Robinson Crusoe

Rating:
Summary: Have a classic experience!
Review: I re-read the book after 40 years and was startled at how good it is. If you are an old-timer and have forgotten it, read it again. You will see once again why it is a classic. I highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Have a classic experience!
Review: I re-read the book after 40 years and was startled at how good it is. If you are an old-timer and have forgotten it, read it again. You will see once again why it is a classic. I highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: A classic adventure novel
Review: If you enjoy adventure style literature than the Daniel Defoe novel Robinson Crusoe if definitely a must read. The story begins in the city of York with Robinson Crusoe as the narrator. His father wanted him to pursue a career in law, however his mind was filled with visions of the sea as a young lad. His first voyage proves to be enlightening and frightening at the same time. When on his second voyage pirates board the ship and he is made a slave. After escape he becomes a plantation owner and after a couple years feels the urge to hit the high seas once more. The next voyage proves to be a turning point in the novel. Crusoe who is now shipwrecked, with some supplies left over from the wreckage, on what he believes to be a deserted island must deal with many adversities if he wishes to survive. The physical aspects of survival are difficult enough for Crusoe, but now thoughts of regret for not listening to his father now play though his mind. Crusoe becomes a devote Christian and reads The Bible with great concentration and frequency. Still alone on the island he improves his carpentry skills and begins to take his knowledge from his plantation days to start producing his own crops. Next comes the livestock and now Crusoe has himself a small farm to live off of. As the years pass Crusoe begins to notice signs of human beings and human remains on the island. With the fear of savage cannibals living among he changes the way he lives. Crusoe conjures up plans to attack the savages in hopes of saving the helpless victims in their clutches, however he must battle with his Christian beliefs on killing. Dafoe demonstrates very nicely how Crusoe must battle internally with himself throughout his time alone. Robinson Crusoe is a classic adventure novel and is recommended to all who enjoy this genre.

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: More than just a man on an island
Review: It's one of the classic man-alone surviver adventure stories. The bit on the island is actually only a small portion of the overall narrative. The bulk of the book follows Crusoe's attempts to reassimilate in English society after his time on the island living as a savage. Of course the movie versions only cover the time on the island, leaving the ending to assume that Crusoe will live happily ever after once he's rescued.

Rating:
Summary: Robinson Crusoe
Review: The book Robinson Cursoe by Daniel Defore is a very good book. It is a very adventurous and spellbinding work of art. The book is about Robinson Cursoe, a man that disobayed his parents and ventured out to sea. Robinson got stranded on a island secluded from civilization. He made a life for himself trying to survive. He faced many dangers and peril trying to find a way to escape. Then he finally found a way to escape back to civilization. I liked this book very much, it was very adventurous and thrilling. I would recommend this book to people with an open mind and with a good sense of adventure.

Rating:
Summary: Didn't want it to end
Review: This is a wonderful book on many levels. Despite his father forbidding it and providing sound advice about taking the moderate road, Robinson yearns to become a seaman. From the moment he directly disobeys his father and goes to sea, the Hand of Providence becomes central to the plot. From shipwrecks to slavery the point seems to keep being driven home to him that he is not following the correct path. When he begins living in the manner that he is 'supposed' to live, he excels and would do well. Each time he steps out of line, however, he is slapped with disaster until Providence is his sole companion and he has a wealth of time to consider his choices. It is an intriguing look at the grip religion had on the people of DeFoe's time as well as one hell of a great adventure story. I wished that it would keep on going.

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 character 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: A Classic of Fiction
Review: While the story is a moderately entertaining adventure story about a man who gets ship-wrecked on a deserted isle in the 17th century; the real value lies in two other facets of the tale - a representative view of the mores of the time period and the evolution of the character of Robinson Crusoe.

The story clearly exhibits the various attitudes of the era; from religion and slavery, to nationalism and imperialism. Crusoe embodies the very soul of the period Englishman, making this work a valuable piece of literature in understanding this point of reference when studying the period.

The other aspect of the story worth noting is the evolution of Crusoe from the wandering free-spirit to the responsible, benevolent civilized man, a metaphor for the development of England from a small island nation to the Imperial caretaker of much of the world.

And, no one compares with N.C. Wyeth as far as an illustrator of adventure novels (with the possible exception of his mentor, Howard Pyle). The images are well worth paying a little extra.
P-)