Book Review
Treasure Island
by Robert Louis Stevensen
Treasure Island is a classic and probably the first book on pirates someone should read. Robert Louis Stevenson’s description of piratical life has inspired movies and dozens of stories and novels. Its characters rank among the most memorable in fiction.
In Brief...
We liked:
- The classic pirate tale of treasure seeking, double-cross, and revenge
- Rich, historically accurate detail
- Classic characters
- Realistic portrayal of pirate life
Things we weren’t so keen on:
- Classic prose might be a bit difficult
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Our Review
Treasure Island is a classic and probably the first book on pirates someone should read. Robert Louis Stevenson’s description of piratical life has inspired movies and dozens of stories and novels. Its characters rank among the most memorable in fiction.
Perhaps one of the world’s most renowned pirate historians, David Cordingly (Under the Black Flag) said it best: “The effect of Treasure Island on our perception of pirates cannot be overestimated. Stevenson linked pirates forever with maps, black schooners, tropical islands, and one-legged seamen with parrots on their shoulders.”
The map is to Treasure Island, the place were Billy Bones buried his treasure. The black schooner is the Hispaniola, the tropical islands are the West Indies, and the one-legged seaman none other than Long John Silver. Silver becomes both a friend and father figure to young Jim Hawkins, setting in motion important and unpredictable twists in the tale.
Treasure Island is an intriguing adventure that begins in the tavern owned by Jim Hawkins’s father. In the dank pub, Hawkins ends up with the map and sets out to find the treasure in nearby Bristol. This is just the beginning, because once upon the island, Hawkins and his friends face a mutiny led by none other than Long John Silver. It’s up to Jim to turn the tables on the mutineers—with an interesting ending for Mr. Silver.
