ruthhawes89's review against another edition
1.0
This book had such high potential but the actual execution of it was poor. The story was not gripping or engaging and the writing was all over the place. I struggled to finish it as I could not find the motivation or interest in this book. I was thoroughly disappointed.
rclyburn's review against another edition
3.0
The theme of good and evil was better explored in Jekyll and Hyde. I saw parallels to the parable of the prodigal son, as well as the referenced Jacob and Esau. I love the doubt Stevenson gave. Was Master evil, were we just over-interpreting? Was Henry just too sensitive? I don't like the narration by Mackellar. Also, this is the first novel I've read where wilderness is feared and not awed or triumphed over, and the Canadian in me loves it. Is the relationship between Master and Secundra homosexual?
ladyofbooks's review against another edition
3.0
I first read Kidnapped many years ago, back when I was maybe fourteen. I've read most of the classics at that age, my grandparents having nice hardback editions of the books sitting on oak shelves (I presume they were oak-what would I know being fourteen?) I breezed through Kidnapped, the Count of Monte Cristo, Agatha Christie, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and many many more. But I never read past Kidnapped by RLS, mostly because I had no idea that other of his works existed at the time. I have not only Kidnapped on my shelf but now I also have The Black Arrow and The Master of Ballantrae.
This book was a good read though definitely dated. I have a reprint of the book, and it's a Watermill edition as I'm attempting to collect all of them. While I did so enjoy this lovely little classic, I also found a few issues here and there. The writing took a bit to get into, as classics generally seem to do. For example:
...I left Ruthven (it's hardly necessary to remark) with much greater satisfaction than I had come to it; but whether I missed my way in the deserts, or whether my companions failed me, I soon found myself alone.
After a while that gets rather annoying in terms of run on sentences. Though I grew used to it, it took a while for me to do so and made want to throw the book across the room. I found the characters annoyingly whiny for some of them and for others I just couldn't care less about their plights as they seemed to make poor decisions for everything. The rebellion was interesting however, and I enjoyed the bit of action towards the latter part of the book.
The plot itself was described on the back as two brothers choosing different sides of a war, all to keep their family home in their hands. I won't spoil the book and tell you what happened, that's for you to do.
Overall I give this a solid 3 ⭐. Not bad, and a fairly quick read, but nothing at all like Kidnapped.
This book was a good read though definitely dated. I have a reprint of the book, and it's a Watermill edition as I'm attempting to collect all of them. While I did so enjoy this lovely little classic, I also found a few issues here and there. The writing took a bit to get into, as classics generally seem to do. For example:
...I left Ruthven (it's hardly necessary to remark) with much greater satisfaction than I had come to it; but whether I missed my way in the deserts, or whether my companions failed me, I soon found myself alone.
After a while that gets rather annoying in terms of run on sentences. Though I grew used to it, it took a while for me to do so and made want to throw the book across the room. I found the characters annoyingly whiny for some of them and for others I just couldn't care less about their plights as they seemed to make poor decisions for everything. The rebellion was interesting however, and I enjoyed the bit of action towards the latter part of the book.
The plot itself was described on the back as two brothers choosing different sides of a war, all to keep their family home in their hands. I won't spoil the book and tell you what happened, that's for you to do.
Overall I give this a solid 3 ⭐. Not bad, and a fairly quick read, but nothing at all like Kidnapped.
marilynsaul's review against another edition
5.0
Fantastic adventure book! Action-packed, swashbuckling, escape-through-deadly-swamps, dumped in the midst of the French & Indian War, clever witticisms that make me laugh our loud, family squabbles, a blackguard brother, and the writing is exquisite.
romanreadingmachine's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book was just crazy, on a level that I was not prepared for.
srreid's review against another edition
1.0
Was not gripped with this story at all, could never get into it, there were a few interesting bits but felt like a lot of useless filler to me, characters seemed a bit stupid, story not as engaging as treasure island or the body snatcher and its other short stories.
meghan47's review against another edition
4.0
This was to ease my transition from the end of Scottish lit class into summer. I'm now tempted to sit in the sweltering heat at home wearing my Scottish old man hat and read Scottish novels all summer...
cmbohn's review against another edition
5.0
After a couple of dud books that I had been looking forward to, I was really relieved when I picked this one up and was hooked almost from the first page. Maybe it helped that I skipped the long introduction and got right into the story.
This is a retelling of the Biblical story of Jacob and Esau set during the 1745 Jacobite Revolution. Two Scottish brothers, James and Henry Durie, reprise the roles of those scriptural brothers and the conflict could not be more exciting. After a coin toss, James heads off after Bonnie Prince Charlie while Henry fights for the king. James is presumed dead after the Battle of Culloden and Henry marries the girl intended for James. But James is not as dead as all that, and returns to make trouble for his family.
In some ways, this reads like a soap opera. Just when you think things are settled, up pops something horrible. Pirates, duels, a daring escape, buried treasure -- it has it all. The only thing that might discourage a modern reader is occasional use of dialect, but it is rare and there are footnotes in case you are really lost. Totally recommended as a great story sure to keep you turning pages.
This is a retelling of the Biblical story of Jacob and Esau set during the 1745 Jacobite Revolution. Two Scottish brothers, James and Henry Durie, reprise the roles of those scriptural brothers and the conflict could not be more exciting. After a coin toss, James heads off after Bonnie Prince Charlie while Henry fights for the king. James is presumed dead after the Battle of Culloden and Henry marries the girl intended for James. But James is not as dead as all that, and returns to make trouble for his family.
In some ways, this reads like a soap opera. Just when you think things are settled, up pops something horrible. Pirates, duels, a daring escape, buried treasure -- it has it all. The only thing that might discourage a modern reader is occasional use of dialect, but it is rare and there are footnotes in case you are really lost. Totally recommended as a great story sure to keep you turning pages.