Orphaned and penniless,
David Balfour sets out to find his last living relative, miserly and
reclusive Uncle Ebenezer. But Ebenezer is far from welcoming, and David
narrowly escapes being murdered before he is kidnapped and imprisoned on
a ship bound for the Carolinas. When the ship is wrecked, David, along
with the fiery rebel Alan Breck, makes his way back across the
treacherous Highland terrain on a quest for justice. Through his
powerful depiction of the two very different central characters - the
romantic Breck and the rational Whig David - Stevenson dramatized a
conflict at the heart of Scottish culture in the aftermath of the
Jacobite rebellion, as well as creating an unforgettable adventure
story.
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“There are two things that men should never weary of, goodness and humility; we get none too much of them in this rough world among cold, proud people.”
I guess I’m just not going to be a big fan of Robert Louis Stevenson, which is a shame since he wrote classic adventure-filled maritime fiction. As with Treasure Island, the beginning promised more than what was delivered, although Kidnapped ended up being the better of the two because of the satisfying ending.
I liked the first half more than the second. The second dove too much into a confusing and jumbled marriage of politics of some weird kind with fleeing and travel and I sat there mainly, "who, what, when, why, ho....Zzzzzz."
I enjoyed the part leading up to the ship, and the ship, more than the rest of it. Stevenson probably won't have long-term chemistry with me since I dislike some of the rambling , but the writing overall is beautiful and the story held my interest at least half the time. I regret it started souring for me later.
Sad when a book is fine at first but keeps getting more boring as it chugs along. By the end I was ready to be put out of my misery. Due to the writing being colorful (besides the annoying dialogue), and the decent first half, I left it as a three star instead of a two. Barely.
Book Quotes:
“I have seen wicked men and fools, a great many of both; and I believe they both get paid in the end; but the fools first.”
Cover Gallery:
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Trailer:
