High Adventure from the Times of Christ!

Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
My rating: 4 of 6 stars

I've always been curious about this book. Actually, I've had very high expectations.

It's a tale of grand adventure on a grand scale. As boy, I loved My Side of the Mountain and Hatchet (I think I read Hatchet, though maybe I didn't), or even The Boxcar Children. I wanted to be a rugged loaner who carves his destiny out of the wilds of the world with his wits and bare hands.

So, naturally, I figured that I could get behind Robinson Crusoe. And I could, mostly. His adventure actually has more than three parts. He goes, gets enslaved, escapes, lands in Brazil, and then heads out and gets shipwrecked, whence the meat of the story takes place.

But, man, is it dated. There are long winded, hit-you-over-the-head passages extolling the virtues of Christ and Providence and the influence of the Almighty on Crusoe's journey, though there isn't much in the way of Deus Ex Machina, especially by today's standards.

Regardless of the pedantry, it's a fun book. I did sometimes wonder about the veracity of the claims that the title character makes, and it was woefully lacking an epilogue, but it was fun.

For those who love adventure, and have a hole in their reading schedule, I say read it, and learn your roots.

4 out of 6

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