The Master of Ballantrae Robert Louis Stevenson Books
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The Master of Ballantrae A Winter's Tale is a book by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, focusing upon the conflict between two brothers, Scottish noblemen whose family is torn apart by the Jacobite rising of 1745. He worked on the book in Tautira after his health was restored
The Master of Ballantrae Robert Louis Stevenson Books
Master of Ballantrae is the story of two brothers, one good and one bad. James, the wicked one, is heir to the family fortune, is daddy's favorite, and can charm the rattle off a snake. The good brother, Henry, is quiet and self-effacing and not much liked by anybody. The novel is set in England in 1745. James, "the Master", runs off to join Bonnie Prince Charlie who is striving to restore the Stuarts to the throne. When James does not return after several years, he is presumed dead and Henry marries Allison, his brother's fiancée, and becomes the new heir.But the Master is not dead, nor does he die at several other opportune moments. He seems to have nine lives and with each one he comes back to haunt and torment his brother. Honestly, to read of his constant villainy juxtaposed with his power to beguile and deceive gave me the shivers. And it made the book very hard to put down.
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The Master of Ballantrae Robert Louis Stevenson Books Reviews
A classic that reads like a multi-person diary. Very enjoyable. Language is a bit archaic but worth figuring out. I truly loved it.
I found this book rather heavy going because of the language. which is of course quite old. The story was good and interesting, but I would not read it again.
The Master of Ballantrae is the story of the conflict between two Scottish brothers, set in the time of the Jacobite uprising. It is a story of a family divided and in many ways the two brothers symbolize the duality of man’s nature and the corrupting force of pride. It is narrated by multiple secondary characters who were involved at critical time points in the brothers’ lives. The primary narrator is Mackellar, Henry’s steward who also serves as the moral voice in the novel. Henry and James are seemingly opposites. Younger brother Henry is responsible, dull, altruistic, serious, and hard working. James (the Master of Ballantrae) is irresponsible, selfish, charismatic, and manipulative. The novel follows the fate of the two brothers after they flip a coin to decide who leave the home to fight with the rebels. Over the course of the novel, the characteristics of the two brothers become slightly less black and white. The story is jam-packed with adventures that come in the form of pirates, sea voyage, sibling rivalry and family conflict, double-crossing, and buried treasure. Yet despite all its adventure, it is first and foremost a grim and depressing view of human nature.
I found this book to be an enjoyable read. It was very dramatic book and filled with so much action that it was hard to put down. However, the drama was so over the top that it often felt cartoonish for me and this detracted from the message (which I thought was rather clever). I would have preferred more nuanced characters, but the two brothers were portrayed in such extreme ways that I found them unrealistic (and I realize that the author’s intention was to highlight the extremes). The most interesting parts of the book were the glimmers of complexity in their characters and I wish there had been more of this. Despite it’s weaknesses, I enjoyed reading this book and definitely worth the read for those who like Victorian era adventures.
The Nabu Public Domain Reprint is a photo-reproduction of what looks like a 1905 edition, which would be fine except that on most pages the last line (sometimes the last two lines) are either so distorted as to be illegible, or cut off entirely. This makes for very frustrating reading. It would be far preferable to get your hands on an old copy. This is a case in which buying online proves a mistake (a brief physical examination would have revealed the defect).
The novel is uneven; I found the first part slow and somewhat artificial, by which I mean, lacking in illusion of reality. But about a third of the way in the old Stevenson magic kicks in, and the middle part is top notch. The ending, though perhaps not quite as strong, still works pretty well. All in all, an interesting blend of a dark sort of romanticism with a very gritty realism. A sort of nineteenth-century noir.
This novel, set in Scotland and at sea and in colonial America, tells the story of two brothers -- one egotistical and abusive, the other noble and yet somewhat submissive -- from the point of view of a hired accountant or factotum, Mr. McKellar. Overall it is a dark tragedy, with a noble family all but extinguished through gross family dysfunction. It was fairly short as novels go, and the pace was good, so I found it easy enough reading, and despite the gloomy plot, I did enjoy it. Robert Louis Stevenson is a fine storyteller.
The Wrecker by R.L. Stevenson was a pleasant surprise. I saw the book described somewhere and thought "give it a go". I, like most people of my age cohort, have read Treasure Island, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Kidnapped, you know, the usual canon. I wanted to read something classic, yet relatively unknown and The Wrecker fit the bill. I was not disappointed in the least! Great descriptive phrasing, wonderful language use, fun 19th Century argot, and a complex, twisty plot; who wouldn't be happy. Yes, of course, you have to be an experienced, diverse reader and willing to puzzle out some of the references, but this made the experience all that more enjoyable for me. This is not an exercise for the intellectually lazy. What a joy, though, to read and engaging, 'old style' novel. Stevenson got the sailing and natural elements just right. I certainly cannot remember the last novel that I enjoyed more and the craftsmanship of language and style were a wonderful reward. I can't recommend The Wrecker enough if you desire an escape from the mundane world of the current written "product".
There were some minor typographical problems in my copy, which was regrettable, but not a deal breaker.
If you need a bit of a challenge and want to enjoy the craft of writing in the old style, you would benefit from spending your time with Stevenson's The Wrecker.
Master of Ballantrae is the story of two brothers, one good and one bad. James, the wicked one, is heir to the family fortune, is daddy's favorite, and can charm the rattle off a snake. The good brother, Henry, is quiet and self-effacing and not much liked by anybody. The novel is set in England in 1745. James, "the Master", runs off to join Bonnie Prince Charlie who is striving to restore the Stuarts to the throne. When James does not return after several years, he is presumed dead and Henry marries Allison, his brother's fiancée, and becomes the new heir.
But the Master is not dead, nor does he die at several other opportune moments. He seems to have nine lives and with each one he comes back to haunt and torment his brother. Honestly, to read of his constant villainy juxtaposed with his power to beguile and deceive gave me the shivers. And it made the book very hard to put down.
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