Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson
Young David Balfour searches for his uncle Ebenezer to claim his fortune after his father dies and leaves him penniless. But his uncle is a cruel, evil person who harbours a terrible family secret. When David is kidnapped and placed as a prisoner on a ship headed for slavery, he finds himself in grave peril and must flee. David embarks on a thrilling adventure as he is pursued across the bleak Scottish moors with the aid of the courageous rebel Alan Breck.
Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson
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Alexander McCall Smith does a fantastic job of setting up Robert Louis Stevenson’s action-adventure book. It is a book you can read over and over again. Between Alan Breck and David Balfour, I believe the distinction between the Lowland Scot and the Highlander is truly highlighted. It’s very well written and executed, and Robert Louis Stevenson has a lot of charm. You know, he’s really critical of marriage. But not in this book, where he appears to be pretty bitter about marriage.
Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson, published in 1886, is a classic example of a boy’s adventure story in the same vein as Treasure Island and The Black Arrow. I absolutely enjoyed Kidnapped, much more so than The Black Arrow, despite it not quite reaching the heights of Treasure Island for me.
Our main character is David Balfour, a young Lowland Scot who becomes an orphan due to the death of his father. He discovers that he is the heir to an estate when visiting his uncle for the first time. And his uncle intends to get rid of him in order to keep the inheritance to himself. Even though David has his suspicions about his uncle, he is unfortunately caught off guard and sent away aboard the brig Covenant to be sold in the Carolinas.
At least, that is his uncle’s sinister scheme. Instead, David meets the courageous Highland Scottish rebel Alan Breck Stewart, who is also captured by the Covenant. Realizing they are both in danger, they band together, flee, and cooperate to accomplish their objectives: David to go back to his estate and reclaim it from his evil uncle, and Alan to help the Highlanders before leaving for France and the King’s protection. One of the main themes of the book is how their relationship endures in the midst of all the dangers.
