WeBuzz
Reader discussion: Treasure Island
Public reader discussion about Treasure Island in the WeRead Catalog by Robert Louis Stevenson.
Robert Louis Stevenson Treasure Island Reward
By valley-snow1991
Okay, so I just rewatched this yesterday and I’m kinda shocked this doesn’t get brought up when people talk about the worst rewards. Like, three people sharing one bed, and it doesn’t even seem like anyone got to shower or anything since they’re still in the same clothes while they’re watching. Plus you’re stuck watching a black-and-white movie on a tiny TV. And then there’s that super awkward immunity idol fight between Danielle and Amanda.
The funniest part to me was Colby being way too into watching Treasure Island. When the fight starts, you can basically see him reaching over and hitting pause on the DVD (or maybe it’s a VCR). And then he says something like, “I didn’t even see what happened, I was trying to watch Treasure Island.”
A Story Like the Wind and a Far Off Place, Coming of age classics and Survival in the Kalahari desert
By StrangeTowerLynx
Just wanted to nudge people to check these out, honestly for a couple different reasons. First, the author seems like someone worth remembering. And second, if you’re into this kind of story, you’ll probably really enjoy these.
Lawrence Van Der Post was a South African writer and social critic, and I guess he was kind of an early environmentalist too. His best-known book is that coming-of-age thing with a young man and a young woman growing up on big farms next to each other in South Africa, and it ends up with them trekking on foot and trying to get away from armed people across the Kalahari desert. It feels a bit like Huckleberry Finn in that it calls out racism even though it’s set inside a racist world.
In my experience the writing level is pretty close to stuff like Treasure Island and other classic kid/adventure novels, but with a female lead that reminds me of the vibe in Little Women. Also the nature/desert stuff is really excellent. If you like books like River of Doubt or Endurance by Lansing, I think you’d find a lot to like here. I’ve also seen people ask for desert books and somehow nobody mentioned these, which is a shame—they really do belong on the “classic desert survival” list.
There’s even a movie adaptation, and I’d love to see Hollywood do another one that actually does it right, with more modern sensibilities and better representation.
That said, if you get easily triggered by reading about racist cultures, you should probably skip them. I will say the Black characters don’t treat the people in the book like they’re less than—they recognize them as real, with real identities and lives. Still, I really don’t want these books to fade into nothing.
Need help finding this book: a group of people stranded on an island and worked together to build the place up from scratch
By cat_nova
I read this when I was about 10, in my native language, so I don’t really remember much. But from what I can tell, it’s about a bunch of people who get stuck on an island after their hot-air balloon crashes. There’s an older professor type who’s basically the smartest one, and at the beginning he figures out where they are by making some kind of compass out of sand and other stuff. Then he guides everyone trying to survive until they eventually get rescued.
It kind of goes through different stages of “how people develop” or something—like hunting and gathering, then farming, and later even electricity. They manage to make bricks and build houses and all that. And near the end, the volcano on the island erupts, and they’re stuck floating on a little bit of land until rescue.
I’ve been trying to remember the title for ages. This book seriously made a big impact on me when I was little, so I really want to re-read it.
Edit: Never mind, I found it—*The Mysterious Island* by Jules Verne. Now I’m definitely reading it again :)
ONLINE BOOK "Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson" kickass original français cheap eReader authors doc ios
By wonder_marten23
Rebecca Dalphonse — not sure what to think yet, but I’m curious where this goes.
TIL Robert Louis Stevenson, the author of Treasure Island and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, lived out his final years and died in Samoa. Aged just 44 at his demise, he was given a royal burial on Samoa’s Mount Vaea. He was known as ‘Tusitala’ meaning ‘Teller of Tales’
By JDusty1982
He used to live on Abemama, back when it was part of what’s now Kiribati. His place is still there, too—looks like they just cemented over the cellar where the liquor was kept. I went there myself.
Treasure Island is one of Robert Louis Stevenson's most famous stories. It's a genre-defining work, and it introduced for the first time all of the tropes and cliches we associate with pirates today, including peg legs, buried treasure, parrots on the shoulder, and "X marks the spot."
By silver_cougar4061
There’s just these fifteen guys on the Dead Man’s Chest, and all I can think about is that “yo-ho-ho” line with the bottle of rum—like, the devil’s already taken care of whatever happens next. Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!
Anything similar to Treasure Island
By footnote_book
I’m really into adventure books, and I grabbed Treasure Island a couple months ago—it was so good. Any suggestions for stuff that’s kind of like it?
Is Treasure Island the best Treasure Island?
By Precheck-Bookish10
I watched Black Sails a few years ago, then I went and read Treasure Island. I know they’re not going to match the same vibe, and that’s totally okay, but I was honestly kind of shocked at how “immature” it felt.
I don’t mean that in a totally cruel way, but with all the darker pirate stuff, it doesn’t really come across as taking itself seriously. It feels more like a kid-focused adventure story than anything really gritty.
It left me wondering if anyone’s ever done a more mature/realistic rewrite of Treasure Island—like not just adapting it somewhere else, but almost like a remake of the original. Are there any books like that?
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson [Classics](1883)
By desert-volume
Treasure Island is just about the most fun adventure story I’ve ever come across. Once Jim Hawkins runs into that creepy Blind Pew at the Admiral Benbow Inn, it basically keeps pulling you along, all the way to that big showdown for the treasure on the tropical island. The characters and scenes feel like they’ve been sticking with people for ages, which I totally get. I think the real thing that drives it is Long John Silver—he’s the kind of villain who’s hard to pin down, and that makes everything hit harder. It’s got this “faraway romance” vibe too, like it’s promising more than just danger, and somehow it delivers. I’ve seen it described as an utterly original book and I can see why—stories like this really do keep both kids and adults entertained.
Treasure Island: To the Hesitating Purchaser
By starlight_vector21
I’m reading Treasure Island again, a few decades after first picking it up as a kid, and it still hooks me the same way.
I also thought it was kind of funny that right before the story begins, there’s this little note from Stevenson to the buyer, like he’s somehow talking to readers from all eras.
So I started thinking, do kids still read this now? Or are Stevenson and his pirates sort of sinking into the grave with Kingston, Ballantyne, Cooper, and the rest of those old adventure writers, keeping each other company?
The names in the poem seem to go from more known now to less:
James Fenimore Cooper (1789-1851): wrote The Last of the Mohicans and the Leatherstocking Tales. Was huge back then. Not as big now, but definitely not gone.
R.M. Ballantyne (1825-1894): wrote The Coral Island, which was a massive hit. That’s the only book of his I’ve read, and I think it may be the only one people still remember.
William Henry Giles Kingston (1814-1880): popular adventure writer in his day, but now mostly forgotten. I haven’t read him yet, but I probably should sometime.
Stevenson, of course, ended up more popular than all of them.
Any advice on how to read better with classical books?
By smallSparrow6827
I’ve always wanted to write, and I’m really into gothic horror, but I’ve kind of always been a bad reader. I keep telling myself I want to get into the classics—like Dracula and Frankenstein, and stuff by Poe—but then nothing really “sticks.” I start feeling overwhelmed and, honestly, kind of stupid.
It’s not that I’m not interested, because some parts do catch me. I just don’t know how to make it work for me. For context, I’m autistic and I’m a high school dropout, and according to an evaluation my reading level is around fourth grade.
If anyone has any advice, I’d really appreciate it.
FULL BOOK "Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson" original full book eng value german story ios
By crescentkalendae
Denise Sumpter—maybe I missed something, but I’m not fully sure what to think.
Regarding Gulliver's Travels, Treasure Island and Robinson Crusoe.
By string-white
I just wrapped up these three books since I need to write an essay for college. To be honest, I’m kind of torn on colonialist literature. Crusoe in particular felt like a bit of a slog for me, but Treasure Island was enjoyable, maybe because I grew up with the Disney version. The first chapter of Gulliver was also really fun, and from that same book, I have to say the last voyage made me think a lot.
I’d really like to know how these books are viewed internationally, since I’m from South America and maybe I have some bias because of the historical background. Also, what do you all think of them? Did you like them? Why? Any input would be appreciated, since it would help with my essay and I’m honestly just curious too.
Edit: sorry for the grammar mistakes, I just noticed how many slipped in.
2nd edit: sorry I haven’t replied more, I’ve been pretty busy lately, but every answer so far has been really interesting and helpful! I hope to be more active here.
Treasure Island best adaptation
By DeskRiver
I’ve been thinking of binging “Black Sails” really soon since it might be taken off Netflix, and then I want to read “Treasure Island” after that because it’s basically a prequel.
But I’m curious—what’s the best movie or miniseries adaptation of “Treasure Island”? I’m trying to find the best version to watch. The only one I’ve seen before was the Russian 1989 Soviet one, and I watched it in English dub when I was a kid.
Books like pirates of the Caribbean but more adult and centered on the pirate magic/lore.
By HawkBirch2001
There’s also a bit of a love story vibe in here, like Davey Jones and Calypso. Honestly though, that Jack Sparrow-ish character could be left out entirely.
Is Treasure island a good book for adults?
By TinyChapter
I know it’s supposed to be a classic, but I feel like I haven’t even picked up a physical book in forever. That said, I’ve been thinking about reading Treasure Island lately for some reason.
Is it actually good for adults, or is it more for younger readers? And does it still hold up? I’m kind of in the mood for a solid adventure story, and I honestly really like pirates, so I’m wondering if this one’s worth it.
Robert Louis Stevenson - Treasure Island (1910) [2750 x 3400]
By limpsy-corner
Honestly, I loved this.
Why do so many notable authors despise Henry James?
By midnight-lynx47
From what I’ve been able to tell, at least Borges, Mark Twain, T.S. Eliot, Oscar Wilde, Virginia Woolf, E.M. Forster, Nabokov, Lawrence Durrell, Arnold Bennett, Cormac McCarthy, Jonathan Franzen, and H.L. Mencken have all said pretty nasty things about James’ writing.
I get that there’s no such thing as everyone agreeing, and even big name authors always have critics—but this feels like an unusually big, loud, and harsh amount of pushback for someone who’s also clearly one of the most celebrated writers around.
The main thing I keep seeing is that he’s supposedly hard to get through and kind of dull. I can see how that might land for his later stuff, but I also don’t really buy it when I look at the parts people tend to praise, like Washington Square, Daisy Miller, The Turn of the Screw, What Maisie Knew, or The Portrait of a Lady. Those seem pretty readable and engaging to me.
Anyway, I’m curious—what are the other takes on why he seems to rub so many people the wrong way?
How good is College Board's 101 Books to Read Before College list?
By CleverHeron5
I realize no list can include every classic, but does this one actually have a decent mix of the important stuff so it could be a good starting point? I’m starting college this fall and I want to read a bunch of classics, but before I found this list I’d only read nine of them.
(For reference, I’m looking at the list here.)
EDIT: Thanks for the replies. I originally picked this list because my literature teacher said he’d read most of them before he even finished high school. Now I’m not sure I’ll get through a lot of them—some look interesting, but I’m also worried about slogging through things that might not be as enjoyable.
Treasure Island (1990), a British-American film based on the novel of the same name. Set in the 1750s. Starring Christian Bale, Charlton Heston, and Christopher Lee.
By Garden
I really loved this movie when I was a kid—Christian Bale was totally my first crush :)