I enjoyed the adventure of the novel, the way Crusoe invented things and figured out ways to survive and improve his lot. Reminded me of Gilligan's Island!! Some of the descriptions were a bit wordy, but that was the style of the time. I also enjoyed reading his introspections, and his thoughts about religion and God. As the notes in the back of the Barnes & Noble edition said, no one before Defoe had ever written a novel like that, so Defoe had full rein to explore how someone would react psychologically to being alone for so many years. Crusoe was an above all a practical character, which left out a great deal of sentimentality, and there is no talk at all of yearning for a wife and children. Even after he is rescued from the island, he deals with practical matters, sans sentiment. I think Defoe was trying to show how man, with God's grace and a repenting heart, could deliver himself from affliction and hardship. I can see how it would have appealed to children as well as adults. Children would see it as an adventure story, while adults might see it also as a moral story. I'm glad I got to read it at last. Great book!