Kidnapped - Robert Louis Stevenson
First published 1886.
This is one of Stevenson's more well-known stories, yet unlike Treasure Island is not one I had much of an idea of the plot of. I was also unaware, until after completing this novel, that Stevenson was Scottish, but it does make sense considering just how Scottish both the setting and characters in Kidnapped are.
The story follows young David Balfour, whose parents have died, as he delivers a sealed letter from his father to his up-to-now unknown uncle at a rundown manor called 'The Shaws.' Very quickly David learns that his uncle intends ill towards his nephew, and this escalates into David being (surprise) kidnapped and put on board a ship bound for the Carolinas, where he will be sold as a "white slave".
He never arrives in America, however, as, when the ship strikes and sinks a boat, David befriends the sole survivor, Alan Breck, and together the two manage to get the ship diverted back to Scotland, where it runs aground. If that seems like a lot of plot for a single sentence - well, that's the sort of book this is. However, once Alan and David are ashore, the plot settles down a bit, with much of the remainder of the book following the two characters as seek to escape their enemies and the highlands.
The book incorporates a few historical elements, including the Jacobite rebellion, and some historical figures, including Alan Breck himself, but is loose with its accurateness. The novel is an easy read, and flows better than The Black Arrow did. Kept me reading, and apparently has a sequel too!
Completed 19 March 2022.
(Alphabet Soup Books)
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