The Curse of Treasure Island - Hardcover

Bryan, Francis

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0670030899 ISBN 13: 9780670030897

Publisher: Viking, 2002

Synopsis

In the sequel to Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island, Jim Hawkins, now a young man of twenty-one, content with his peaceful life as landlord of the family inn, journeys back to the South Seas at the request of Grace Richardson, a beautiful stranger seeking assistance in locating pirate Joseph Tait, left marooned on Treasure Island. 30,000 first printing.

About this title

Reviews

This sequel to Robert Louis Stevenson's 1893 classic packs a great deal of adventure into a relatively small package. However, escapades and high melodrama are nearly all that's offered. Jim Hawkins, the cabin boy who narrated Treasure Island, is now 21; he helps to operate the Admiral Benbow Inn, where he regales travelers with tales of his seafaring adventures. Enter a beautiful young woman named Grace Richardson, who, traveling with her son, is being pursued by sinister types. She begs Jim to help her find the pirate Joseph Tait, last known to be marooned on Treasure Island. Hawkins initially demurs and offers her accommodation at the Admiral Benbow, but after a series of hair-raising events, he finds himself a fugitive and is soon on his way back to the island. Grace stubbornly refuses to provide any details about why she must find Tait, or who her pursuers are, and this is where the story falls apart. It is impossible to believe that everyone involved would set off on an expensive and dangerous voyage with so little to go on. At least a dozen men die, which probably could have been avoided had Richardson explained herself. Long John Silver and his famous parrot make an appearance, and Bryan offers plenty of swordplay and spilled blood. A key problem is that the too-good-to-be-true Hawkins narrates, so no matter how perilous his situation, we know he survives. Stick with the original.

Bryan approaches the delicate task of writing a sequel to a literary classic with healthy doses of both caution and respect. Devoured by generations of armchair adventurers, Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island is too beloved to be imitated casually. Breathing new life into a host of original characters, including the memorable Long John Silver and the villainous Joseph Tate, the author transports an adult Jim Hawkins back to the uninhabited island where he cheated fate and made his fortune some 10 years earlier. Moved by the mysterious plight of Grace Richardson, an attractive and obviously refined young woman, Jim reluctantly returns to Treasure Island, seeking to recover a cache of silver and to uncover the fates of the hardened pirates he and his comrades left behind to die a decade ago. True enough in tone and language to satisfy admirers of the original tale, this rousing sequel also features enough action, adventure, and plot twists to stand on its own. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

One of the greatest adventure stories in all literature is Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island. Now, here is a sequel, and a grand book it is. As in the original, the main character is Jim Hawkins; ten years have passed, and Jim is helping his mother run the Admiral Benbow Inn. A mysterious young woman named Grace arrives at the inn with her son and begs for Jim's help without disclosing the motivation. Suffice it to say, he must return to Treasure Island, a place he has come to dread. Complicating things is Jim's attraction to Grace. Various characters Long John Silver, Ben Gunn, and Squire Trelawney, to name a few reappear. There are two separate villains, both of whom chase Jim at various times, providing some very exciting moments. Jim escapes one villain by jumping on a raft into the sea and is rescued days later by the other villain, who (plausibly) does not recognize him. As in the original, there is never a dull moment. Written pseudonymously by a British journalist, this adventure story is recommended for public libraries, but all will enjoy it. Fred Gervat, Concordia Coll. Lib., Bronxville, NY
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Viking
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0670030899
• ISBN 13: 9780670030897
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 304