book review treasure island by robert louis stevenson

The Literary Edit

Review: Treasure Island – Robert Louis Stevenson

Despite having studied – and hugely enjoyed – The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde during my degree in English Literature, it was only as I neared the end of Treasure Island that it dawned on me that both novels were by the same author. Such is his prestige that Scottish Robert Louis Stevenson is ranked among the 26 most translated authors in the world – with the likes of Ernest Hemingway and Rudyard Kipling – and his beloved Treasure Island took the 37th place in the BBC’s Top 100 Reads.

Stevenson’s second novel and indeed his first major literary success, Treasure Island was published in 1883 and, despite being initially serialised in a children’s magazine, is an esteemed classic loved by readers of all ages and is often considered one of the greatest books of all time.

I had very few expectations prior to reading Treasure Island – other than Du Maurier’s Frenchman’s Creek and tales of the Famous Five and Secret Seven I read as a child, I’ve read very little I would class as an adventure story. The tale begins in the eighteenth century in the creaking Admiral Benbow Inn, which provides a perfectly gothic backdrop not dissimilar to much of Du Maurier’s work. The central character of the story is Jim Hawkins, who lives in the inn with his parents; and witnesses the death of a visiting sea-captain called Billy Bones. Prior to his death, Billy Bones warns Jim that his former seamates are after his treasure, and so Jim and his mother unlock the deceased’s sea-chest, finding therein a log book and a map.

What happens thereafter is a coming of age tale of piracy and boyhood adventure written with such poetic prose that it’s clear to see why Treasure Island remains a favourite of so many almost 150 years after its first publication. Full of suspense and with a brilliant cast of characters – from Long John Silver to Ben Gunn and Black Dog – Stevenson fully deserves his place on the BBC Big Read with this rollicking great read.

About Treasure Island

For sheer storytelling delight and pure adventure, Treasure Island has never been surpassed. From the moment young Jim Hawkins first encounters the sinister Blind Pew at the Admiral Benbow Inn until the climactic battle for treasure on a tropic isle, the nevel creates scenes and characters that have firetd the imaginations of generations of readers. Written by a superb prose stylist, a master of both action and atmosphere, the story centers upon the conflict between good and evil – but in this case a particularly engaging form of evil. It is the villainy of that most ambiguous rogue Long John Silver that sets the tempo of this tale of treachery, greed, and daring. Designed to forever kindle a dream of high romance and distant horizons, Treasure Island is, in the words of G. K. Chesterton, ‘the realization of an ideal, that which is promised in its provocative and beckoning map; a vision not only of white skeletons but also green palm trees and sapphire seas.’ G. S. Fraser terms it ‘an utterly original book’ and goes on to write: ‘There will always be a place for stories like Treasure Island that can keep boys and old men happy.’

About Robert Louis Stevenson

Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, and travel writer, and a leading representative of English literature. He was greatly admired by many authors, including Jorge Luis Borges, Ernest Hemingway, Rudyard Kipling and Vladimir Nabokov.

Most modernist writers dismissed him, however, because he was popular and did not write within their narrow definition of literature. It is only recently that critics have begun to look beyond Stevenson’s popularity and allow him a place in the Western canon.

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3 comments on “Review: Treasure Island – Robert Louis Stevenson”

They made a scifi TV series version of it with space ships, I watched it many years ago (18 years perhaps?) and it was quite brilliant. I’ve read in Wikipedia that some of the characters were based on real life friends of Stevenson (who were quite colorful characters), that is why they are so real and unforgettable. Ah, reading your post made me want to re-read it.

I will immediately take hold of your rss as I can not to find your e-mail subscription hyperlink or e-newsletter service. Do you’ve any? Kindly allow me realize in order that I may just subscribe.

Hi there, just under the main image there’s a box where you can enter your email to sign up for my newsletter! Thanks.

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Treasure island.

Common Sense Says
Parents Say 15 Reviews
Kids Say 29 Reviews

Common Sense Media Review

Boy and pirates hunt buried treasure in thrilling adventure.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 10+?

While staying at the Admiral Benbow Inn, Billy Bones consumes more rum than wate

The story includes plenty of fighting, with many deaths and injuries by sword, k

There's no cursing in this book, but there is some archaic racist language: "neg

Any Positive Content?

Jim is pure-hearted, smart, and honorable; he even sacrifices his own safety bec

Intelligence, honor, loyalty, and sobriety will win the day.

Treasure Island was first published in 1883, and the novel offers an impression

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

While staying at the Admiral Benbow Inn, Billy Bones consumes more rum than water, and Dr. Livesey warns him that he is ruining his health. The pirates on the Hispaniola also drink rum, brandy, wine, and other spirits, and their drunkeness adds to their threatening, unpredictable behavior. Men also smoke and chew tobacco.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Violence & Scariness

The story includes plenty of fighting, with many deaths and injuries by sword, knife, and gun. There is little gore, but the violence is rendered more horrifying because it's mainly seen through a boy's eyes.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

There's no cursing in this book, but there is some archaic racist language: "negroes," "negress," "Mexican Indians," "half-bloods," "blacks."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Positive Role Models

Jim is pure-hearted, smart, and honorable; he even sacrifices his own safety because he has given his word. Dr. Livesey doesn't always show the best judgment, but he cares for anyone who needs his help, including drunkards and dangerous pirates.

Positive Messages

Educational value.

Treasure Island was first published in 1883, and the novel offers an impression of what life was like in rural England during the late 19th century, as well as some information about the conditions on sailing ships in that era.

Parents need to know that Robert Louis Stevenson's classic adventure novel Treasure Island , first published in 1883, is full of swashbuckling action. It's the original pirate story, featuring drunken mutineers, a secret map, and buried treasure. There's some archaic racist language ("negroes," "blacks," "Mexican Indians"), and a good deal of violence (plenty of fighting, with many deaths and injuries by sword, knife, and gun), though most of the wounds and deaths are not described graphically, but these events are upsetting to the heroic young narrator, Jim Hawkins. Treasure Island has been adapted for film a few times over the years, including the star-studded 1934 version with Wallace Beery as Long John Silver, a live-action Disney version from 1950, and even a Muppet version made in the '90s.

Where to Read

Parent and kid reviews.

Parents say (15)
Kids say (29)

Based on 15 parent reviews

Great reading for children aged 8+ depending on ability

What's the story.

Robert Louis Stevenson's classic pirate adventure TREASURE ISLAND begins in the west of England, where an old sea captain is drinking his life away at the Hawkins family's inn, the Admiral Benbow. Among the old captain's things, young Jim Hawkins discovers a map showing the location of buried pirate treasure. When Jim shows it to the local squire, the squire buys and outfits a ship and, with Jim and the local doctor, hires a crew and they all set sail on the Hispaniola to seek the treasure. Once the party is at sea, Jim learns that at least some of the crew are former shipmates of the captain: pirates who will do anything to get their hands on the map and the treasure.

Is It Any Good?

Robert Louis Stevenson's most well-known book defines the classic adventure story. Treasure Island comes complete with a lionhearted young hero, ruthless pirates, mutiny, and buried treasure. Though some of the language in this 1883 novel can seem old-fashioned, and occasionally racist, there's plenty of suspense and swashbuckling battles to keep readers engaged. Equally appealing is the way the author develops characters and the relationship between Jim Hawkins and the one-legged Long John Silver.

Silver is a complex character, with measured judgment and superior intelligence, and Stevenson's descriptions of his appearance and manner of speaking created the mold for just about every fictional pirate that came after him. Likewise, elements of the book -- including the treasure map marked with an "X," the song "Dead Man's Chest (Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle of Rum)," and parrots -- show the way Stevenson invented the popular image of a pirate. This is an important book and a thrilling one.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about what makes a book a "classic." What made Treasure Island stand the test of time?

What's the attitude toward good guys and bad guys in Treasure Island'? In which category would you put Long John Silver?

Treasure Island was one of the first pirate adventure books. What things in this book were used in later pirate stories?

Book Details

Author : Robert Louis Stevenson
Illustrator : N. C. Wyeth
Genre : Adventure
Topics : Adventures , Great Boy Role Models , Pirates
Book type : Fiction
Publisher : Grosset & Dunlap
Publication date : November 14, 1883
Number of pages : 302
Last updated : February 10, 2020

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At the BookShelf

… with my head in a book.

Book Review: Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson

Treasure Island was the first major novel of Robert Louis Stevenson . It was first published in 1883 and has remained a much-loved book. First penned as a story for boys, it was as a young boy that I first came across Treasure Island. It was the first real book that I ever read – certainly of my own choice. If I remember correctly, the copy I had was a small book, not much bigger than my hand and illustrated throughout. The illustrations weren’t coloured as such, but I think I may have started to ‘colour them in’ as I read the story several times. The name of the ship, ‘Hispaniola,’ came back to me in one of my first compositions at school. In that early attempt at writing I wrote a story about piracy and a ship called the Hispaniola. I believe I was written into the story, along with several of my classmates, though the original composition has long since been lost and the plot a thing of the past.

I read this book by way of a Kindle, which shows that the future of Treasure Island lies assured into the digital future and beyond. I also own Treasure Island in traditional form and as part of a set of works, being the entire works of Robert Louis Stevenson. One day I hope to read more, if not all of this man’s printed contrinution to English literature and I look forward to doing so.

Treasure Island is the classic pirate story, coming fully equiped with the pirate talk which is so popular even to this day and the vivid description of a pirate adventure. The story is a great one that may well bring younger generations to read and pull them away from the Xbox and other gaming devices. It is a short read, with short chapters, which may be a useful tool in getting a young one to start reading – but it is the adventure of a life time for Jim Hawkins that will really draw them in and the promise of buried treasure.

If you have not read Treasure Island, pick up a copy and have a read. It is free in the Kindle Shop at the time of posting this review and well worth spending a couple of hours a day reading this classic – by the end of the week the story of Treasure Island will be completed and you will be the richer for having read it.

Buy this book at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Treasure-Island-ebook/dp/B0084AZXKK/

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We Need to Talk About Books

Treasure island by robert louis stevenson [a review].

Composed as a story for boys, Treasure Island has been entertaining readers for over a century. Full of adventure, danger and mystery, it is the story of a young boy and a pirate, each fighting to survive, surrounded by men whose greed has made them careless and dangerous.

Cover Image of Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

Jim Hawkins, a young boy who lives and works with his parents at their isolated inn, the Admiral Benbow, on the Bristol coast is completely unaware that his life is about to be turned upside down. Arriving at their inn is an old buccaneer, with a heavy sea chest, looking for a room and a steady supply of rum. Taking to Jim, he pays the boy a silver quarter-penny a month to keep an eye out for a sailor with a wooden leg.

I remember him as if it were yesterday, as he came plodding to the inn door, his sea-chest following behind him in a hand-barrow; a tall, strong, heavy, nut-brown man; his tarry pigtail falling over the shoulders of his soiled blue coat; his hands ragged and scarred, with black broken nails; and the sabre cut across one cheek, a dirty livid white. I remember him looking round the cove and whistling to himself as he did so, and then breaking out in that old sea-song that he sang so often afterwards:

“Fifteen men on the dead man’s chest –

Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!”

At first, the old sea dog, who they come to refer to as ‘the captain’, keeps to himself and, when he does venture out, scans the waves for ships with his spyglass. But he is a heavy drinker with a violent temper and terrifies the locals with his stories. Jim’s father is far too scared to confront him about what he owes the inn.

Eventually the outside world tracks down the captain. One day while he was out, another sailor, missing two fingers, arrives at the inn, asking for Bill, by whom he means the captain. Horrified on his return to see the man waiting for him, Bill sits down to talk with ‘Black Dog’. Their talk turns into an argument and then a fight with cutlass’ drawn. Bill sends Black Dog running out and says he must leave too but collapses with what is likely a stroke.

While recovering, Bill confesses to Jim. He was first mate to Captain Flint, a notorious pirate.

“You have heard of this Flint, I suppose?”

“Heard of him!” cried the squire. “Heard of him, you say! He was the bloodthirstiest buccaneer that sailed, Blackbeard was a child to Flint.”

On his deathbed Flint confided the secret location of his buried hoard of treasure, a secret Bill keeps in his sea chest. Not long after, Bill dies, the perils of a hard life finally catching up with him. In his chest, they find little money and his secret. When Black Dog and others return to confront Bill, Jim and his family flee their inn.

Two local gentlemen – the Squire Trelawney and the Doctor Livesey – take them in and looking over Flint’s map, they soon determine to outfit a ship and set sail as soon as possible in search of Flint’s treasure. But they have to be as discreet as possible – clearly others know of the treasure map and that it is now in someone’s possession. But the Squire and the Doctor don’t know much about sailing and discretion is not the Squire’s strong point. He makes the acquaintance of a ship’s cook who seems to be decent and trustworthy not to mention handy when it comes to choosing who to hire to crew their ship.

Though only a boy, Jim Hawkins is to accompany the voyage as well, serving as a cabin boy. The ship’s cook, Long John Silver, like Bill, takes to Jim, and Jim too finds him to be above suspicion. So much so that Jim is not at all troubled to see that Long John Silver has a wooden leg.

Now, to tell you the truth, from the very first mention of Long John in Squire Trelawney’s letter, I had taken a fear in my mind that he might prove to be the very one-legged sailor whom I had watched for so long at the old “Benbow.” But one look at the man before me was enough. I had seen the captain, and Black Dog, and the blind man Pew, and I thought I knew what a buccaneer was like – a very different creature, according to me, from this clean and pleasant-tempered landlord.

As I work my way through classics of literature, I inevitably run into stories that were among my favourites when I read them as a child in an abridged children’s format – The Odyssey , Robinson Crusoe and Gulliver’s Travels , for example. In all previous cases, reading the original versions of these stories was nowhere near as enjoyable as the stripped-down fun versions of my childhood.

The original Treasure Island , though, promised to be a different experience and much closer to the fun version I remember. For one thing, it is far more recent (1883) than the others, post-Dickens in fact. It is much further along in the evolution of storytelling and the novel and does not pose the same difficulties for today’s reader. The original was also written to be a story for children, or rather, for boys. And, despite the violence and alcoholism that would make many of today’s parents wary, there is very little else that needs to be pared back from the original.

Treasure Island has a great opening. The arrival of the mysterious and terrible Billy Bones at Jim Hawkins’ family inn immediately immerses the reader in an atmosphere primed for adventure and danger. Stevenson uses this sense of adventure into the unknown, the constant threat of danger and the mysteries at the heart of the story to thoroughly engage the reader in this short but entertaining novel.

Sitting by the fire in the housekeeper’s room, I approached that island in my fancy, from every possible direction; I explored every acre of its surface; I climbed a thousand times to that tall hill they call Spy-glass, and from the top enjoyed the most wonderful and changing prospects. Sometimes the isle was thick with savages, with whom we fought; sometimes full of dangerous animals that hunted us; but in all my fancies nothing occurred to me so strange and tragic as our actual adventures.

But is Treasure Island literature? I think probably not. It is a well-crafted entertaining tale but probably does not contain the messages, meanings or themes beyond that which, to me, is one of the distinguishing features of literature. I think Robert Louis Stevenson was of similar mind too.

It was to be a story for boys; no need of psychology or fine writing; and I had a boy at hand to be a touchstone. Robert Louis Stevenson, 1894

Treasure Island does give readers plenty to ponder, though. Before I go into that, I have to bring up something I did not like about this Penguin Classics edition of the novel. The reason I buy editions like Penguin or Oxford Classics is because of the informed Introductions, explanatory notes and other additional information that accompany them. But this edition did not contain notes! I’m not sure why. I think they would have been useful, at the very least to explain some of the terminology of sailing, the time and setting. The back cover says it does have notes, so I don’t know if it was an error or oversight in the printing that excluded them.

One thing this edition wants to make clear, in the additional material that was included, is how much Treasure Island is indebted to works that preceded it. This is plain from the essay by Stevenson, written close to his death, where he discusses the inspiration and composition of Treasure Island and the works that he consciously and unconsciously borrowed from. An excerpt from a key one – Washington Irving’s Tales of Traveller – where a pirate terrorises a seaside inn, is included as an appendix.

I am now upon a painful chapter. No doubt the parrot once belonged to Robinson Crusoe. No doubt the skeleton is conveyed from Poe. I think little of these, they are trifles and details; and no man can hope to have a monopoly of skeletons or make a corner in talking birds. The stockade, I am told, is from “Masterman Ready.” It may be, I care not a jot. These useful writers had fulfilled the poet’s saying: departing they had left behind them “Footprints in the sands of time; Footprints that perhaps another –“ and I was the other! It is my debt to Washington Irving that exercises my conscience, and justly so, for I believe plagiarism was rarely carried farther. Robert Louis Stevenson, 1894

While some of this borrowing, adapting, possible plagiarising; may not reflect well on Stevenson, John Seelye in his Introduction makes the point that the parts Stevenson borrowed were mostly relatively unimportant parts from other writer’s lesser works. From them Stevenson created a story of enduring popularity.

Again, that Stevenson seems to have borrowed from [James Fenimore Cooper’s romance, The Sea Lions], as well as from Irving and Marryat, is important chiefly because of what he did with the elements he appropriated for his own romance. That is to say, the parallels are of interest as a key to Stevenson’s genius, witnessed by his skill at recombining elements from what are generally conceded to be lesser works of Irving and Cooper into one of the most entertaining novels of all time. From the Introduction

Other topics of interest that Seelye discusses include comparisons of Jim Hawkins to other fictional boys of the period such as the boys of Mark Twain’s work. Boys who rebel against adult authority, seem untrustworthy, even morally misguided, yet are compelled by their better angels to do the right thing. In that respect, Treasure Island has aspects of young adult and coming of age stories. The history of the adventure novel and Treasure Island ’s place in its evolution is discussed. And, while Stevenson may have been inspired by those who came before him, he in turn was a source of inspiration for others. Possible examples include Peter Pan (1904), where the alter-ego relationship of Hawkins and Long John Silver is somewhat replicated between Peter Pan and Captain Hook, and Kim (1901), which takes the adventure novel to not only international but cross-cultural spaces.

Treasure Island was a huge success when first published. Over the course of a century, ‘Treasure Island’ has created a position for itself in our culture, symbolising romance, adventure and the exotic. Just see how the resort and island holiday industry evoke it. The original novel retains those aspects as well as its ability to entertain while also inhabiting an important place in the evolution of adventure and coming of age fiction.

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Big Book Review

Read More, Discover More – Uncover Your Next Great Book

Treasure Island Book Review

Over two centuries since its publication, Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson still captures the hearts of readers with its thrilling adventures, daring pirates, and hidden treasures. This timeless classic is filled with dangerous quests, positive lessons, and unforgettable characters that continue to resonate with audiences of all ages. Strap in for a journey full of pirates , treasures , and a tale that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.

Table of Contents

Key Takeaways:

Engaging and thrilling adventure: Treasure Island is a classic tale that continues to captivate readers with its exciting plot and well-developed characters.
Exploration of themes: The book examines into themes of greed, loyalty, and the dual nature of humanity, offering readers deeper insights into human behavior.
Timeless appeal: Despite being written over a century ago, Treasure Island remains relevant and enjoyable for readers of all ages, making it a timeless classic in literature.

Setting Sail: The World of Treasure Island

The allure of pirates and buried gold.

Some stories have the power to transport us to a world of adventure and mystery, and Treasure Island is no exception. The lure of pirates, buried treasure, and the high seas has captivated readers for generations.

Setting the Scene: Time and Place

Setting sail with Jim Hawkins and the crew of the Hispaniola , readers are transported to the late 17th century Caribbean Sea . The time of pirates, buccaneers, and hidden riches.

For instance, the danger of encountering ruthless buccaneers like Long John Silver, the excitement of exploring remote islands in search of treasure, and the thrill of a high-stakes adventure make the setting of Treasure Island a truly immersive experience for readers of all ages.

Meet the Crew: Characters Analysis

Jim hawkins: the boy hero.

Now, let’s explore into the characters of Treasure Island! With his quick wit and brave spirit, Jim Hawkins steals the spotlight as the young protagonist and hero of the story. His journey from an ordinary innkeeper’s son to a courageous treasure seeker is filled with thrilling adventures and valuable life lessons.

Long John Silver: The Charismatic Antagonist

Any discussion of the crew would be incomplete without mentioning Long John Silver, the charming yet cunning antagonist of Treasure Island. His one-legged appearance may seem intimidating, but it’s his charismatic personality and ability to manipulate others that make him a truly formidable foe for Jim and the crew.

Treasure Island Book Review: Dive Into Your Next Adventure

This marvelously complex character is a master of deception, switching alliances effortlessly to further his own agenda. His silver tongue and strategic mind keep the crew on their toes, never knowing if he’s friend or foe. Long John Silver’s influence on the story is undeniable, stirring up both danger and excitement at every turn.

X Marks the Plot: A Breakdown of the Story

The Quest Begins: A Map and a Mission

To commence on the adventure in “Treasure Island,” young Jim Hawkins finds a mysterious map that leads him and a motley crew to a journey filled with excitement, danger, and discovery. The treasure map triggers a quest that will test their bravery and wits as they navigate the high seas and evade treacherous pirates.

Twists and Treachery on Treasure Island

On their quest for buried treasure, Jim and the crew encounter a series of unexpected turns, with betrayals, ambushes, and strategic alliances shaping their fates. Long John Silver, the enigmatic one-legged pirate, adds a layer of complexity to the story as his true intentions remain shrouded in mystery.

With deception lurking around every corner and alliances shifting like the tide , “Treasure Island” keeps readers on the edge of their seats with its thrilling plot twists and the timeless appeal of a classic adventure tale.

Themes and Symbols: Uncovering Hidden Treasures

Coming of age and bravery.

Bravery plays a significant role in “Treasure Island” as the characters face dangerous situations and tough choices. Jim Hawkins, the young protagonist, undergoes a journey of self-discovery and personal growth as he navigates through unknown territories and encounters ruthless pirates. His courage and resilience in the face of danger highlight the theme of coming of age, where he transforms from a naive boy to a brave young man.

Greed, Morality, and the Human Spirit

Themes of greed, morality, and the human spirit are interwoven throughout the novel, adding depth to the storyline. The pursuit of treasure brings out the darker side of human nature, as characters grapple with their desires and moral dilemmas. Long John Silver, with his complex character, embodies the struggles between greed and morality, showcasing the internal conflicts faced by individuals when faced with temptations.

Hidden treasures in “Treasure Island” extend beyond the physical riches sought by the characters. Secrets, lies, and betrayals lurk beneath the surface, challenging the characters’ beliefs and testing their principles. The journey to uncover hidden treasures goes beyond the search for gold, leading to personal revelations and emotional growth that are invaluable lessons for both the characters and readers alike.

Hence, “Treasure Island” is a timeless adventure novel that has captivated readers for generations with its exciting pirate tale. Stevenson’s vivid descriptions and engaging characters make this a must-read for anyone who loves a good swashbuckling story. From Long John Silver’s cunning schemes to Jim Hawkins’ bravery, the characters in this book are unforgettable. Whether you are a fan of classic literature or just looking for an exciting story, “Treasure Island” is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page. So, grab a copy of this beloved book and be prepared to set sail on a thrilling adventure!

Q: What is Treasure Island about?

A: Treasure Island is a classic adventure novel written by Robert Louis Stevenson. It follows the tale of Jim Hawkins, a young boy who discovers a treasure map and sets off on a journey to find the buried treasure with a crew of pirates.

Q: Why is Treasure Island considered a timeless classic?

A: Treasure Island is considered a timeless classic because of its gripping storyline, memorable characters, and themes of adventure, friendship, and betrayal. The novel has stood the test of time and continues to captivate readers of all ages.

Q: What makes Treasure Island a must-read for book lovers?

A: Treasure Island is a must-read for book lovers because it combines elements of suspense, mystery, and excitement in a thrilling seafaring adventure. The vivid descriptions and well-developed characters make the story come alive, keeping readers hooked from beginning to end.

Review: Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson book cover

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But what about the infamous 'black spots' gifted by the sinister harbinger of death,Blind Pugh who comes calling on the Old pirates...tapping through the mist with his stick??? Much copied and never bettered? Haunted me as a child and still works creepily now...film with Robert Newton as Long John fabulous and I loved him getting away from conventions of justice!

Ah, the black spots - they seem to be one of the less borrowed tropes of Stevenson's work. I have a feeling Stevenson invented them, but a quick google tells me that perhaps they were based on an old pirate custom of giving an ace of spades playing card to those who were to be charged, or discharged, as the case may have been. And oh yes, Blind Pugh - the novel opening is a whole lot better than I had expected somehow. Not a section anyone thinks of particularly, but wonderfully gothic in its way. I haven't seen any adaptations of the novel, nor have I read much other pirate literature, so I'll leave it to others to argue whether Stevenson's original has been improved upon. One thing I can say, it's one hell of a romp!

This was absolutely one of my favorite books in school. I have to say Matthew I found your blog while working and really think I'd like to stick around. You have great design work and your reviews are excellent. My only question is have you considered adding other ways to follow your blog such as networked blogs or linkys? -K8 http://froze8.blogspot.com/ Your Hire Me page was excellent, I'm a personal assistant and freelancer, I should be working on creating such a page myself.

Thanks very much K8 - it's lovely to get positive feed back. I've considered offering other subscription methods, but haven't fully investigated. My (possibly antiquated) theory is, if people enjoy my reviews they'll always stop back for more. Treasure Island is a great read - glad to hear you enjoyed it as a youngster. I'm not sure I'd have got on so well with it as a child.

My pleasure Matthew! Treasure Island is a great read! I'd love to give it another go one day.

Have you tried 'Silver' but Andrew Motion? It was released a couple of years ago and is supposed to be a sequel. I keep meaning to try it.

No but I will add it to my list!

Uhm, how about Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde ?

Oh, that'd definitely be worth a review. Lots to talk about there.

I always welcome comments...

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Treasure island, by robert louis stevenson, recommendations from our site.

“What’s really wonderful about the book is that everything is credible, so much so, that I think that it was the first book where I was really able to live inside the hero of the story. I was in that barrel of apples on the deck of the Hispaniola overhearing the plans for the mutiny Long John Silver was making.” Read more...

Michael Morpurgo recommends his Favourite Children’s Books

Michael Morpurgo , Children's Author

Other books by Robert Louis Stevenson

Kidnapped by robert louis stevenson, the strange case of dr jekyll and mr hyde by robert louis stevenson, our most recommended books, gut garden: a journey into the wonderful world of your microbiome by katie brosnan, black beauty by anna sewell, the lord of the rings by j r r tolkien, jane eyre by charlotte brontë, reckless: the petrified flesh cornelia funke, translated by oliver latsch, fourteen wolves: a rewilding story by catherine barr & jenni desmond (illustrator).

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April 15, 2020

Treasure island by robert louis stevenson.

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Book Review – Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

The Audible Original dramatisation of Treasure Island is a fantastic adaptation of a classic adventure story. It is really brought to life by an amazing cast including Catherine Tate, Philip Glenister, Owen Teale and Daniel Mays. These are some great British actors and I think every character has been pretty perfectly cast. Owen Teale, who most people will know as Ser Alliser Thorne from Game of Thrones is ideal as Long John Silver and Catherine Tate was born to play Jim’s shrill mother. The important thing about an audiobook is getting the right people to bring it to life and this is a cast who embody their roles.

Treasure Island is the tale of Jim Hawkins, the son of two innkeepers. When the mysterious Billy Bones turns up one night, Jim finds himself caught up in an adventure full of fear, treasure, and pirates. Billy is looking out for the one-legged man who he believes is out to get him. When Billy dies, Jim finds a treasure map that leads to a stash of pirate booty. Quickly, he is thrust onto the high seas and finds his life filled with adventure, treachery, mutiny, and murder. The boy finds himself drawn to the ship’s cook but he soon finds out that Long John Silver isn’t the decent sailor that he claims to be. When it turns out that most of the crew are actually pirates, the other sailors have to fight for their lives and the treasure they seek. With so many people out for themselves, Jim starts to have trouble figuring out who he can trust and who is the good guy.

Treasure Island is jampacked with adventure on the high seas. It has everything that you could want from a piratical adventure. There’s plenty of rum, singing, sword fighting, and talking parrots. This is the book that has inspired so many tales and you can see why. The pace builds as the book goes on and there are never any moments when you feel the action is lagging. Billy turns up early on and, from that moment, the story is in full swing. Which is exactly what you want from an adventure novel. We move from Jim’s quiet and boring life at the inn to the high seas. From there we experience danger and mysterious places. It’s a wild ride that everyone can enjoy.

Jim is regularly caught in the middle of the sailors and the pirates. He’s heard of how awful pirates are but he’s also been charmed by them. The story works so well because Jim is an innocent and naive young man trapped between two very different worlds. The pirates are characterised as being self-destructive and impulsive. They only care about themselves and don’t like to be held down by rules or authority. On the other hand, the sailors and Dr Livesy are the pragmatic and modest individuals who prefer rule and order. Yet, we are drawn to pirates like Long John, Billy, and Ben Gunn. On the flip side, Dr Livesy and Captain Smollett are too rigid and self-righteous for us to engage with them. We see Jim regularly exhibit both traits as he struggles to decide which side he belongs to.

Which leads to a lot of debate about who is right and who is wrong. One of the greatest aspects of the novel is the ambiguity of good and evil. Long John Silver is both someone who can charm and terrify Jim. He threatens the young man but also saves his life. Then there are the supposed good guys like Dr. Livesey and Captain Smollett. When it comes to the treasure, they are just as greedy and unscrupulous as the pirates. This is a novel that delves deep into human nature and the importance of reputation and status. It really brings an added depth to the simple pirate adventure as we see Jim go on an emotional journey as well as his literal journey.

This dramatisation is a faithful to the book but they manage to bring it up-to-date a little. It feels fresh and different enough from other adaptations of the book. The cast all do and wonderful job and the whole production really brings the story to life. I think this is the kind of book that really thrives on being told in this way. It drags you into the adventure and heightens the drama. Getting the right actor, it is easy to see why Jim is drawn to certain characters and not others. I would definitely recommend this dramatisation to everyone whether you love the book or haven’t read it.

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Plot Summary

Treasure island, by robert louis stevenson.

'Treasure Island' tells the story of Jim Hawkins, a young boy who happens to come across a map to an Island, where Captain Flint, a pirate, has kept his treasures buried.

Article written by Mizpah Albert

M.A. in English Literature and a Ph.D. in English Language Teaching.

In this classic adventure novel, Jim narrates his dream come true sea voyage to the treasure island, the obstacles he had to go through, and how he safely brought back his people.

‘Spoiler-free’ Treasure Island Summary

Treasure Island is a story of Jim Hawkins and an expenditure to bring back home the buried treasure from a faraway island. The story is narrated from Jim’s perspective, a young of about sixteen. R.L. Stevenson structured Treasure Island as a journal record kept by Jim at the request of Squire Trelawney and Dr Livesey.

Jim meets Billy Bones when he comes to stay at his father’s in Admiral Benbow, on the Bristol Channel, in England. He stayed for an unusually long time and failed to pay for his stay. Meanwhile, he comes across his former shipmates, Black Dog and Pew, a blind man, who hands over the black spot. But he suffers a stroke and dies even before the pirates reach the spot. Jim and his mother take away the money he owes them, and some papers, which were later recognized by squire Trelawney as a map to locate the mysterious treasures kept buried somewhere by Captain Flint.

Squire Trelawney soon set to action and arranges for a crew to guide them and help them through the journey on his schooner, the Hispaniola. As they were about to reach the shore, they realized that many crew members are none other than the pirates who served under Captain Flint. Moreover, the one-legged cook is Long John Silver, the one-legged sailor whose appearance Bones treaded.

When captain Smollett comes to know of their evil plan, he decides to act wisely and sends most of the crew members off the ship under the pretext of giving them a day off the sea. On an impulse, Jim follows Long Silver and his crew. Soon, all the crew members join the shore. In the meanwhile, Jim meets Ben Gunn, a marooned pirate on the island. Shortly following this, Silver gets hold of Jim and the map. As the story comes to an end, everyone gets their share of Gold. Silver escapes along with his share of the treasure.

Treasure Island Plot Summary

Spoiler alert: important details of the novel are revealed below.

Jim Hawkins lives with his parents in the “Admiral Benbow,” an Inn near Bristol, England, in the eighteenth century. As the story opens, an old sea captain named Billy Bones comes to their inn. He bid Jim lookout for a one-legged sailor.

A few months through his stay, he suddenly succumbs to a stroke. Meanwhile, he is presented with a black spot (an official pirate verdict of guilt or judgment) and narrates to Jim that his old crew members are after his sea chest. Intrigued, Jim, accompanied by his mother, opens the chest to find the gold hidden at the bottom and some papers wrapped in an oilcloth. In the meantime, they hear the approaching footsteps and leave with the documents before Billy’s pursuers ransack the inn.

Jim meets Dr Livesey and Squire Trelawney, safely escaping the pirates, the contents he has snatched from the sea chest. They recognize it as a map and logbook of a huge treasure buried by the infamous Captain Flint on a distant island. Excited, Trelawney immediately sets out to plan an expedition in his ship, the Hispaniola. He hires crew members and appoints captain Smollett to guide them through their navigation. The ship sets sail for Treasure Island, and when they were about to reach the Island, Jim overhears Long John Silver’s conversation and realizes that most of their crew members are none other than the pirates who once sailed with Flint.

Jim shares the matters with the trio, Captain Smollett, Dr Livesey, Squire Trelawney, about Silver and his plan for a mutiny. When they reach the Island, Captain Smollett devises a plan and sends the mutineers off the ship on the pretext of giving them leisure time onshore. On impulse, Jim sneaks into the boat and goes ashore. The moment they reach the shore, he hides at a safe distance. Unfortunately, after witnessing Silver murdering a sailor who refuses to join the mutiny, he runs further into the island. In the heart of the island, he comes across a man named Ben Gunn, marooned by Flint’s crew members years earlier.

On the other hand, Smollett and his men leave the ship and shelter in a stockade the pirates have built on the shore. Eventually, Jim also joins them in the stockade, along with Ben. Soon, Silver visits and attempts a negotiation with captain Smollett, who in turn denies a meeting with him. As expected, the pirates attack the stockade the next day, and the captain gets wounded.

Taken by his impulse, Jim sneaks away from the stockade in search of Ben’s handmade boat hidden in the woods. When he finds the boat, he sails out to the anchored ship and cuts it adrift, with the hope of depriving the pirates of a means of escape. Unexpectedly, on his return, his boat drifts near the pirates’ camp. Luckily, he escapes without being discovered.

Jim returns to the stockade only to find the pirates occupy it. Moreover, Jim was flabbergasted when Silver tells him that the captain has given the treasure map and other things in exchange for their lives. However, Jim realizes that Silver is having trouble managing his men, as they accuse him of treachery. Thus, Silver forms an alley with Jim and requests him to pretend as a hostage, in turn, help each other survive. Despite his clever plan, the crew informs him that he has been deposed as their commander. Desperate, Silver had to show them the map to gain control over the crew.

Appeased by the sight of the map, the crew set out to the treasure site. But to their bewilderment, they find it being excavated and the treasure removed already. Dr Livesey, Ben Gunn, appears on the scene and starts to fire at the pirates to add chaos to the situation. Scared the crew flees in various directions, while Jim and Silver are directed by the others to Ben’s cave. To their surprise, they come to know that it was Ben who excavated the treasure.

They spend three days carrying the loot to the ship and decide to set sail for home. They encounter some of the mutineers. Still, they were left marooned despite their pleas. Silver, who accompanies them, sneaks off the ship one night with a portion of the treasure and is never heard from again. Others in the ship happily settle with their portion of the reassure. Jim, the novel’s protagonist, swears off treasure-hunting forever and suffers from nightmares about the sea and gold coins.

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About Mizpah Albert

Mizpah Albert is an experienced educator and literature analyst. Building on years of teaching experience in India, she has contributed to the literary world with published analysis articles and evocative poems.

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Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson | Book Review

Book Review of Treasure Island The Children’s Book Review

Treasure Island

Written by Robert Louis Stevenson

Ages: 9+ | 336 Pages

Publisher: Wordsworth Editions Ltd | ISBN-13: 9781840227888

What to Expect: Adventure, Classics, and Coming of Age

Avast ye, me mateys and landlubbers, Treasure Island is the most famous adventurous adventure ever written about pirates.

The story of Treasure Island began as a map that Robert Louis Stevenson had created while drawing with his stepson on a rainy day. In the book, the island is described as looking like “a fat dragon standing up.” Once he started to add harbors and bays, a brilliant story started to come to life. He even mentioned five real-life pirates in Treasure Island : William Kidd, Blackbeard, Edward England, Howell Davis, and Bartholomew Roberts.

Batten down the hatches because this tale begins with Jim Hawkins, a brave and honest young cabin boy, discovering a treasure map belonging to a strange sailor who dies at the Admiral Benbow Inn. Along with his friends, Captain Smollett, Squire Trelawney, and Dr. Livesey, Jim sets sail in Hispaniola with the mission to find the treasure. When it becomes apparent that there are a bunch of buccaneers who also want the map and the buried loot it leads to, Jim must use both his brains and his bravery if he is to fight off the mutinous pirates led by the one-legged Long John Silver.

Just as a stormy ocean swells and moves fast, so too does this adventurous story with its crew of both treacherous and heroic characters. But who will get to the buried pirate booty first? Shiver me timbers, Treasure Island is indeed a splendid choice for adventure-seeking scallywags. Now … read it or walk the plank!

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About the author.

Despite being plagued with illness for much of his life, Robert Louis Stevenson traversed the planet and became a prolific travel writer. His most enduring legacy, however, is as the novelist to Treasure Island, Kidnapped, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, and A Child’s Garden of Verses. He is the 26th most translated author in the world.

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Bianca Schulze is the founder of The Children’s Book Review. She is a reader, reviewer, mother and children’s book lover. She also has a decade’s worth of experience working with children in the great outdoors. Combined with her love of books and experience as a children’s specialist bookseller, the goal is to share her passion for children’s literature to grow readers. Born and raised in Sydney, Australia, she now lives with her husband and three children near Boulder, Colorado.

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Treasure Island

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Treasure Island , classic adventure novel by Robert Louis Stevenson , serialized in the magazine Young Folks from October 1881 to January 1882 under the title The Sea-Cook; or, Treasure Island and published in book form in 1883. Although not the first book about pirates , Treasure Island is considered by many to be the best.

The main character, young Jim Hawkins , helps his parents run the Admiral Benbow, an inn near Bristol , England. One day a desperate-looking ruffian, Billy Bones (“the captain”), appears and takes a room. After being visited by a former mate named Black Dog, Billy suffers a stroke. Later, while drinking rum, he tells Jim that he is a pirate and that he has a treasure map. However, Billy fears that another pirate might mark him with a black spot (a summons or threat). Shortly thereafter, Jim’s ailing father, who is being tended to by Dr. Livesey, dies. A blind beggar, later revealed to be the pirate Pew, subsequently arrives and puts something in Bones’s hand. After Pew leaves, Billy has a fatal stroke.

Young woman with glasses reading a book, student

Jim and his mother open Billy’s sea chest, taking the money owed to them as well as a packet, before fleeing. A group of pirates led by Pew descends on the inn, but they are soon scared off by the sound of approaching horses; Pew is trampled to death. Believing that the pirates were searching for the packet, Jim seeks out Dr. Livesey, who is with Squire Trelawny. The packet is revealed to contain a treasure map, and the three decide to mount an expedition to Skeleton Island to find the hidden riches. However, they are fooled into hiring some of Billy’s former shipmates, including the leader of the pirates, Long John Silver .

During the voyage, Jim overhears Silver and his men planning to steal the treasure once it is found and to kill all of the non-pirates. What follows is a rip-roaring tale of mutiny , treachery, swordfights, and murder as Jim, Dr. Livesey, and the squire are forced to live by their wits in order to survive against ruthless enemies. They are aided by Captain Smollet and by Ben Gunn, a pirate marooned on Skeleton Island. Jim and the others ultimately prevail over the pirates and return home with the treasure. Silver notably escapes with some of the money.

While a preeminent adventure tale, Treasure Island is also an enduring coming-of-age story as Jim both navigates life-and-death situations and encounters moral lessons. It introduced numerous concepts that have become widely associated with pirates: one-legged seamen, black-sailed ships, treasure maps marked with an “X,” the frightening black spot, and parrots yelling “pieces of eight.” With its evocative atmosphere, vivid text, and fantastic characters, Treasure Island spawned countless imitations. Films such as those in the hugely popular Pirates of the Caribbean series still encourage the romanticism of piracy .

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TREASURE ISLAND

by Robert Louis Stevenson & adapted by Jacqueline Austin & developed by Cyberia Media ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 24, 2010

Avast! Young mateys not ready for the original will get an eyeful, an earful and a taste of the timeless pirate adventure...

A rousing abridgment of the classic tale is buoyed by atmospheric sound effects and hearty digital surprises.

Though not all of the 91 screens feature interactive effects, each is illustrated. These are usually multilayered and shadowy, and all are unfailingly evocative of the violent events, exotic locales and dramatic highlights young Jim describes in the overlaid narrative. Automated animations include moving strips of scenery and eerie fade-ins, among others. The frequent touch-activated features (each of which is cued by an inconspicuous icon) are an unusually diverse mix: Sliders cause figures to rise or fog to clear, spinners focus a spyglass or spin a skeleton around a compass rose, cannon fire with a tap. Three-dimensional looks are achieved with moveable scenes viewed through a window. The background audio is similarly varied, switching from a hornpipe to a melodramatic orchestral blare with a turn of the page or presenting a medley of creaking timbers, seagull cries, crashing waves and low muttering. A tap at any page’s bottom brings up buttons to turn the sound off, check a glossary or open a “Contents” strip of page-by-page thumbnails.

Pub Date: Nov. 24, 2010

Page Count: -

Publisher: Cyberia Media

Review Posted Online: May 9, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2011

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CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS AND THE TYRANNICAL RETALIATION OF THE TURBO TOILET 2000

From the captain underpants series , vol. 11.

by Dav Pilkey ; illustrated by Dav Pilkey ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 26, 2014

Dizzyingly silly.

The famous superhero returns to fight another villain with all the trademark wit and humor the series is known for.

Despite the title, Captain Underpants is bizarrely absent from most of this adventure. His school-age companions, George and Harold, maintain most of the spotlight. The creative chums fool around with time travel and several wacky inventions before coming upon the evil Turbo Toilet 2000, making its return for vengeance after sitting out a few of the previous books. When the good Captain shows up to save the day, he brings with him dynamic action and wordplay that meet the series’ standards. The Captain Underpants saga maintains its charm even into this, the 11th volume. The epic is filled to the brim with sight gags, toilet humor, flip-o-ramas and anarchic glee. Holding all this nonsense together is the author’s good-natured sense of harmless fun. The humor is never gross or over-the-top, just loud and innocuous. Adults may roll their eyes here and there, but youngsters will eat this up just as quickly as they devoured every other Underpants episode.

Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2014

ISBN: 978-0-545-50490-4

Page Count: 224

Publisher: Scholastic

Review Posted Online: June 3, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014

CHILDREN'S ACTION & ADVENTURE FICTION

THE FIRST CAT IN SPACE ATE PIZZA

From the first cat in space series , vol. 1.

by Mac Barnett ; illustrated by Shawn Harris ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 10, 2022

Epic lunacy.

Will extragalactic rats eat the moon?

Can a cybernetic toenail clipper find a worthy purpose in the vast universe? Will the first feline astronaut ever get a slice of pizza? Read on. Reworked from the Live Cartoon series of homespun video shorts released on Instagram in 2020 but retaining that “we’re making this up as we go” quality, the episodic tale begins with the electrifying discovery that our moon is being nibbled away. Off blast one strong, silent, furry hero—“Meow”—and a stowaway robot to our nearest celestial neighbor to hook up with the imperious Queen of the Moon and head toward the dark side, past challenges from pirates on the Sea of Tranquility and a sphinx with a riddle (“It weighs a ton, but floats on air. / It’s bald but has a lot of hair.” The answer? “Meow”). They endure multiple close but frustratingly glancing encounters with pizza and finally deliver the malign, multiheaded Rat King and its toothy armies to a suitable fate. Cue the massive pizza party! Aside from one pirate captain and a general back on Earth, the human and humanoid cast in Harris’ loosely drawn cartoon panels, from the appropriately moon-faced queen on, is light skinned. Merch, music, and the original episodes are available on an associated website.

Pub Date: May 10, 2022

ISBN: 978-0-06-308408-7

Page Count: 320

Publisher: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | GENERAL GRAPHIC NOVELS & COMICS | CHILDREN'S ACTION & ADVENTURE FICTION

THE FIRST CAT IN SPACE AND THE SOUP OF DOOM

by Mac Barnett ; illustrated by Shawn Harris

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Review: Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

Goodreads | Waterstones

When a mysterious sailor dies in sinister circumstances at the Admiral Benbow inn, young Jim Hawkins stumbles across a treasure map among the dead man’s possessions. But Jim soon becomes only too aware that he is not the only one who knows of the map’s existence, and his bravery and cunning are tested to the full when, with his friends Squire Trelawney and Dr Livesey, he sets sail in the Hispaniola to track down the treasure. With its swift-moving plot and memorably drawn characters – Blind Pew and Black Dog, the castaway Ben Gunn and the charming but dangerous Long John Silver – Stevenson’s tale of pirates, treachery and heroism was an immediate success when it was first published in 1883 and has retained its place as one of the greatest of all adventure stories.

There was a lot I liked about this book. I found from the very start this one made for the perfect adventure story and I really liked the feeling of it. I read this on audiobook and this one was published by Recorded Books, who I’ve found I really like for classics because the narrators tend to actually sing the songs in the books I’ve listened to so far. That felt like such a big thing in this book because it has such an iconic song (quoted in this post).

Fifteen men on the Dead Man’s Chest Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!

I did find myself switching off a little from the audiobook depending on what I was doing, and I did feel a bit of disconnect with this book. I think this was slightly due to me, and partly due to the book itself. I just found this a little boring in places and found that I didn’t care much about where the plot was heading.

However, when I did find myself focusing on this book properly I enjoyed it. It felt like such a great pirate adventure book and the setting was very entertaining – I’m not usually one for pirate/books set on the sea, but I liked this one.

Drink and the devil had done for the rest Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!

If I did end up ever so slightly regretting reading the audiobook because I have noticed that my Wordsworth copy is illustrated, so if I do ever reread this one I would like to pick up my physical copy!

★★★★ 3.5 out of 5 stars

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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3 thoughts on “ Review: Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson ”

This is one I have had on my TBR for a long time. Still debating on whether I will enjoy it though. Great review. Kat

Like Liked by 1 person

I hope you enjoy it! Thank you

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A Marriage That Changed Literary History

Fanny Stevenson forced her husband, Robert Louis Stevenson, to live a bigger life than he had known.

painting of thin bearded man walking in room with open door behind and woman sitting at right edge in a chair

Updated at 2:34 p.m. ET on August 13, 2024

W hen Fanny met Louis in 1876, he was not yet Robert Louis Stevenson, the author of Treasure Island , Kidnapped , The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde , A Child’s Garden of Verses . He was a scrawny, sickly, rotten-toothed, chain-smoking, 25-year-old literary wannabe who had published a few essays and reviews and was financially dependent on his parents, constantly squabbling with them over how—as they saw it—he was wasting his life, denying God, and generally going to hell in a handbasket. His parents were righteous Scots. He was a flaky bohemian. The men in his family were lighthouse engineers, and his father wanted Louis to continue the tradition. Louis hated engineering. He wanted to write. They compromised on law. His father dangled the equivalent of $145,000 if he passed the bar exam, which he did, but he never practiced, choosing instead to hang out with friends, mostly writers and artists far from the parental home in Edinburgh.

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Fanny Vandegrift Osbourne was 36, 11 years older than Louis, an American, a wife, and a mother. Originally from Indiana, she had married at 17, quickly had a baby, and followed Sam Osbourne, her good-looking and good-natured but feckless husband, to mining camps in the West, where he tried unsuccessfully to strike it rich. Her father gave her a pocket pistol when she left home. She kept it in her bag and learned to shoot a rifle as well. She was one of 60 “respectable” women in a city with 6,000 men. Building furniture, sewing curtains, chopping wood, hauling water, stoking fires, making soap, shooting rattlesnakes, and, of course, cooking, she made a home of their rough quarters.

Camille Peri’s engrossing A Wilder Shore: The Romantic Odyssey of Fanny and Robert Louis Stevenson recounts in some detail the very unromantic odyssey that led Fanny to her meeting with Louis. The book is weighted toward her, partly because Fanny is, in fact, the more colorful of the two Stevensons and partly because of Peri’s underlying feminist project: to do justice to an often-vilified woman. Stevenson biographies tend to be anti-Fanny, downplaying her role in his writing and blaming her for exaggerating his illness and working him to death. Peri’s is pro-Fanny. Her richly researched and vivid double portrait makes a convincing case that Fanny pulled off a rare feat, enabling Louis’s genius to mature while releasing his boyish energies.

From the December 1887 issue: Robert Louis Stevenson

Fanny’s first go at marriage revealed little inclination to martyrdom on anyone’s part. Sam Osbourne regularly visited brothels around the camp and left her for months on quixotic quests for wealth. Finally, fed up with camp life and believing Sam to be dead, Fanny took their daughter, Belle, to San Francisco, where she eked out a living as a seamstress. Sam turned up eventually and got her pregnant again, but soon after their son Lloyd was born, in 1868, she bolted for the second time, going by ship down the California coast and then crossing Panama (no transcontinental railroad yet) to New York, then back overland to her parents’ home in Indiana, where she stayed for a year. Some trip for a woman alone with two children.

Not long after, Sam, now working as a court stenographer in San Francisco and making decent money, prevailed on Fanny to return to him. While Fanny was pregnant with their second son, Hervey, Sam bought the family a little house in Oakland—and began spending most of his time across the bay in San Francisco. Fanny, Peri suggests, was not unhappy in her husband’s absence. Polymorphously creative, she painted, built a wet-plate-collodion darkroom, practiced marksmanship, and gardened seriously, for both food and beauty, pickling cantaloupes and grafting roses. She and Belle began to study art in San Francisco, commuting across the bay by side-wheel steamer while a helper cared for the boys. But Sam carried his faithlessness a step too far, when he tried to bring his current girlfriend into the Oakland household.

Again Fanny gathered the children and left him, this time for Europe, ostensibly to study art, with Sam promising to support them but again not always fulfilling his promises. In Paris in 1875, mother and daughter enrolled at the Académie Julian, an art school that, unusually, offered classes for women. But little Hervey’s health suddenly worsened, and doctors diagnosed tuberculosis. He died at the age of 5 in April. Fanny was devastated, Peri writes, her own robust emotional and physical health broken. Trying to recover, she went with her surviving children, Belle, now 17 years old, and Lloyd, who was 8, to an artists’ colony in Grez, near the Forest of Fontainebleau. She and Belle would spend the summer painting en plein air , escaping the city heat, and enjoying the company of like-minded artists.

From the November 2001 issue: Robert Louis Stevenson’s swirling dreams

Louis and his cousin and best friend, Bob Stevenson, had the same plan, and when they heard that two women would be among the artists at Grez, they were initially horrified. It was a guys-only thing, a kind of summer camp for artsy men. Bob went to Grez early to try to persuade Fanny and Belle to leave. But after he met them, he sent word back to Louis that it would be okay. They were “the right sort.”

Fanny and Louis fell in love almost at first glance , though between the two of them, it is hard to say who was the less impressive catch, the abandoned and abandoning wife or the sickly post-adolescent. Each responded to the other’s core vitality. His charisma was legendary . You can search the biographical record in vain for someone resistant to his wit and charm. Accounts of him mention his remarkably expressive eyes, conduits to his quicksilver soul. And she, though not an obvious beauty, too dark-skinned for the tastes of the time, also had no trouble gathering admirers. She was fun, this wild and tiny woman who could do anything, who smoked and sometimes went barefoot, who painted outdoors and from nude models, like a man.

For Louis, an overprotected man who resented his upbringing and expected all women to be delicate tyrants like his mother, Fanny’s glamour was immense. He had never encountered an American woman outside of books, and she was an unusually unconventional specimen (as Henry James, that connoisseur of rule-bending womanhood, later testified). They lived together in Paris and also saw each other in London, but Fanny did not imagine a future for them as a couple. Louis’s closest friends did not welcome her; they considered her uncouth and damaging to his growing reputation as a belletristic essayist and critic. His family was unhappy. Her family and Sam’s were fiercely opposed to a divorce: The scandal would affect their social standing along with hers. Finally, Fanny returned to Oakland and to Sam in 1878.

It took at least a week and usually more to cross the Atlantic by steamer, then another week to cross the United States by rail. A lovelorn year later, Louis came after her, and in doing so made a kind of existential leap, proving to himself as much as Fanny, by the epic nature of the journey, that he was not an effete young man of letters who had to negotiate his desires with his parents. He seems to have been one of those men for whom marrying an unsuitable woman is a defining act, a rejection of the life that others expect him to live.

He wanted to travel steerage to get the full emigrant experience, but had to upgrade to get a cabin in which he could write. He knew he would use the voyage as material for a book, eventually “From the Clyde to Sandy Hook,” the first half of his ambitious travelogue The Amateur Emigrant . The second half, “Across the Plains,” followed his journey from New Jersey to California on a cut-rate train utterly lacking in comfort. He had to rent a board with straw cushions to sleep on and chipped in with two other men for a bowl, a towel, and soap to wash with. By the time they could change to a better train for the last leg, the air in the crowded carriages was fetid.

The three-week odyssey from Glasgow to San Francisco was eye-opening, every bit as worth writing about as Louis had anticipated. Recording the despair and false hopes that brought so many emigrants from Europe to America was harder-hitting work, less geared to the picturesque and pleasing, than the travel writing he had previously done, such as Travels With a Donkey in the Cévennes . As Peri suggests, Fanny was already nudging him toward greatness as a writer by forcing him to live a bigger life than he had known before he met her.

By the time they were reunited in California, Louis was quite ill. When his coughing began to bring up blood, he and Fanny assumed he had tuberculosis, the only disease people then knew about that was associated with the symptom. Peri cites bronchiectasis, which affects the airways, as another possible diagnosis. Fanny threw respectability to the wind and moved him into her house to nurse him. She had already lost a child and was not going to lose her man.

Without Fanny’s care , Louis might have died before they could be married in San Francisco, in May 1880, four years after they met and five months after she and Sam divorced. Fanny was 40, Louis almost 30, and from then on, it is fair to say that she kept him alive. She trained herself to be his personal physician; subscribed to the British medical journal The Lancet ; promoted bed rest and clean air, the two principal treatments for TB; and stocked palliative drugs for all contingencies. These included laudanum, that Victorian cure-all, to dull his pain; hashish or chloral hydrate (knockout drops) to make him sleep; and, to try to stop his hemorrhaging, the hallucinogen ergotin (derived, as LSD was later, from the ergot fungus, which helped constrict blood vessels). An early believer in germ theory, Fanny would rigorously protect her husband later in life from visitors with colds, irritating both him and would-be callers. Their life became not so much a search for health as a notably adventurous campaign to hold off death .

From the October 1880 issue: A poem by Robert Louis Stevenson

They honeymooned, eccentrically, in an abandoned silver mine in the hills in Napa Valley, with Fanny’s son Lloyd and Chuchu, their dog. The fresh air and mineral springs near St. Helena were reputed to be healthy for consumptives, and staying rent-free in a ghost town appealed to Louis’s imagination. It was their first collaboration: Louis envisioned something, and Fanny made it happen. She turned a shack, overgrown with poison oak, into a livable space. She hammered furniture from crates, set up a kitchen, and managed to keep the family fed and healthy. Fanny created the experience. Louis created the account of it, The Silverado Squatters . This joint effort in the service of his health, his creative output , and their mutual pleasure set a pattern for their life together.

I am fully convinced by A Wilder Shore that without Fanny, the great body of work created by Robert Louis Stevenson in his truncated life of 44 years would not exist. He seems to have been born a stylist, a writer whose sentences delight with their originality, grace, freedom, and bull’s-eye accuracy. However, the knowledge of human character that underlies his wild adventure tales, the kind of knowledge that Dickens acquired from childhood misery and his work as a reporter, Louis got from life with Fanny. Unlike his parents, Fanny wanted Louis to write, and unlike his London chums, who feared that his critical gift would wither in the cultural wastelands beyond London, she encouraged him to write fiction.

In addition to her dozens of other creative modes, Fanny had written and published short stories, including some fantasy tales for children, turning to this as she had to needlework as a way of making money. Now she collaborated with Louis on some stories, and became his first reader and an editor whose enthusiasm for his work was steady but whose criticism was fearlessly expressed.

Their life together led them back to Europe, to Switzerland, Scotland, the south of France, and England, before, famously, Samoa in the final years, always in search of relief from Louis’s physical ordeals, almost always short of money—with writing always in mind. Housebound in the Scottish Highlands because of incessant rain, Louis spent time playing with 13-year-old Lloyd, making up stories to go with Lloyd’s watercolor paintings, as he had sometimes made up stories inspired by flame-shapes in the fireplace. Louis annotated one painting, a map, with names such as Spyglass Hill, and it became the basis of a tale about a boy like Lloyd, who finds himself on a ship full of pirates. In 15 amazing days, Louis wrote the first 15 chapters of Treasure Island , reading them aloud in the evening to his little family and guests. His London friends predictably regretted his wasting himself on a children’s book, but the tap had been opened. Within three years, he published Treasure Island (Fanny told him bluntly—to no avail—that it sagged in the middle), Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (she convinced him that those characters should be two sides, good and evil, of the same person), Kidnapped , and A Child’s Garden of Verses .

Peri does not often venture into extended discussion of Louis’s literary work, but when she does, it can be fascinating; she ties, for example, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to the couple’s rampant use of psychedelics. When Louis hemorrhaged, the drugs Fanny gave him sometimes rendered him close to insane. Louis often thought of himself as living with another person inside him, a creature he called Bloody Jack, who preyed on his weaknesses. Bloody Jack erupted unpredictably, like a volcano, spewing blood and racking coughs, fits that could go on for hours or days, draining his vitality. But the feverish thoughts that came with Bloody Jack could be strangely invigorating.

From the November 1994 issue: The double life of Robert Louis Stevenson

The struggle to keep working was constant. Louis sometimes spent days in bed, speaking only in whispers and writing prone, for fear of bringing on more hemorrhaging, and sometimes he could not read, write, or even see. He would urge Fanny to go out into the world and come back with a tale to tell. She cleaned up his blood and carried him to the toilet. He allowed no one else to do it. If his hemorrhaging was worse than usual, she had to figure out why and how to stop it. “The feeling that my husband’s life depends upon my dexterity of hand and quickness of thought keeps me in a continual terror,” she wrote to Thomas Hardy’s wife, Emma. Louis’s friends thought Fanny a hysteric on the subject, always crying wolf.

One would like to imagine their final years in the South Seas as a beachside vacation, a reward for their difficulties, but sadly this was no stay at Club Med. Much of their time was spent sailing about the Pacific, because Louis found sea air good for his lungs. Fanny never minded, although she was given to seasickness. As so often in her life, she was anomalous but useful, mending clothes, doctoring, and helping the all-male crew repair equipment. Settled eventually in Samoa, the Stevensons built a house and raised their own food. Between his hours of writing, Louis farmed alongside Fanny. Lloyd, as well as Belle and her husband and son, joined them. So did Louis’s now-widowed mother. Fanny continued her culinary experiments. Were the local ferns edible? Louis refused to try them without knowing. Fanny sampled them and was sick for a day. And so she learned.

It is probably clear that I love this couple. I love both of them. I love their incongruity, the tiny round woman who came up to the bony man’s chest. His gift. Her gifts. Their devotion to each other. I admire the way they lived, genuine bohemians who seem to have cared only about staying alive and living intensely, always resourceful, unfussy, and open to new experiences. I like them so much that I hate reading of the times they disagreed, acted badly toward each other, even fought, but that is what married people do. I am grateful to Peri for telling the story of their marriage, in all its complexity, with sympathy and spirit. If only it were possible to tell a gender-bending story like this one without having to point out how gender-bending it is. If only, when Fanny rides a horse astride rather than sidesaddle, one did not have to add that she is “renegotiating concepts of womanhood and equality.”

Few writers have been painted with their wives. Only the portrait of Thomas and Jane Carlyle by Robert Tait, A Chelsea Interior , comes to mind. Jane Carlyle recorded how much they disliked sitting for the painting but little about what they thought of the finished piece, except that their dog looked too much like a sheep. But in 1885, John Singer Sargent, who had been a student of Carolus-Duran in Paris with Louis’s cousin Bob and so came to know the couple, painted them in the dining room of their house in Bournemouth. The portrait is suitably eccentric. Louis is painted in profile, full length, mid-stride, slightly hunched over, but turning to the viewer as though interrupted, stroking his mustache. This was typical behavior, apparently; caught up in conversation, he would walk, talk, and finger his mustache. At the extreme right, almost off the canvas, is a mass of highlights and glitter, which turns out, upon further study, to be Fanny, her face barely visible, sitting in a heavy old chair, barefoot and dressed in a sari with gold trim, an apparition in glitz. Louis liked the painting, in which he saw Sargent’s wit. Fanny described it to an artist friend as a “very insane, most charming picture.” To note that Fanny is marginalized would be tediously obvious. What makes the portrait so special is how Louis’s nervous energy is solidified and monumentalized, while Fanny’s solidity is dissolved into brushstrokes of dazzle. As Sargent understood and Peri proves, this couple requires an eye for dynamic disequilibrium.

This article originally misstated how Fanny Stevenson traversed Panama in 1868. It appears in the September 2024 print edition with the headline “The Wild Adventures of Fanny Stevenson.”

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Treasure Island Review: Adventure in the face of adversity
By Robert Louis Stevenson R.L. Stevenson's 'Treasure Island' is an inspiring book of adventure for young and adult readers of all ages.
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Stevenson, N.C. Wyeth (Illustrations) 3.85. 500,062 ratings17,072 reviews. "For sheer storytelling delight and pure adventure, Treasure Island has never been surpassed. From the moment young Jim Hawkins first encounters the sinister Blind Pew at the Admiral Benbow Inn until the climactic battle for treasure on a tropic isle, the ...
Review: Treasure Island
Freelance writer and book blogger at The Literary Edit, Lucy Pearson reviews Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, as featured in the BBC Big Read.
Treasure Island Book Review
Our review: Parents say ( 15 ): Kids say ( 29 ): Robert Louis Stevenson's most well-known book defines the classic adventure story. Treasure Island comes complete with a lionhearted young hero, ruthless pirates, mutiny, and buried treasure. Though some of the language in this 1883 novel can seem old-fashioned, and occasionally racist, there's ...
Book Review: Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson
Book Review: Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson. Treasure Island was the first major novel of Robert Louis Stevenson. It was first published in 1883 and has remained a much-loved book. First penned as a story for boys, it was as a young boy that I first came across Treasure Island. It was the first real book that I ever read ...
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson [A Review]
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson [A Review] Composed as a story for boys, Treasure Island has been entertaining readers for over a century. Full of adventure, danger and mystery, it is the story of a young boy and a pirate, each fighting to survive, surrounded by men whose greed has made them careless and dangerous.
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
By Robert Louis Stevenson 'Treasure Island,' also sometimes referred to as 'The Sea Cook', is one of Robert Louis Stevenson's most recognized books. The adventure novel encompasses pirates, buried treasure, into an action-packed setting.
Treasure Island Book Review
Treasure Island Book Review Over two centuries since its publication, Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson still captures the hearts of readers with its thrilling adventures, daring pirates, and hidden treasures. This timeless classic is filled with dangerous quests, positive lessons, and unforgettable characters that continue to resonate with audiences of all ages. Strap in for a journey ...
Review: Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Treasure Island (1883), Robert Louis Stevenson 's first published novel, is a piratical adventure book set in the eighteenth century. Opening on the English coast, the book finds young Jim Hawkins living with his parents at the Admiral Benbow Inn, which they run. A mysterious seaman and known pirate, Billy Bones, becomes their long-term lodger ...
Treasure Island
Recommendations from our site. "What's really wonderful about the book is that everything is credible, so much so, that I think that it was the first book where I was really able to live inside the hero of the story. I was in that barrel of apples on the deck of the Hispaniola overhearing the plans for the mutiny Long John Silver was making ...
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Stevenson narrated this book from the perspective of a teenager, Jim Hawkins. One day, he found a map of a mysterious island that holds immense treasure. With the help of his town's men, he starts a voyage but gets betrayed on the way. A few deadly pirates want this treasure and then start the chase and bloodshed.
Treasure Island
Treasure Island (originally titled The Sea Cook: A Story for Boys[ 1]) is both an 1883 adventure novel and a historical novel set in the 1700s by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, telling a story of " buccaneers and buried gold ". It is considered a coming-of-age story and is noted for its atmosphere, characters, and action.
Book Review
When it comes to the treasure, they are just as greedy and unscrupulous as the pirates. This is a novel that delves deep into human nature and the importance of reputation and status. It really brings an added depth to the simple pirate adventure as we see Jim go on an emotional journey as well as his literal journey.
Book Review: Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
The beginning couple of chapters are a little slow, but it speeds up very quickly. Still, this is an amazing adventure book in which young Jim Hawkings, an innkeepers son, gets swept into a pirating adventure. It has all kinds of characters, secret meetings, a map, a talking parrot, a deserted island, fighting, and daring escapes.
Treasure Island Plot Summary
Treasure Island is a story of Jim Hawkins and an expenditure to bring back home the buried treasure from a faraway island. The story is narrated from Jim's perspective, a young of about sixteen. R.L. Stevenson structured Treasure Island as a journal record kept by Jim at the request of Squire Trelawney and Dr Livesey.
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Avast ye, me mateys and landlubbers, Treasure Island is the most famous adventurous adventure ever written about pirates. The story of Treasure Island began as a map that Robert Louis Stevenson had created while drawing with his stepson on a rainy day. In the book, the island is described as looking like "a fat dragon standing up.".
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Treasure Island, classic adventure novel by Robert Louis Stevenson that was serialized in the magazine Young Folks in 1881-82 under the title The Sea-Cook; or, Treasure Island and published in book form in 1883. Although not the first book about pirates, Treasure Island is considered by many to be the best.
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by Robert Louis Stevenson ; illustrated by Chris Sheban BOOK REVIEW A CHILD'S GARDEN OF VERSES by Robert Louis Stevenson ; illustrated by Michael Foreman BOOK REVIEW THE LAND OF NOD by Robert Louis Stevenson ; illustrated by Robert Frank Hunter BOOK LIST 20 Best Books To Read in August 3 Reviews CHILDREN'S shop now amazon bookshelf
Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson)
This time around, I got to indulge myself by reading 'Treasure Island' by Robert Louis Stevenson. Treasure Island, originally named The Sea Cook: A Story for...
Review: Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
About + Contact Reviews Search for:Search Review: Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson On August 18, 2021By Beth JonesIn Book Review Goodreads| Waterstones When a mysterious sailor dies in sinister circumstances at the Admiral Benbow inn, young Jim Hawkins stumbles across a treasure map among the dead man's possessions.
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Treasure Island isn't just one of the most famous coming-of-age tales in modern storytelling, it's also the book that invented everything you know about pirates: Peg legs, parrots, treasure chests, tropical islands, Long John Silver, maps marked with an "X," swashbuckling adventure, and "Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum."
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Treasure Island - Ebook written by Robert Louis Stevenson. Read this book using Google Play Books app on your PC, android, iOS devices. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read Treasure Island.
The Wild Adventures of Fanny Stevenson
Fanny Stevenson forced her husband, Robert Louis Stevenson, to live a bigger life than he had known.
The 10 Best Movie and TV Adaptations of Treasure Island
What Makes It Great. Despite the behind-the-scenes drama and the unforgiving reviews from critics, John Hough's Treasure Island is a guilty pleasure for many fans of Stevenson's novel.With a 3.1 ...
Student info leaked on list of 103K books pulled from Brevard schools
Brevard Public Schools pulled an extensive list of books from district shelves. Most were damaged or lost. ... "Treasure Island" by Robert Louis Stevenson, "1984" by George Orwell and "Anne of ...

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Treasure Island Book Review

Key Takeaways:

Setting Sail: The World of Treasure Island

Setting the Scene: Time and Place

Meet the Crew: Characters Analysis

Long John Silver: The Charismatic Antagonist

X Marks the Plot: A Breakdown of the Story

The Quest Begins: A Map and a Mission

Twists and Treachery on Treasure Island

Themes and Symbols: Uncovering Hidden Treasures

Greed, Morality, and the Human Spirit

Q: What is Treasure Island about?

Q: Why is Treasure Island considered a timeless classic?

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Review: Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

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