New York, by J. P Donleavy
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