Rating: 
Summary: A more realistic Pirate
Review: Granted, it takes a little bit to get used to Diana Souhami's style of prose, but that aside I found this book to be a pleasure to read. This biography of a pirate is certainly far more captivating, interesting, and realistic than Defoe's romanticized version of Selkirk's ordeal.
It is probably safe to say that the author may have added some speculative detail to the main characters habits. These elements, though possibly not true give the reader a greater understanding of Selkirk's personality, and are therefore at least well invented.
This book is both, informative and entertaining, making it a quite enjoyable read.
Rating:
Summary: A more realistic Pirate
Review: Granted, it takes a little bit to get used to Diana Souhami's style of prose, but that aside I found this book to be a pleasure to read. This biography of a pirate is certainly far more captivating, interesting, and realistic than Defoe's romanticized version of Selkirk's ordeal.
It is probably safe to say that the author may have added some speculative detail to the main characters habits. These elements, though possibly not true give the reader a greater understanding of Selkirk's personality, and are therefore at least well invented.
This book is both, informative and entertaining, making it a quite enjoyable read.
Rating: 
Summary: Not much of a history turtuously written
Review: I have read all the reviews here and have read the book too, enjoying it thoroughly. I find Souhami's meandering style and graphic imagery fascinating. There is no way she could write a book that is just about Selkirk's sojourn on the island, there just isn't enough information. So instead, she weaves a tapestry of the harshness of eighteenth century sealife and lets us imagine for ourselves what it would be like to sail the seas with men like William Dampier in search of booty.
Alexander Selkirk was not a nice guy and he travelled in the company of others who were also not nice guys. But these rough men had their own code and sense of fair play, so when Selkirk argued with and refused to obey his incompetent superior, he was marooned rather than executed as he probably would have been under similar circumstances in the Royal Navy.
Selkirk was of an age when people knew how to do things with their hands, they had to in order to survive. With a bare minimum of necessities, he was able to carve out a lonely yet comfortable existence on his isle of exile. Souhami paints a beautiful portrait of how the lush the island was and how bountiful it must have seemed to the marooned sailor. Her descriptions of the flora, fauna, and topography are very evocative.
Beyond the isle itself, Souhami expands on the geopolitical situation and the position of the English vis-a-vis the Spanish in the struggle for control of the seas and thus of trade. I learned quite a few interesting things about the Spanish settlements and inter-settlement communications reading this book. Souhami's prose makes the era come alive.
Despite all the privations of life at sea, pirates and privateers were guys who were truly free. Selkirk's life is one of breaking the bonds of social custom and morality. His instincts were basic, he was fatalistic, and he had no real interests beyond satisfying his urges and doing what it took so that he could indulge his fancy. His sham marriages show that he saw women the way he saw the goats of his island, as objects of sexual conquest.
Selkirk's Island is a book filled with fascinating facts woven together with logical conjecture. I recommend it as a spellbinding read for anyone who is comfortable thinking "outside the box".
Rating:
Summary: excellent biography
Review: In 1703 an aristocrat and a sea captain cut a deal to pillage the Manila galleon. In 1704, they set sail with one of the sailors being Alexander Selkirk, a poor Scot. Alexander and the officers especially Captain Dampier had several arguments. So the Captain marooned Selkirk on a remote South Seas Island three hundred miles from South America and now owned by Chile and renamed Isla Robinson Crusoe. For the next four years he survived by himself before finally being rescued. Selkirk became a celebrity in England and the model for Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe, written two decades later.Diana Souhami provides readers with a delightful biography of Selkirk that separate fact from fiction. Ms. Selkirk digs deep into the records of the time so that the audience obtains a complete picture of the man, which is quite different from the legend. The results are a superb biography that showcases Ms. Souhami's talent as much as her subject, the ultimate survivor. Readers will enjoy "The true and strange adventures of the real Robinson Crusoe" as much as the Defoe's fictionalized account. Just reconsider the role of those goats. Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: Well-researched picture of the man & the island.
Review: My, my! I don't think this book deserves the previous scathing attacks ... Ms.Souhami has done us all a favour in this charming book, both Selkirk and the island are the subjects of inquiry. Through diligent research and hands-on experience of the actual island, she conjures up a vision of Crusoe's home which is not too different from the almost idyllic place that Defoe described. With beautiful, almost poetic prose, the island, its topography, streams, flora, fauna and appearance are described with graphic imagery, taking one THERE in one's mind. The explorers (mostly privateers) who used the island as a base are also described in great detail, particularly Dampier, with whom Selkirk sailed. Salutary tales of others marooned, barely surviving, precede a description of Selkirk's own marooning, requested in a fit of pique and immediately regretted.
We see how he lived, not too uncomfortably, thanks to his family trade and experience as a seaman, but there are some lurid tales of bestiality - be warned. We then read, in a protracted sequence, how he is rescued and arrives back in England in glory, then descends into obcurity. His story is taken up and embellished by Daniel Defoe ... The rest is history. Ms.Souhami visits the island and sees for herself where and how Selkirk might have lived and, as a tail-piece, recounts how conservation authorities are trying to restore the island to its pre-Selkirk condition. ****.
Rating: 
Summary: fairly good story, poor writing
Review: The author describes the history of Selkirk's life, including being marooned on an uninhabited island
for four years and four months. Selkirk's contemporary Daniel Defoe made his story into the famous novel Robinson Crusoe. To round out her historical research, the author apparently took a brief trip to the
island itself, now part of Chile. I was disappointed with the author's consistently negative attitude. I can well
believe that Selkirk was an anti-social and violent man, and that the pirates he sailed with were greedy and cruel.
But I at least hoped that the author would have a few positive things to say about the island that allowed Selkirk to live and thrive for so long. But no, even her description of the island as it is today dwells on the way the few inhabitants are despoiling the place. Only the book's few grainy B & W photographs hint at the fantastic
beauty of the island. Too bad the author apparently didn't enjoy the place.
Rating:
Summary: depressingly negative
Review: The author describes the history of Selkirk's life, including being marooned on an uninhabited island
for four years and four months. Selkirk's contemporary Daniel Defoe made his story into the famous novel Robinson Crusoe. To round out her historical research, the author apparently took a brief trip to the
island itself, now part of Chile. I was disappointed with the author's consistently negative attitude. I can well
believe that Selkirk was an anti-social and violent man, and that the pirates he sailed with were greedy and cruel.
But I at least hoped that the author would have a few positive things to say about the island that allowed Selkirk to live and thrive for so long. But no, even her description of the island as it is today dwells on the way the few inhabitants are despoiling the place. Only the book's few grainy B & W photographs hint at the fantastic
beauty of the island. Too bad the author apparently didn't enjoy the place.
Rating:
Summary: The more things change...
Review: There seems to be the impression that the rush to publish multiple books after a well publicized disaster/achievement/incident is something unique to our time. This desire to cash in has in fact always been with us! This is one of the things that struck me the most as I read this very interesting book. In Selkirk's time when he returned from his 4 year 4 month marooning on an island in the South Pacific off of Chile this is exactly what happened. 3 different people, with varying connections (some rather remote) to Selkirk, raced to publish an account of his extraordinary experience. The veracity of the books varied, and I was amused to read how the authors responded to the pressure of their publishers to emphasize the information about Selkirk on the book's title page, which I get the impression was in those days the blurbs or jacket description to tempt readers into buying. After these 3 books were published Daniel Defoe was inspired to write _Robinson Crusoe_. I enjoyed _Selkirk's Island_ and think Souhami did a great job piecing together a story based on scant bits and pieces from a variety of sources. She really helps you get a sense of the intense rivalry among England, France, and Spain to dominate the high seas and the ongoing efforts of pirates and privateers to plunder rich galleons. The sailors endured awful hardship and disease. I was also fascinated to find that after the success of _Robinson Crusoe_ Defoe wrote 2 sequels (yes, they even had sequels in those days!) that have been completely forgotten. I was disappointed, though, with some of the things missing from this book. First, while she emphasized how these authors wrote their accounts of Selkirk's adventure expressly for the money, aside from Defoe's book she never discussed how well the books sold, and whether in fact the authors became wealthy from them. Selkirk is portrayed as being very money-oriented, yet I am surprised why he did not seek to make money from his tale when he saw others doing so. The book is silent on this question. Detailed maps would have helped a great deal in following the action more closely. I also agree with some of the other reviewers' feelings that Souhami's prose is often pretentious and the book could've used tighter editing. There's also the grievous error of indicating a ship near the Baja peninsular sailing *east* to Guam. All in all, though, a very enjoyable and recommended read! I am also looking forward to a book being released on May 28, 2002, _In Search of Robinson Crusoe_ by Tim Severin. Severin argues that Selkirk was only a small part of Defoe's inspiration for _Robinson Crusoe_.
Rating:
Summary: Very lacking
Review: This could have been an excellent book. The author extensively researched the relevant personalities to the story (e.g. Selkirk and the rest of the crew). However, she merely repeats what facts she has found. She provides no analysis and puts nothing in perspective. For example, it appears obvious that a lot of men were seeking their fortunes at sea, but why - what were the conditions like at home? She notes that the conditions on Selkirk's ship is dismal, but what was it like on other ships? Perhaps Selkirk's ship was quite the norm. She makes no mention of the society in England - what period in time are we discussing? E.g. she writes the dates in the margin of her text. Is the reader supposed to understand what was happening during that time around the world. On a smaller scale, but related, the author makes all kinds of comments such as this, "by 17xx the war with the Spanish had ended." (Selkirk was afraid of being captured by the Spanish.) Couldn't the author have told us why the war ended, who won, what were the conditions, etc. Nope. Simply, the war had ended. Finally, the book is over 220 pages, but less than 40 pages are devoted to Selkirk's stay on the island. So many basic things that the author could have researched and given us information on are omitted. For example, the detail given regarding the island's climate doesn't get much better than "the climate was moderate". Well, I don't need to know the month by month breakdown, but "moderate" means something different to somebody from Canada than it does to somebody from Mexico. Couldn't she have stated, "70 degrees on average in the summer". What about the water temperature - was it ice cold? Was this Gilligan's island or was it Antarctica? I still don't know... I usually love these kinds of books and seek them out. I was all excited when I got this, and offered to loan it to a couple friends when I was done. Not now - I won't waste their time.
Rating:
Summary: The solitude of Alexander Selkirk
Review: What comes to mind when you imagine being marooned on an uninhabited tropical island? A Romantic image of castaways and survivors with stories of man and nature and moments of idyllic solitude is one possibility. The other extreme is the glimpse of the dark beast within us and how it's unleashed when civilizing influences are removed. Both in fiction and real life we have some classic examples. Is there a better imaginative illustration of the "beast" that the LORD OF THE FLIES? And for a recently published true story about someone who allowed wickedness free reign read BATAVIA'S GRAVEYARD. The classic story that depicts the sunnier side of human nature and our innate strength and courage is of course ROBINSON CRUSOE. This book treads a middle ground but perhaps from the subtitle "The True and Strange Adventures of the Real Robinson Crusoe" we get a hint of where the author's sentiments lie. The author may admire the fortitude of the main character of her story - a young Scottish seaman named Alexander Selkirk - but she is not at all hesitant about showing his true colors. Born in 1680 to a village tanner Selkirk decided that such sedentary work was not for him. He ran away for a life of adventure (oftentimes dangerous) on the seas. Such a life suited him as he was impetuous and ill-tempered. At the age of 23 he was named sailing master of the galley Cinque-Ports captained by Thomas Stradling. The galley and a larger ship - the St George - under the command of William Dampier set off on a privateering expedition in search of Spanish Galleons. In 1704 after a fruitless year at sea the galley arrived at the uninhabited Juan Fernandez archipelago in the south Pacific, 400 miles west of Valparaiso, Chile. After a month of rest and replenishment Stradling decided to set sail again. Selkirk said the ship wasn't seaworthy and got into a violent argument with his captain and demanded to be put ashore. Stradling gladly obliged and left the man and some supplies behind on what now became SELKIRK'S ISLAND. Diana Souhami begins her book with a description of the natural beauty of this volcanic archipelago which is now protected by UNESCO as a Worldwide Reserve of the Biosphere. No further colonization is permitted and the islands population of mostly lobster fishermen and their families is capped at 500. Chile has made the most of its tourism potential by naming the islands Santa Clara, Marinero Alejandro Selkirk, and of course Robinson Crusoe Island. Using sailing logs, seafarers accounts of the voyages, and the journals of Dampier, and Selkirk's eventual rescuer - Captain Woodes Rogers - the author tells a tale that shows hardship at sea may have been preferable to time spent alone on land. The challenge for castaways is always more than mere physical survival. The intense loneliness that comes with having only oneself as company oftentimes exerts a psychological toll. Selkirk's experience was no different. He was marooned for over 4 years but it was the first year that was the hardest mentally. He immediately regretted his decision to stay and spent the first 8 months in a cave near the seashore paranoid that if he moved he would miss seeing a ship and also in fear of imagined wild animals inland. There was fresh water and good shelter on the island and Selkirk eventually adjusted. His diet included turtles, seals, lobster, and when he went inland he found turnips, cabbage, palm nuts, peppers, and plently of wild goats. In reading this book i've come to believe that Selkirk may very well have been the first Westerner to develop what is now a well known West Indian style of cooking meat. "Jerked" meat is slowly cooked over pimento wood fires with pepper and spices liberally applied. If we were hoping for a positve human story as the ending of this tale then we were misleading ourselves. Selkirk did have his bible with him and read verses out loud so as not to forget how to speak, but it seems the lessons were lost on him. Upon his eventual return to Scotland in 1711 there was some initial joy. He was welcomed home by friends and family and he met and eloped with a dairymaid named Sophia Bruce. A return to his old ways quickly ensued. He became reclusive and irrascible and lost his temper and battered a man. This prompted him to decide that the sea was still best and he set off leaving behind Sophia and another woman and a name for himself as a bigamist. Perhaps Souhami is correct in portraying Selkirk and others as greedy, selfish, and quite brutish and vile characters. Afterall this was a time of pirates and privateers and of loose allegiances both at the personal and national levels. In doing so though she takes a strongly negative view of human nature and throws cold water on Selkirk as a model for Robinson Crusoe. It's actually left to Daniel Defoe and others of his generation such as the great poet and hymn writer William Cowper to offer a more charitable and ultimately redeeming view: "Society, Friendship, and Love
Divinely bestowed upon man,
Oh had I the wings of a dove
How soon would I taste you again!
My sorrows I then might assuage
In the ways of religion and truth,
Might learn from the wisdom of age,
And be cheered by the sallies of youth."
(The Solitude of Alexander Selkirk by William Cowper) Souhami doesn't go anywhere near this at all. As a travelogue the book is great with sufficient details on the idyllic setting of the islands. The history is well researched also. It's just that for a book with a central theme on the character of man the author disappointingly doesn't explore the subject fully enough.
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