A review by extraextrareadallaboutit
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
3.0
My feelings around this book are pretty mixed.
Being first published just shy of 300 years ago, the language used places you swiftly in the past. Overall I really enjoyed the way this book was written and how could one deny the genius that is the overall storyline?
I particularly liked the beginning of the book however the parts in the middle where Defoe's goes in to intense detail to describe the tactics Crusoe employs for survival became somewhat tedious and bothersome. Initially I was enamoured at the resourcefulness of Crusoe which had myself thinking on several occasions how I would not have the know-how to survive as he had been able but the details of the examples became too many. I guess the rather boring goings-on that map out his 28 years on the island probably serve to authentically capture what life was like on the island - spurts of excitement and long patches of nothingness.
At times I was disappointed that we didn't get to learn more of what was going on in Crusoe's head, instead often hearing much of what he did rather than what he thought. Really enjoying when we did get some insight such as in the initial retelling of his promises to God for deliverance and then the quick forgetfulness of all such things which took place promptly once delivered. These passages I found very entertaining and on reflection, very honest.
Being first published just shy of 300 years ago, the language used places you swiftly in the past. Overall I really enjoyed the way this book was written and how could one deny the genius that is the overall storyline?
I particularly liked the beginning of the book however the parts in the middle where Defoe's goes in to intense detail to describe the tactics Crusoe employs for survival became somewhat tedious and bothersome. Initially I was enamoured at the resourcefulness of Crusoe which had myself thinking on several occasions how I would not have the know-how to survive as he had been able but the details of the examples became too many. I guess the rather boring goings-on that map out his 28 years on the island probably serve to authentically capture what life was like on the island - spurts of excitement and long patches of nothingness.
At times I was disappointed that we didn't get to learn more of what was going on in Crusoe's head, instead often hearing much of what he did rather than what he thought. Really enjoying when we did get some insight such as in the initial retelling of his promises to God for deliverance and then the quick forgetfulness of all such things which took place promptly once delivered. These passages I found very entertaining and on reflection, very honest.