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Shortly after David discovers that his uncle is cheating him out of the money and property he was supposed to inherit from his father, Ebenezer arranges for David to be kidnapped by a ship of ruffians and taken to the Carolinas to be sold into slavery. While circling around Scotland, the ship runs into and wrecks another boat, and the crew captures the lone survivor, a rugged but vain Highlander named Alan Breck Stewart. David quickly befriends Stewart, who turns out to be quite a swashbuckler, and they manage to subdue their captors and escape to the Scotland shore. On the mainland, Stewart is accused of murdering a rival clan member who goes by the name of Red Fox; he and David must now cross the mountainous Scottish countryside to get to a safe haven, also permitting David to return to claim his inheritance.

This is a short but perfectly effective epic adventure that features everything such a story requires: crafty characters, excellent pacing, a keen sense of history (keep in mind it takes place over 130 years before it was written), and sharp dialogue that evokes the Scottish brogue and establishes the setting and tone. With "Kidnapped," Stevenson provides the 19th Century Scottish answer to Homer's Odyssey.


My favorite book of all time   May 28, 2001
A family friend gave me this book as a present when I was in grade school. My parents started reading it to me, and although some of it was difficult to understand due to the dialect, I was enthralled by it. Eventually I began reading it on my own, then re-reading it again and again. It has become my favorite book of all time, and I must literally have read it at least a hundred times (I am now 54). I still re-read it several times every year.

Although the entire novel is excellent, my favorite part is the Highland journey from Mull to Edinburgh. David and Allen's encounters with the Highlanders, and the marvelous descriptions of the countryside are so vivid that the reader feels s/he is actually there. Of course, very few authors can match Stevenson's prose for sheer beauty and power.

I have also read the sequel, DAVID BALFOUR (aka CATRIONA) innumerable times, but have always found it a letdown after KIDNAPPED. Somehow it just doesn't have the same magic.

I should also say that the only filmed version of KIDNAPPED worth watching at all is the Disney production, which sticks fairly closely to the story (although it does take a few liberties). The recent made-for-cable version starring Armande Assante (available on video) is an abomination--not only was it filmed in Ireland instead of Scotland, but it completely alters the story, adding all sort of plots and subplots, as if Stevenson's story simply wasn't good enough. Stay away from it.

I envy anyone who is about to read KIDNAPPED for the first time.


Waste of money!   April 19, 2001
This audio presentation by David Rintoul is extremely dull, boring and bland. It is so uninspiring that my son and I could not finish it. There are lots of excellent audio books out there but this is definitely not one of them. DO NOT BUY IT!


Absolutely Neccessary Reading   March 5, 2001
I've read this book over and over again, and believe me, it never gets boring! I love all the adventure and excitement of David and Alan's journey through the Highlands, and I like to imagine myself as part of the action. Even though telling the story through David's viewpoint made it interesting, he often became too preachy and self-concious for the reader to really sympathize with him. However, the book is still fast-paced, exciting, and has a bunch of great quotes that tend to pop up in my head when I'm least expecting it. Even if the rest of the book was utter rubbish, which it isn't, I think that having the character of Alan Breck Stewart in it would still make it almost readable. He has so many great qualities, and his faults make him even more believable. I liked all of the historical information and stuff about culture as well. Also, the characters' accents are wonderful. Even though some of the obscure Scottish words gave me trouble, I loved the dialects.

In closing, any person who loves adventures must read this! If nothing else, it will give you a lot of material to invent your own stories based on the plot, best if played in the backyard with your dad and siblings(preferably several obnoxious brothers, who will play any part as long as it involves running, screaming, and swordfights).


An awesome book for both young and old!   January 9, 2001
Let me tell you now that 'Kidnapped' is my personal favourite, and I've already read it four times! You'll never get a moment to pause to take a yawn. R.L. Stevenson with his superb writing capabilities writes of a young man named David Balfour. When his father dies, he is told to go to his uncle's house. After several failed attempts to kill David the wicked uncle sells him off to a skipper of a ship. In the course of his stay on the ship David meets the Jacobite, Alan. I can't describe the novel in words you gotta read it to know what you are really in for! This is the greatest adventure novel I've ever read. If you have read Stevenson's 'Treasure Island' then you won't be disappionted with this one.