Marvelous

[Alex]

Marvelous book. Love comparing it to Lord of the Flies. Similar themes, but very different indeed.

[Arun]

Yes it indeed is.. But the descriptions were overwhelming. It kinda annoys too.

[Nathan]

I really liked this book, but it would've been better if I listened to it instead of reading it. Then I wouldn't have to spend all this time trying to pronounce the long and confusing words.

[Feliks]

Always go with printed text. Audio books are not really 'credible' as media. You can't claim you've 'read' a book if you've merely listened to it. Plus, if you stick with real books, you build your vocabulary. Don't take the easy way out...

[David]

I read several of Robert Ballantyne's novels when I was young, but The Coral Island is without question the best of his works. I've read it 4 times, and it was still a difficult read the last time – when I was in my late 60s. Its phrasing and the evolution of language style makes it a challenge today. I'd love to write an updated version so young readers could enjoy it the way I did back in the 1950s but that would amount to plagiarism.

Instead, I'm presently writing a novel "inspired" by The Coral Island. It also deals with 3 boys thrown together by the sinking of a vessel in the South China Sea in the 1930s. My 4th book (due out in the fall) took 4 years to write due to the immense amount of research required, but I expect this one will be completed within a year.