Rating: 
Summary: a quandary of a critical shipwreck
Review: Defoe's book is one of the first English novels and a prime example of Restoration literature because, hey, nothing reinvigorates a nation like a spicy tale of shipwreck and pirates. Loosely based on a true story, "Robinson Crusoe" is about a young sailor-trader-vagrant who runs away from home and his father's urgings to pursue law. His little sailing adventure quickly goes awry, and before long, visions of "Castaway" will dance in your head.The bulk of the story takes place on the island where he's isolated for years, and years, and years, and without television or a good book. As a result, Defoe saturates this novel with description, preening into the tiniest details of daily shipwreck life. His focus on the mundane is wonderful - for the first 3 days of island captivity - but quickly bores after that. The true adventure lies in Crusoe's bold character rather than island logistics and could be further explored with the events that sandwiched his solitude. Without a doubt though, this is a classic that leaves much to be digested. Crusoe is a timeless character, the aimless youth of yesterday, today, and tomorrow who stands ready to conquer the world but who's not quite sure how to go about it. It's no wonder why the emerging British middle class gobbled it up or why it continues to cater to the dreamers who feel an odd kinship to the bold Crusoe. For me though, this book is not a personal favorite; the action flows like molasses and the critical payoff is, in my estimate, not worth the 275 page investment. I'm also not fond of the prose, most of which comes off in Crusoe's proud, definitive bursts of declarative sentences. In an edition note, I bought the Bantam Classic which is fine enough for a leisure read. If you're aiming at serious study or otherwise going for the authentic Defoe experience however, be forewarned that this version contains chapter titles not published with the original work. Buy another edition if you don't want spoilers.
Rating:
Summary: Unhurriedly Pragmatic Adventure Story
Review: In the literary world it is perhaps blasphemy to say a bad word against Daniel Defoe's most acclaimed novel. So here goes. The fact that the book was originally titled The Life And Strange Surprising Adventures Of Robinson Crusoe illustrates the major flaw in Defoe's literary form. Put simply, this would be a far more interesting and gripping story were it not so superfluously lengthy. The author makes a habit of repeating himself, especially when it comes to the act of dispatching kittens, which seems to be more of an obsession here than octogenarian ladies are to MatronsApron. It is difficult, you may think, to keep the subject matter fresh when describing the daily tribulations of a fellow stranded on an island for thirty years, without occasionally repeating yourself. True, but perhaps a straightforward solution to this diminutive quandary would be to simply truncate the duration of the story. There are some wonderfully intriguing and suspenseful moments, and some juicy action to boot, but sadly these are gratuitously diluted by lengthy descriptions of the unremarkable everyday goings on in Crusoe's life, and rather than serving to build up the suspense, they merely obstruct the reader's relationship with the more exciting parts of the story.
However, those with more patience than my ignorant self will find in Robinson Crusoe a delightful tale, which as well as being a fictional documentary of the most unusual thirty years of Mr. Crusoe's life, also has time to ponder upon philosophical and theological ideas, in a style that makes the reader feel as if they are involved in the conflicts between the functionalist and cynical thoughts going on in Crusoe's mind. It may not be a gripping white-knuckle adventure, being rather more leisurely and acquiescent, but it is still rather easy to see why Robinson Crusoe is regarded by some as one of the greatest novels of all time.
Rating:
Summary: Necessity is the mother of Exploitation
Review: Written in 1719, Robinson Crusoe is one of the first adventure novels, and its clear action and detailed portrayal of a man stranded make it a classic. The book gets off to a fast start, with a series of storms and escapes that make you think the action will never stop-but then it does. For about a hundred pages, or twenty-four years of Crusoe's life, we suffer a dry spell of isolation right along side the narrator. Now here's what bothers me about this hundred-page dry spell: Crusoe turns out to be an absolutely ingenious handy-man, perfectly suited for island life. We're never in suspense of whether our man will live or die from day to day. He turns out to be an able carpenter, cook, hunter, builder, farmer-whatever he needs, the hero has the uncanny ability to whip up out of the convenient natural abundance of the island. This combination of the flawless man in an unlimited environment becomes incredibly annoying after a while. The only real obstacle is loneliness, and the narrator's psychology is so cheery that even this seems trivial. I would have much rather heard a few curses at fate than the disgustingly admirable optimism that pervades the book. And that's why I think the time spent alone on the island-what many consider to be the essence of this book-is abominably boring. About the midpoint of the book, however, something unexpected happens and the action picks up again, diverting us from the irritating perfection and complacency of the hero. There are lots of rumors going around that this book is politically incorrect. I'll just say that if you're not put off by: animal mutilation, British Imperialism, Native American massacres, proselytizing, religious fanaticism, portrayals of other races as brutish and uncivilized, cannibalism, exploitation of Africans, exploitation of Native Americans, exploitation of Muslims, tobacco farming, kidnapping, selling children into slavery, or just plain subjugation of others and the natural world-I say, if you can get past these things and accept them as part of the times (18th century England), then you might consider giving this a read.
Rating: 
Summary: Great language and characterization
Review: This is not a novel for those who like quick action and a lot of dialogue. Robinson Crusoe is superbly written, and tends to draw out the events, with a great deal of imagery provided in order to describe everything with minute details. Seeing as to how this is one of my favorite novels, I have read Robinson Crusoe probably about six times, in more than one language. My favorite aspect of this novel is the language in which it is written. Defoe's ability to make every word worth reading is enough to captivate and ignite the imagination. I do not think that if you like fast-paced novels that you would enjoy this masterpiece, but it is a matter of personal preference. If you enjoy well-developed character, then Robinson Crusoe's charater is one worth devoting your time to. Defoe creates a human being, with faults and flaws, as well as dignified qualities. Robinson Crusoe is truly worthy of emulation, and is one of the greatest-developed characters in a work of literature. I recommend this novel to anyone who is willing to take the time to read every sentence and who is not so impatient as to expect action to appear on every page of the novel.
Rating: 
Summary: I eat wood
Review: I love this book. I would sit around and munch on my wood and read and read. I will shove a stick in my toe. Who the heck is Garfield trying to fool with his orange fur and black stripes? everyone knows he is a tabby. My best friend is a cactus. I think I know everything about tactical numbers and emoticons, but who's to say that the Titanic was the biggest? How many more hormon-pumped teens must be shot in the aorta before ol' bush decides to bring guns back into the schools. I like to eat broadswords. Let's hear it for Robinson Cruesoe!
Let's hear it for wood munching!!
Let's hear it for dog warts!!!
Harry Potter is a transvestite garter snake.
Rating: 
Summary: Checked the box, now moving on...
Review: Though I'm happy to say that I've read this book as a member of the English-literature canon, it has been a dry read. Inspired to approach it by the movie Castaway (Note however that the film is not based on the novel), I'm confronted by a overwhelming need for a modern interpretation of the stranded-isle genre. Slow in action; ponderous with 18th century circuitious, flowery and repetitive prose; haphazardly concerned with supportive plot details -- it wasn't a long read, but about as enjoyable and juicy as a Mexican pastry. I'd be surprised if this is still on school reading lists today considering it reflects an appauling stance on slavery and white supremacy (though true to the era). Furthermore, it openly espouses a fundamental, Calvinist theology that most school districts would altogether avoid. Crusoe's spiritual journey is the sole theme of the book that addresses any sort of intellectual character development. Even though it grows distastful in some respects, expunge this topic from the novel and your left with a comic book. And if reduced to a characture, why wouldn't you opt for something like Stevenson's child-friendly Swiss Family Robinson? Something filled with adventure, intrigue, humor and drama? To make this novel more enduring it would certainly have benefitted to analyze Crusoe's enduring lonliness and its effects on his psyche. Until the character Friday appears, Defoe barely mentions solitude even being an issue for Crusoe. Is not man a fundamentally social creature? Would there not be painful, enduring mental extirpations to work through? Sigh...what else is there to say but it's a book to check off the list and move on.
Rating: 
Summary: Robinson Crusoe is a despicable person
Review: I can't believe this book is considered one of the best books of all time. Forget the fact that it is poorly written with Daniel Defoe repeating himself several times throughout the first half of the book (an example would be that he retells the first three years of his life on the island at least three times in different forms), but that the character of Robinson Crusoe is such a despicable person. How do I even begin. You have a spoiled rich kid who doesn't listen to his father's advise and sets out to see the world. He is taken prisoner and made a slave. When he finally does escape you would think that he would have learned from this experience how wrong it is to enslave others, but he doesn't. He sets up a tobacco plantation in Brazil and sets out on a voyage to Africa to enslave men to work on his plantation, when he is shipwrecked. All others on the boat are drown. How am I supposed to feel bad for this individual? He says he has no companionship, but he doesn't deserve any. It isn't until he is on the island for several chapters that he even mentions the fact that a dog survived from the shipwreck. He had listed every last essential object he had saved from the ship several times in the earlier chapters, but since a dog means nothing to him, it is an afterthought. He has cats, but drowns the kittens. I understand he needed to eat, but this character has no morals. The island he is on is one of the few that turtles breed on, and he kills them readily. He kills a dolphin, (I'm not sure how exactly he did this, when he was on land). He kills goats while they are with their kids, and then when the kids follow him home he kills them as well. If there had been any baby seals on the island I have not doubts he would have clubbed them all to death. When he finally meets the savage Friday he is happier to have a servant than to have a companion. I find it humorous that the man giving this savage religious counsel has no Christian morals himself. Crusoe thinks he is a good Christian, but he only looks to God when his life is in peril, and then he quickly forgets his teachings during all other fazes of his everyday world. He thinks God has cursed him. I think it is probably more that He is trying to protect the rest of the world from him. The character Friday is one of the few things I liked about the book, when he forces Crusoe to question his own beliefs. Crusoe however takes everything about the savage for granted. How can you blame Friday for wanting to be in his own country. When Friday comes upon his Father in need, and is taking care of him, Crusoe is like a little baby that is upset because Friday isn't spending enough time serving him. Crusoe even puts down Friday's religion, when he doesn't even understand his own. Then when he converts Friday over to Christianity and Friday asks Crusoe to come over to his island and to help and teach his people, all Crusoe can think of is himself. Later Crusoe becomes aware of some Spaniards shipwrecked on the mainland. While he is waiting for them to return, he himself is rescued. Instead of having his rescuers who become indebted to him, go over to the mainland to assist the Spaniards, he just leaves them. From one who knows what is it like to be shipwrecked himself, and that they are in danger over there, this is unacceptable. I can't believe Friday just leaves without inquiring about his father either. Then in the end Crusoe returns, obtains money and goes back to the island and enslaves many of the savages. I kept hoping when the savages came to his island that they would have tracking skills like the Indians in the "Last of the Mohicans" and that they'd find him out and killed him. Or that Friday would be more like the savage Queequeg in "Moby Dick" who stayed true to his own religious beliefs. Alas they were not.
Rating:
Summary: Something we all feel we ought to read.
Review: As the first English novel ever written, Daniel Defoe's novel is perhaps worth reading merely as something that all cultured people ought to have read. However, the book has few literary merits on its own - it's alternately abrupt and tedious, and has a poor plot. Evidently, authors improved at writing fiction in English over time.
Rating:
Summary: adventurous spirit
Review: This story is about the adventurer who gets stranded on the island. His name is Robinson Crusoe. He was born in the city of York in the north of England. His father is German and mother is British. He has a very large dream, which is leaving far away from his home and goes on journey by the ship. Then his story has started.
First, Robinson gets the ship by other peoplefs cooperation, gather the shipmate, and start the journey. During the journey his ship is caught in a storm, and be arrested by a pirate ship. Then he arrives in an uninhabited island coincidentally. He lives alone and has a hard time. Next, he meets the man who arrived in this island accidentally too. He calls this man Friday because they met each other on Friday. Later they fight with cruel foreigner and win the battle. Finally they can be able to go back home and live happily.
This story makes the other people who want to venture once in a lifetime be able to have the adventurous spirit. Especially to boys because they have adventurous dreams, I think. They think that to leave far away from home can make their own story. However this dream is very hard to make it happen because it is very difficult to live without family. This means people cannot live without anybodyfs help. On the other hand if they once have a chance to be able to read this book, they might feel like they are one of the character in the story and experience the same mood as Robinson. I like adventure but I do not want to make it real because it is not easy at all. I enjoyed reading this book very much because it made me feels enjoy, excite, and wonder. I recommend this book for anyone who likes action and adventure.
Rating:
Summary: Rejuvented version of a classic that was showing it's age...
Review: The DK Classics series is a great introduction to the a good range of classic books. Having been raised as a purist, I was a bit uncertain about giving abridged versions of the classics to our kids, but re-reading some of the originals reminded me why some of these classics are loosing their shine- becoming historical artifacts, rather than living, engaging stories. Robinson Crusoe is a prime example of this- although it is nearly an icon as a storyline, it was very much a product of it's time & place, and the world has definitely moved on! But with DK's always-excellent sidebars, giving historical perspective and making the text tangible, and a rather good abridgement, the story becomes possible even for youngish readers. Reviewers who have complained about it being long, slow, overly moralistic or religious should have a go at the unabridged version! The best thing about this Robinson Crusoe- as well as The Three Musketeers and The Odyssey from the same series- is that our kids really enjoyed them, and are building a good background in writings that have shaped so much of how we view the world. Perhaps they'll read the originals one day- almost certainly in a literature class- and if so they will start with a good understanding of the work.
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