Treasure Island according to Spike milligan

According to Spike Milligan

by Spike Milligan

In this last of Spike's hilarious reinterpretations of the classic works of litarature, all the familiar faces of Robert Louis Stevenson's original version appear: Squire Trelawney, Jim Hawkins and Long John Silver. But they are joined by Groucho Marx - and Long John's parrot plays a starring role. This rip-roaring adventure of the hunt for buried treasure unravels faster than Ben Gunn's pants, with plenty of laughs along the way. Rude and irreverent as ever, Spike's rendering of this classic tale is as chock-full of gems as Cap'n Flint's treasure chest.

Genres: Humor, Fiction, Adventure

186 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Terence Alan Patrick Seán Milligan, known as Spike, was a comedian, writer and musician. He was of Irish descent, but spent most of his childhood in India and lived most of his later life in England, moving to Australia after retirement. He is famous for his work in The Goon Show, children's poetry and a series of comical autobiographical novels about his experiences serving in the British Army in WWII. Spike Milligan suffered from bipolar disorder, which led to depression and frequent breakdowns, but he will be remembered as a comic genius. His tombstone reads 'I told you I was ill' in Gaelic.

Reviews

[Kitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quirky with a format that might take a while to get used to!

[Dane Cobain · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this more than I enjoyed the original Treasure Island, although that’s not saying much because I didn’t think much of Stevenson’s book. It just kind of grated on me after we left the inn at the start. This one is filled with wit and wisdom and features a bunch of cameos from Groucho Marx, but other than that it was just so so.

[Mike Steven · Rating 2 out of 5]

I usually love Spike Milligan's writing style and turn of phrase but this one feels a little clunky and his asides and turns of speech really detract from the narrative. I think there's too much speech vs description and the addition of Groucho Marx didn't work for me.

[Cassandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite fun not having read Treasure Island!

[Sid Smallman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Crazy, bizarre retelling complete with Groucho Marx, need I say more…?

[Dark-Draco · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have tried reading this a couple of times, but just couldn't get into it. I'm not sure why this one, of all the 'according to' books was the one I didn't like. Maybe it was just the mood I was in at the time!!

[Helle · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a waste of paper and time. I have been given to understand there are more “According To (Spike Milligan)” books, but it is safe to assume that this parody of Treasure Island was the first and last I read. In my opinion it was not funny, not good and definitely not worth reading.