Reviews
But I, who was born to be my own destroyer.... What a wonderful novel! Defoe is the master of description! The description of the voyage, island and life made the book come alive. Robinson, who seems to always be unhappy with blessings, always seeking the next adventure has a series of misadventures that climax into his great odyssey. It is with this journey that he discovers himself, his purpose, peace and providence. Who else was sad to have him leave his little peace of paradise? The audiobook narrated by Gordon Griffin was amazing.
A short and interesting classic, with a fun story. Has some naturally questionable themes in it, but considering it was written in 1719 that's hardly surprising. I have withheld a star only because of the simplicity of the prose which was a tad dull to read.
So the Amazon Classics version is definitely the complete Robinson Crusoe narrative. If you’ve ever wanted to listen/read (Kindle/Audible) and you have prime you can get it for free, so that’s good right?? I would say RC #1 was enjoyable and I liked reading his survival. 3.5/4*s Then I would say the Further Adventures of Robinson Crusoe or RC #2 was mainly about this dude having an issue with sitting home and being practically rich?? And then an absolute ton of information about a French priest and “savage” wives? It was insufferable. 1.5/2*s Best to avoid the second, you’re all welcome...
It is the worst book I have ever read...
Being banished from civilization because of what it seemed to be a curse, Robinson tried to build everything again in a very distant little world, the island. His path to the freedom is described in this book in which Robinson tell us his completely accidented life. When you think that solitude is the worst enemy... think again. Maybe the island is not as uninhabited as it seems. Tales of land and sea danger. Reflections about the man being away of his civilization. Madness and sanity.
Really, really flat-out bad. It's unfortunate that this is one of the oldest surviving English stories. The protagonist has little to no redeeming qualities, had survival handed to him on a silver platter - he had a servant and all the shipwreck's supplies, for god's sake - and more than half the book is a tedious pro/con list about what he should and should not do. There's next to no emphasis on plot, and the whole book is just plain and preachy, with next to no actual emotion in it. The only thing shown in this book are Robinson's piety, luck and racism. I know we shouldn't look at ild books using modern morals, but classics are classics because they stood the test of time. This book, safe to say, is gradually failing the test of time and I can't say I'm disappointed about it. I would overlook the colonial overtones if there was anything else in the story to look at, but honestly? I hate this book more than I hate A Court Of Thorns And Roses.
2.5 Read it as a kid, back when I was 8 or 9 years old. I remember liking it, but prefering Gulliver over it. Themes like canibalism, racism and cat murder didn't bother me as a child. However, they do bother me now. Not the most pleasent read out there.
It was a fun read, well written, easy and short. Just what I needed.
This tale of a marooned sailor is one known by name to almost all individuals. His story was the basis of almost all subsequent shipwreck survivor stories, so it's safe to say I had relatively high expectations going in. However, I must say that although the story was indeed adventurous and fast-paced, I didn't particularly resonate with Crusoe's voice throughout the narrative. It seemed a bit shallow given his dire circumstances. I enjoyed the process of the story nonetheless, and would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a little adventure! It's easy to see why so many adaptations of Crusoe's story have been made! I give it 3.5 stars, my highest rating possible usually being 4.5 stars.
