I truly don’t know where to start. The story is as good as it can be, Stevenson delivers an adventurous tale with his magnificent narrative that combines friendship and survival in the midst of political intrigue; a terrific description that transports you to the 18th century Scotland's landscapes and people and all that, of course, with an excellent pace: I hated when I had to interrupt my reading. The Scots dialect words somehow give Kidnapped an inexhaustible fire and brio, but its inner mood is sombre. Stevenson, in Balfour's voice, expresses this as he lives over again "the worst part of my adventures… Ransome carried below, Shaun dying on the round-house floor, or Colin Campbell (the Red Fox) grasping at the bosom of his coat…" Stevenson presents the Jacobite version of the Appin murder in the novel, [2] but sets the events in 1751, whereas the murder occurred in 1752. [5] Publication history and author [ edit ] Robert Louis Stevenson at age 35 in 1885 Kidnapped cover, by William Brassey Hole, London edition, Cassell and Company, 1886 Since May I started listening to audiobooks in English without reading the book at once, basically just the audiobook and my optimism. Everything seemed to go well since then, a novella by Wilkie Collins, a couple of books for my Pride Month reads, and especially children's books, until I came across Kidnapped on LibriVox, and then everything just fell apart.

Alan and David, now major suspects in the murder, flee to the woods. Alan swears he had nothing to do with the murder, but he must now draw attention away from the real killer. David believes Alan, and they escape to the home of James Stewart, or James of the Glens. James gives them a change of clothes and some little money, but he tells them that he will have to blame them for the murder and put our warrants for their arrest once they are safely gone, so that he will not be blamed for the murder. If James is killed, it will mean great difficulties for the Stewart clan. David and Alan agree to be the scapegoats, and Alan and David are soon fleeing through the wilderness once more. The man who helps David leave Essendean after the death of his father, Mr. Campbell goes to Rankeillor in search of David, which helps support David's story once David has returned. Colin Campbell I'm also sure I have to reread this book in the future, not only because it deserves to have a better place among my reading experiences (I hope so), but also because I believe it won't catch me completely off guard the next time; my English journey somehow must make a difference. This is my first time reading anything by Suzanne Ferrell and it won’t be the last. The title, book cover, and the synopsis pulled me in. The storyline kept me engaged from start to finish and the twists and turns made for a wonderful story of romance, danger, and suspense.David walks two days to Edinburgh, and soon finds his way to Cramond. As he begins to ask about the House of Shaws, he finds it is an unpopular place. His Uncle Ebenezer seems particularly ill regarded by the community, and is in fact the only occupant of the house. Nevertheless, David continues on to the House of Shaws. Ebenezer gives him a cold welcome, and seems very interested in the death of David's father. Ebenezer treats David badly, almost as if David were a thief, but he wins some of David's respect by giving the lad nearly forty pounds. But when Ebenezer nearly sends David to his death in the tower adjacent to the house, David demands to know why his uncle hates him and, if he does, why he wants him to stay at the House of Shaws. The first person narrator, David Balfour, begins the novel by introducing his journey from his home, Essendean, in 1751. He walks with the minister of Essendean, Mr. Campbell, for some of the way. David feels that with his parents dead, it is the time to move on. David's father had asked the minister to deliver a letter to his son. With the letter, David can travel to the Shaws, once home to his father. David never knew that his poor father was related to such a high family. The minister tells David to continue studying the Bible and gives David four gifts: money for his father's books, a Bible, a shilling, and a recipe. The latter three have symbolic meaning. Mr. Campbell hurries away because of his sadness regarding David's departure.

a b Linklater, Andro (27 February 2010). "The Greatest Rogue in Europe". The Spectator. Archived from the original on 15 July 2021 . Retrieved 15 July 2021. The book that actually inspired Kidnapped, according to the unambiguous statement of R.L. Stevenson's wife, was The Trial of James Stewart, a contemporary account of the murder. Our Story". Edinburgh City of Literature. Archived from the original on 23 August 2017 . Retrieved 27 July 2017. If you read The Wind in the Willows you know it's an animal fable and so you accept that a Vole and a Badger can be friends or that a Toad can disguise himself as a washerwoman and not be recognised. On the other hand if a story appears to be realistic and is set amongst amidst the political intrigue of Scotland after the '45 then you expect the adult characters to behave appropriately or to get hanged. So I'm left wondering if Stevenson was just not very thoughtful in how he put the story together, or was just very condescending in how he viewed the highlanders and their capabilities, or if he expected the late Victorian reading public to wolf down his stories more eagerly than their porridge and still ask for more. What does the Gaelic anti-defamation league think? P.S. Sorry if I ended up talking about my life when I said my mistake had nothing to do with it. I guess sometimes it is inevitable.When morning came, Alan gave David one of the silver buttons on his coat. Hoseason told Alan that the ship was very difficult to maneuver without Shuan. Alan still demanded to be let off in his own land and suggested to Hoseason a large stretch of shore which would be easier to navigate. Hoseason asked for money. Alan agreed to his old proposition. Finally, with an exchange of brandy for water, the deal was done. The ship's course was decided by Hoseason who feared that the boat may be too large to navigate between the smaller isles. Alan and David sat pleasantly in the round-house and told their stories. The name of David's minister worried Alan since the Campbells were his worst enemy. Alan had deserted the English army and joined the Jacobites in 1746. King George demanded rent from the Highlands he had conquered and was aided by Colin Campbell, who was left in charge of the area. Alan's clan chief, Ardshiel, had to flee to France. The people of Appin continued to send him rent in addition to paying King George's rent. David thought this noble. Alan helped transport the rent from one side of the English Channel to the other. Kidnapped is a historical romance, but by the time it was written, attitudes towards the genre had evolved from the earlier insistence on historical accuracy to one of faithfulness to the spirit of a bygone age. In the words of a critic writing in Bentley's Miscellany, the historical novelist "must follow rather the poetry of history than its chronology: his business is not to be the slave of dates; he ought to be faithful to the character of the epoch". [3] Indeed, in the preface to Kidnapped Stevenson warns the reader that historical accuracy was not primarily his aim, remarking "how little I am touched by the desire of accuracy". [4]

It has been speculated that the novel was inspired in part by the true story from earlier in the 18th century of James Annesley, heir to five aristocratic titles who was kidnapped at the age of 12 by his uncle Richard and shipped from Dublin to America in 1728. [12] He managed to escape after 13 years and return to reclaim his birthright from his uncle in one of the longest courtroom dramas of its time. [13] Kidnapped does not end in the way Annesley's life story did, as the ship on which the main character was kidnapped never got beyond Scotland, allowing for a rich story of Scotland, highlands and lowlands. Further, a key event in the plot happens when David is present when Colin Roy Campbell falls dead from the unseen murderer’s bullet. When David arrived at the Shaws, an old man peered out with a gun. David told the man that he had a letter of introduction. After hearing David's last name and a great pause, the man asked if David's father was dead. The old man answered his own question and reluctantly let the boy in. David was surprised to learn that this old man was his uncle. Ebenezer led the boy to a bedroom. The darkness was overwhelming but Ebenezer refused to find a light. In morning, David had to bang to be let out. The old man seemed very miserly. During breakfast, Ebenezer told the boy that he would find employment for him. David said that he had not willfully sought his uncle. David remembered the people who warned him against Ebenezer and told his uncle about one. Angered, Ebenezer started to leave, telling David that he would have to wait outside. David refused. Finally Ebenezer decided not to leave. Kidnapped was the story of cookie cutter villains chasing a TSTL Mary Sue and her hunky but pretty lame undercover FBI agent/kidnapper. There are two things that men should never weary of, goodness and humility; we get none too much of them in this rough world among cold, proud people.”David Balfour is 17 and his parents have died. He seeks his inheritance from his father’s brother. The last name of this character is taken from the maiden name of the author’s mother.