Robinson Crusoe

by Bob Blaisdell (Adapted by), Candace Ward (Editor), Daniel Defoe

Thought to have been inspired by the true-life experiences of a marooned sailor, Robinson Crusoe tells the story of the sole survivor of a shipwreck, stranded on a Caribbean island, who prevails against all odds, enduring almost three decades of solitude while mastering both himself and his strange new world. First published in 1719, the novel has long been one of the English language's great adventure stories.
In the journal he shares with us, the endearing, goatskin-clad castaway recounts the details of this lonely existence and his many adventures, including a fierce battle with cannibals and a daring rescue of Friday, the man who becomes his trusted servant and companion. Defoe's brilliant and imaginative use of detail renders Crusoe's island world utterly convincing. In reclaiming his humanity from the savagery of his circumstances, the hero humbly acquires the qualities of courage, patience, ingenuity, and industry.
Hailed as the first great English novel, Robinson Crusoe spawned legions of imitations, none of which surpass the original. All readers with a taste for adventure will relish this inexpensive edition of one of the most popular and influential books ever written.

Genres: Fiction, Classics, Childrens

80 pages, Paperback

Published January 22, 1996

About the author

Bob Blaisdell is a published adapter, author, editor, and an illustrator of children's books and young adult books. He teaches English in Brooklyn at Kingsborough Community College. He is a reviewer for the San Francisco Chronicle and Christian Science Monitor and the editor of more than three dozen anthologies for Dover Publications. Email him at Robert.Blaisdell@Kingsborough.edu

Reviews

[Alan]

It's okay but the plot is simple. Not much happens.

The theme of Robinson Crusoe is colonization is necessary. The justification for colonizing at that time was that they thought they were doing them a favor by bringing them civilization and Christianity.

In the story Robinson Crusoe gets shipwrecked on an island and colonizes it. He builds a plantation, builds what he calls his castle, and uses animals in every way possible on a deserted island. Later in the story he has a chance to have a friend and he enslaves him.

So the theme of Robinson Crusoe is colonization is necessary. I disagree with that even though I have done basically that in my basement.

[Amanda Puspita]

After reading the first few pages, I regretted to have picked this abridged, easy-to-read version of the famous Robinson Crusoe's story. I realized right then and there that I should have picked the full version instead.

In fact, it's not so much an easy-to-read type. The language used for this paperback sounds strange. I didn't know if the language represented the original narration of the story, but I found it very odd and therefore, made this book an uneasy one to read.

Many times, I had to re-read the paragraph two or even three times to fully grasp the meaning of what was going on. The story used linear plot with first person POV. It felt like Robinson's is telling the story of himself through some kind of a journal, or a diary, where he cherrypicked what he wanted to share to the readers, instead of telling the whole truth.

It was, after all, a great adventure story. The part when he had to adjust to the new life all by himself in a desolate island, without any tool to live by, or even anyone to speak to, probably for the the rest of his life, was so inspirational.

Imagine that don't have any table to put things on to, what would you gonna do? Robinson had to chop down a big large tree, set it on an edge, hew it flat on either side with an axe until it was thin as a plank, and smooth it with adze. It took him months to build a single table.

Now imagine that you have to build your own house (which Robinson calls "a fortress"), that of course should have many furnitures to help you live by, with nothing but a few simple tools you found on a wreckaged ship. It would take years to do so.

But instead of weeping endlessly, which I might do if I were ever in his position, Robinson kept doing what he needed to do to survive. He hunted animals to feed himself, made clothes out of animals' skins, raised livestocks, and even grew plantation. All of those things he did out of his strong willing to survive, to live.

And in the moment of distress, he even had this brilliant point of view, that eventhough life was difficult, he was, after all, the king and lord of this island. No one to serve to, no one to work for. Freedom!

Now every time I find myself in a very bad moment, that I think I won't make it through, that I won't survive, I will think of Robinson Crusoe, and his journey, and his bad luck that helps him to be a very strong person, who chooses nothing other than to keep going on and live.