Treasure Island

 

It was the mid-1700’s, there were seven hundred thousand pounds of gold hidden on Treasure Island, and while fifteen buccaneers were searching for it, mutiny broke out among them. Jim Hawkins, a thirteen year old boy, is struggling to hold his family together. His dad is dying, and his mother is obsessed with trying to obtain money from the pirate Billy Bones, who is staying at their family inn. But when an accident killed Bones, his mother insists raiding his sea chest. While they were searching through the sea chest, they discovered a map, that will lead Jim on a journey. Jim takes a journey on a schooner, the Hispaniola, hoping to make some money for his poor family. But once on board the ship, Jim shows the captain the map his mother discovered. He tries to keep it quiet, but word spread rapidly, and all of a sudden, the goal of the ship changes. The mystery begins when two brutal murders committed by Long John SIlver, a crude crew member, were witnessed by Jim. After a few days at sea, the ship nears the island where the treasure is, mutiny breaks out. Half the crew joins the murderer Long John Silver, hoping to be the ones who find the gold first; the other half stays loyal to the Captain. All while trying to survive the constant attacks of one another, both crowds of pirates are racing to be the ones who will reach the riches first. Who will survive? Who will actually discover and claim the gold?

Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson, is a well written book about a boy on a journey of a lifetime. During some parts of the book, I felt the story was very slow and confusing. I was not sure why Jim Hawkins actually boarded the ship, and the beginning of the book was hard to relate to. As I read on, I realized that the previous events made sense. I would not recommend this book to those who enjoys immediate action right away. In this adventurous fiction book, the reader follows Jim along every step of the way on this harsh journey. In order to fully grasp and enjoy the book, you must be able to keep and open mind and continue reading. Even though this book had it’s ups and downs, Robert Louis Stevenson still pieced together a very good book about piracy, greediness, and loyalty.