| Kidnapped | 
 enlarge | Author: Robert Louis Stevenson
Publisher: Dover Publications
Category: Book
List Price: CDN$ 5.25
Buy Used: CDN$ 0.34
You Save: CDN$ 4.91 (94%)
New (8) Used (7) from CDN$ 0.34
Avg. Customer Rating:  48 reviews
Sales Rank: 286413
Media: Paperback
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Pages: 256
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.2 x 0.6
ISBN: 0486410269
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.8
EAN: 9780486410265
ASIN: 0486410269
Publication Date: May 24, 2000
Availability: Usually ships within 1 - 2 business days
Condition: Older Signet edition, cover has some wear but pages clean and unmarked, Ships from Canada
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| Customer Reviews:
 A Thrilling Read! July 21, 2002
Robert Louis Stevenson was without a doubt one of the greatest historical/adventure novelists that ever lived, and Kidnapped is unquestionably one of his best works. My only regret is that I waited so long to finally read it. It was a new and exciting change from Treasure Island, a book which I love, but have read approximately once every year since the second grade. Finally, longing for a little swashbuckle, and wishing for a way out of my Jim Hawkins rut, I picked up Kidnapped, and was immediately swept off on a thrilling, suspenseful and exhilarating adventure through the Scottish highlands. For days I sat rigid on the edge of my seat, eagerly following the young David Balfour as he was cheated of his inheritance by his wily uncle, kidnapped by pirates, and befriended by a cocky Jacobite outlaw. Breathlessly, I followed him and his companion as they were falsely accused of murder and forced to flee from British troops. Finally, I heaved a sigh of contented disappointment as the story ended, glad at the way things had ended, yet upset that it all had to end and that I would at last have to part from the two heroes of whom I had grown so fond. This is without a doubt a book that I will reread as many times as I have Treasure Island, and I envy the lucky reader who is picking it up for the first time. It is thrilling, exciting, suspenseful, unpredictable, and thoroughly intoxicating. After reading it, my thirst for such dashing adventure was so terrible that I immediately had to run to the library and lay my hands on every adventure novel I could find. I would highly reccommend it to every lover of adventure stories, particularly those with a historical base. I would suggest though that first time readers take a minute to read just a very little bit about the Jacobite rebellions, particularly the one of 1745. It will help greatly to clarify the story, and make it that much more enjoyable. (If indeed, it could get any better than it already is!)
Fighting spirit May 4, 2002
I believe that Kidnapped is one of the books that will keep the reader at the edge of his seat. Kidnapped is a book, which is suitable for all children and adults. No matter how many times you have read it, you will want to read it over and over. Adventure, suspense and treachery, Kidnapped has all of it.
The adventure starts with David Balfour, a young boy whose father has just recently passed away. David inherits his will and sets off to claim it. Upon claiming his inheritance, he meets his uncle. His uncle obviously wanted the inheritance, kidnapped David in a ship and sets him off far away. David survives the shipwrecked and is rescued by Alan, a dare devil rogue. There they built a long lasting friendship and together, escapes to freedom. In the end, courage, hope and believing in faith help David to his destination.
To end this paragraph, Kidnapped is a must read book for those who love suspense, adventure and treachery. The book makes the reader as if he's David Balfour and has to escape to freedom.
Dated but still effective January 3, 2002
I totally agree with the reviewer who says that Kidnapped has become his/her favorite book of all time and that (s)he still re-reads it several times a year. Not that I re-read it, but I agree when (s)he says that (s)he envies anyone who is about to read 'Kidnapped' for the first time. I am about the same age, and I well remember my first reading - how I smiled when Uncle Ebeneezer served his gruel (porridge) - how I held my breath when David nearly stepped into space on the broken stairs - how I cringed with the injustice of Ebeneezer tried to cheat David out of his inheritance by selling him into slavery in the American colonies.Stevenson's 'Treasure Island' is reckoned to be his best book but, for sheer descriptive weight, superb characterization and sharp, sharp dialog, 'Kidnapped' is the one for me. In brief, 16-year-old orphan, David Balfour visits his uncle in order to claim the inheritance, left by his father. The uncle, having failed to kill him, arranges for David to be kidnapped by a ship of thugs and villains and taken to the Carolinas to be sold into slavery. While navigating the Scottish coast, the ship collides with another boat and the crew capture the lone survivor, a swashbuckling Highlander called Alan Breck Stewart. David and Alan become friends and escape their captors. On land again, Stewart is accused of murdering a rival clan member and he and David must now cross the Scottish mountains to reach safe haven and for David to reclaim his inheritance. The descriptions of the Scottish countryside are truly marvelous and the sense of pace and adventure keeps the reader hooked right to the end. I notice that one reviewer likened this section to 'a tiresome episode of The Odd Couple'. Perhaps it's worth bearing in mind that The Odd Couple was written a few years AFTER Kidnapped ! (In any case, I doubt that a written version of the television series would stir anyone's emotions like Kidnapped can). To most readers the historic aspects, along with the fact that the couple are being hunted by British redcoats is enough to maintain interest, suspense and pace. Read and enjoy !
 It's Nae Treas're Isle December 6, 2001
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I am a big fan of Stevenson (especially Treasure Island), swashbuckling adventure (especially Rafael Sabatini) and Scottish literature (especially Irvine Welsh and James Kelman), but I have to say that rereading Kidnapped is a bit of a letdown. Not for the reasons others have cited, such as language (if you think Stevenson's use of Scots dialect is tough, try reading Trainspotting!) or obscure history (the book is set in Scotland circa 1750, just after the failure of the Jacobite rebellion against the British), but rather because the book is rather boring. It starts off promisingly enough, as orphaned 16-year-old Dvid Balfour sets off to the big city to track down his never-seen Uncle Ebeneezer. It doesn't take long for the miserly uncle (is the sharing of name with that other famous miser, Ebeneezer Scrooge, just a coincidence?) to cheat the boy out of his inheritance, try to murder him, and then sell him into slavery in the American colonies. As he is taken out to sea, the ship collides with another in the dark, and the sole survivor is taken aboard. The shipboard tension and the action as he throws his lot in with the doughty Highlander rebel Alan Breck to defeat his captors is all quite enjoyable. After both make their escape they are reunited in the Highlands, which are being scoured by British redcoats in search of traitors like Alan Breck). They decide to band together and travel to a place of safety. Unfortunately at this point, the book becomes a tiresome episode of The Odd Couple, as they bicker and banter and evade the British. It's rather chivalric, as concern over honor and friendship overwhelms any real story or action. The insights into Highlander culture and history are somewhat interesting, but not enough to carry it. The climactic confrontation as David confronts his uncle returns the book to its fun, adventurous roots. Stevenson write a sequel, variously known as David Balfour or Catriona, which is not supposed to be as good.
 Was not what I expected October 31, 2001
Well when the book just started out I did not really like it because it was in anothor type of reading. I was not really used to this type of reading. But further on in the book it got more and more exciting and kept me on the edge of my seat more. But at the end of the book was not all that great because it did not make that much sense to me about what was going on. I would reccommend this book to some one that really liked back in the day books.
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