Gulliver's Travels

by Marie Stuart (Retold by), Nick Harris (Illustrator), Jonathan Swift (Creator)

First published in 1726, this classic work of satire presents a world gone haywire, where humans, despite their pomposity and grandiose illusions, are no better than weak and helpless fools. Lemuel Gulliver's journeys take him to Lilliput, a country whose inhabitants are no more than six inches tall; to Brobdingnag, a land of giants; to Laputa, a flying island inhabited by absent-minded people; and to the land of Houyhnhnms, where horselike creatures rule with intelligence and courtesy over repulsive humanlike Yahoos. One of literature's lasting legacies, Swift's trenchant cautionary tale is a witty, allegorical depiction of people at their worst; yet it may also be read as an enchanting, playful children's story with universal appeal.

Genres: Fiction, Childrens, Classics

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1976

Reviews

[Gerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a young boy I had a copy of 'Gulliver's Travels' (in the Regency Classics series I seem to remember) and always enjoyed reading it as I was always fascinated how Jonathan Swift had imagined the little people of Lilliput and the giants of Brobdingnag. So here is a retelling of that 1726 classic and considering it is condensed into just 52 pages, Marie Stuart does a sterling job in putting the story across.

Lemuel Gulliver's travels began on 4 May 1699, then, shipwrecked, he ended up alone on a strange island where he was eventually discovered by the Lilliputians. Initially they pinned him down but as they began to realise that he was no threat to them, they befriended him and set him free. His exciting adventures among the little folk are described in detail before he finally builds a ship, with the help of the Lilliputians, and sets sail for home.

He had enjoyed his travels so much that after a short time at home he set sail once more. This time he landed on an island where the inhabitants were giants and, wandering inland looking for water, he found himself stranded when his shipmates rowed away after being chased by the giants. This gave Lemuel adventures quite the opposite of those on Lilliput, for this time the people and everything connected with them were enormous.

Eventually he was placed in a box that was picked up by a giant eagle, who dropped him into the ocean. He managed to manufacture a white flag from one of his handkerchiefs and was spotted by a passing ship who sent a boat out to pick him up. When he told his story to the captain and his crew, they looked on in disbelief.

Once home again he found everything so small that he imagined that he was back in Lilliput once again! Needless to say after these adventures his wife refused to allow him to go to sea again.

This is an excellent retelling and would serve as a good introduction for someone before they read the full story.

[Annisa Nur Widya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buku pertama di 2021. Habis ujian, pemanasan dulu biar nggak males hahaha. Ternyata buku ini bukan tentang ketemu liliput aja. Ku kira selama ini ketemu yang lebih kecil aja, taunya ada yang lebih besar juga. Ya emang dibelahan dunia manapun, perbedaan pasti ada. Tapi jangan sampe sama yang kecil kita mem bully, dan sama yang gede kita di bully. Dua-duanya bisa saling berbuat baik dan menguntungkan. Menarik. Walaupun saling menguntungkan rada gimana gitu hahaha. Yang satu dijadiin sirkus, yang satu dijadiin senjata politik.

[Rena]

Retold by Marie Stuart

[Marwan Asmar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining, enjoyable read