Customer Reviews

Penguin Classics Kidnapped

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Kidnapped is a thrilling novel that has withstood the test of time to remain a favorite. It is one of those books that you pick up and fight to put back down. A good read for those of all ages Kidnapped is one of the most thrilling books I have read in awhile.

Kidnapped begins with David Balfour, a poor orphaned teenager looking for a rich uncle who he expects will accept him as kin and treat him right. The book follows David's quest for his inheritance from his miserly hermit of an uncle, in search monetary appreciation David finds himself and friends the likes of which he will probably never meet again. From the Scottish lowlands to the sea and into the highlands this book keeps you enthralled throughout its entirety with some of the most interesting characters in literature. Alan Breck, a friend David made during his shortened sea journey, nearly steals the book from the young protagonist, but the question about David's inheritance keeps your mind on him while enjoying Alan's many stories and adventures.

I liked this book because it not only told a story of a kid who hit hard times and pulled himself out, but because he learned a lesson. It shows what can be accomplished with the right help and what can befall you without it.

This book is timeless; as long as people continue to name classics this will stay on the list for its fast pace and interesting storyline. I highly recommend it

First off, let me say that I'm tempted to give Kidnapped 2 stars. However, that would probably be because I had to read this for school and ended up basically reading it for a whole day without a break. It was tedious. Being fair though, the book itself was 3. It wasn't great, and it wasn't terrible. It was a rather difficult read for me, and I am a freshman at high school in Advanced English. Looking up information on the Jacobite Rebellion would have definately been helpful prior to reading this. Knowledge of the geography of Scotland would also have been useful. One of the reasons I didn't like this book was because a new character or place seemed to be mentioned/introduced CONSTANTLY! For the most part, they'd never be mentioned again. It was confusing, because the side stories which the author inserted every now and then were sometimes a confusing distraction. That was painful. I also had some problems with the old-fashioned dialect. Although it may not be as difficult as some of these reviewers make it out to be, it still was a challenge. It gets easier as the book progreses. This was an OK story. It's a classic about David, a boy who gets kidnapped and has a wild adventure through Scotland because of it. One of the things I liked about David was that the character was very believable. He didn't have any fake, "superhero" qualities. For example, he admits he isn't a good shooter. He's down-to-earth. He is a refreshing main character for an action story. Some of the side characters are also very well developed and humorous. All in all, I wouldn't reccomend this book. It's certainly not for a basic reader or a child either.

Kidnapped is a story about a young boy's life during the 1800's. This boys name is David and he is going through some hard times right after his father's death. His only family left is his Uncle Ebenezer who he doesn't even know. He travels to the house of Shaws where he meets his uncle, who turns out to be a very mean old man. David has come there not only to meet his closest kin left, but to also collect his inheritance from his father's death. David's uncle has him sent off to be a slave on a ship to the Carolinas, without David knowing. This leads to a series of adventures on the open sea and eventually to Scotland, where David and his new friend Alan are being chased by the English army. They eventually gather their bearings and find there way back to the house of Shaws. Here they get David's father's lawyer to help make David's uncle turn over his part of the inheritance. And then the story ends with David receiving two thirds of his uncle's income as David's inheritance. The reason that I chose this book is for the reasons that it really shows how cruel people were back in the 1800's and how easy people got away with mean things. It shows that no body was safe in the 1800's and even people with money were corrupt. The book reads very well because of Stevenson's great style of writing. This book also interests the reader greatly with its great action scenes that seem to go on forever and ever. There are changes in the book almost every other chapter that really change the way the book reads and this sucks you in even more. This book also catches an eye with its great imagery, I remember this one scene where they are describing a river that David needed to cross to get to the main land and the imagery was so good that I could picture this river and the houses on the other side. The main character David is also a very interesting boy to read about and all you want the whole book is for something to go good for him. He had to deal with so much and he doesn't get rewarded till the end of the book. If you are a reader that loves a great 1800's action book, with a very interesting plot, you will like Kidnapped a lot.

Kidnapped is not the book that I thought it was going to be. It had a decent story line, but some of the language was hard to understand. I would not reccomend this book to the youn reader, even though it is considered a kids book. It can be hard to follow at times, and it is hard to keep ones attention on the book. Overall I was not pleased with this book.

(...)The book I read was Kidnapped by Robert L. Stevenson. David, the main character has an adventuress life. His adventures started when his father dies and he has to leave the city of Essedean to go to his uncle's house. His uncle sells him to a captain named Hoseason. Alan and David meet up then separate after David gets Alan a way back home. This book is about a young boy, David Balfour, through his adventures and friends. One thing that happens right away is that David's uncle tries to kill by asking him to go up an unfinished staircase in the dark. After being sold to a sea captain he sees one of his best friends, Ransom, die because of Mr. Shaun. The covenant causes the ship to sink, and they manage to save one man, Alan, off that ship. Later they plot to kill this same Gentleman. I think it could have everything from super fun to almost the to point of depression to have an adventuress life like that.
When I was reading the scene where David shoots the two grown men. My mouth practically touched ground. I couldn't believe that he could have shot two men. I mean the book makes him seem to be around fourteen or fifteen. I couldn't even imagine shooting someone and I'm almost his age. This part almost makes me want to cry, " "
One of my favorite parts in this book is when David and Alan get captured by Cluny's men. The reason why that this is one of my favorite parts is because David is kind of panicking and Alan is as cool as a cucumber."
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The most exiting part of this book was when Alan and David fight off the whole crew of the covenant. " ". This was a very exciting part in Kidnapped.
I think readers learn a lot about trust and friendship. This book kind of shows that you can't trust everyone. also shows us that you should watch who you make friendships with. This book is about a young boy, David Balfour, becoming a man through things in his life that he will not forget. Things like having to shoot someone and seeing be shot. These experiences would most definitely be life changing for any person.

Kidnapped is an awsome book because it's so alive. Almost everything you read is action. It's talks about when David Balfour goes to his fathers friend and finds out that he's his uncle! He gets on a boat and is sold to be killed. When the boat sinks and David is stranded on an island. This book is a favorite of mine because you can't put it down. Since all the action you have to keep reading to see what happends.

Kidnapped is about a teenaged kid named David Balfour. He leaves his house to look for his fortune. He meets a very interesting man and later discovers it is his uncle. This is a fun book that keeps getting better.

I think Robert Louis Stevenson, the author, was telling kids to know who to trust and not to just say hi to a guy and become their friend. He also wanted kids to be brave.

The reason I like this book is because it is and exciting story. There is lots of action and fighting. I got interested in the book and couldn't stop reading it.

This book was very confusing at parts and very hard to understand maybe if Robert Louis Stevenson had spoken in plan english the book would have been a whole lot better. Even though I am sure this is an old book. I hope. :)

I have always been an admirer of Robert Louis Stevenson's writings. His masterfully written books have never failed to captivate me. Usually rendering me unable to participate in anything other than the primitive tasks that are essential to my life and the life of others. Those of which included eating, sleeping, bathing and relieving myself of digested food.
No I'm just kidding, but whenever I read from Robert Louis Stevenson's works that book is always on the top of my to-do list. So you can imagine when I found a copy of Kidnapped in my father's study you can imagine how I must have felt. Here was a book from one of my favorites authors sitting on my father's bookshelf. My first reaction upon seeing it was to cover it with my shirt so as not to let anyone see it. Then after the adrenalin had started to ebb from my veins. I realized that this probably wouldn't be in his office if he hadn't already read it. So slowly, very slowly I took it out from under my shirt, turning my back to my father while doing so and quickly bolted for the door.
Once I arrived at my room I began to read. It was to say the least, an amazing book. It had everything Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island had. Such as, adventure, suspense, action and a completely original story line that was so well written that one was never sure of what would happen next.
To give you a taste of this book will provide a brief summary of it. Kidnapped is about a young man named David Balfour who goes to live with his uncle after his father dies. His uncle wanting to steal his inheritance has David kidnapped. While on his voyage onboard the Covenant,David befriends Alan Breck. Together these two friends are accused of murder and chased by British soldiers on their adventure. Don't miss out on this fantastic book, written by one of the best authors of this genre. If you miss out on this wonderful book, I can guarantee you will regret it.

Kidnapped is not a book that everyone should read. It's the kind of book that only suits certain people. If you enjoy an adventurous book where a main character has to overcome many obstacles, read Kidnapped. The adventure starts off with a boy called David Balfour, whose father had just passed away. He sets off to claim his inheritance, but while doing so he meets his uncle. Unfortunately the uncle wants the inheritance too. This conflict results in David's uncle kidnapping him and sending him on a ship far away. During this journey he meets a new companion, Alan Breck. David and Alan go through a long, strenuous journey together surviving a shipwreck and witnessing a political killing.
I personally thought that this book was mediocre, nothing extravagant, but then again, nothing too boring. The beginning of the book really drew me in as a reader; we find out very early that something "fishy" could be going on. In addition I thought that the plot of this book was quite clever. It's an event (an uncle kidnapping his own nephew) that could very possibly happen in the present, but yet it is set back in the 1750's, where you would not think such a thing to happen. I also feel that the book moved awfully fast, so you always had to be super tuned into the book while you were reading lest you miss an important detail.
A downside of the book however is the old English that is used; it is quite hard to understand at times. The limited translations given at the bottom help a little, but not much. In addition I felt that there were some points in the book when it was just too dull, and not enough action going on.
Overall I thought that this book was quite entertaining for people who enjoy reading adventures. I personally didn't like it too much, but then again, I don't enjoy adventure and suspense that much. So perhaps this book will suit other people, I didn't like it because of genre preference.