Robinson Crusoe: The Adventure Begins

Overview

The story of an English mariner, sole survivor of a shipwreck, who manages to survive for 28 years on a deserted island in the South Pacific, ROBINSON CRUSOE is a stirring depiction of loneliness and isolation as Crusoe builds a house, teaches himself to grow corn and barley, and bakes bread. The book was based on the true tale of a sailor named Alexander Selkirk, but Defoe inserts his own preoccupations into the story. Long fascinated by travel, questions of identity, and the minutiae of daily life, Defoe makes Crusoe's saga of survival into the story of a man who takes control of his own life and overcomes hardships and difficulties in order not only to survive but to prosper. With the introduction of the faithful Friday, who has been taken prisoner by a band of cannibals, Defoe goes further, and explores the concepts of personal liberty and colonialism. The novel is a perennial favorite, providing not only food for thought but a rousing adventure that has influenced dozens of books, movies, and TV shows. People who have never read the novel and never will are very aware of the existence of Robinson Crusoe and his desert island.

Editorial Reviews

Gr 7 Up-Defoe's classic novel of shipwreck and survival, now nearly 300 years old, is abridged competently in this recording. The flavor of the 18th century language is retained, but the plot moves along at a pace more appealing to 21st century ears. The reader, Martin Shaw, has a pleasant voice, but unfortunately tends to trail off at the ends of sentences, losing whole words. As with all abridgements, large sections of the story and entire characters are omitted, but since most of the book tells of Crusoe's solitary sojourn on the island, this is not a major problem. This version is no substitute for the original, but it would be a supplemental purchase in libraries where abridgements are popular. -- PUBLISHERS WEEKLY.

Author Information

Bio of Daniel Defoe

Defoe was a prolific novelist, journalist and pamphleteer. His work is notable for its realism, precision and directness of style. Defoe is also recognized as the first author in modern English literature to write ghost stories.

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Additional Info

Imprint

Reagent Press, LLC

Filesize

1.29 MB

Number of Pages

288

eBook ISBN

1575458306