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Return to Treasure Island #2
The New World
Washed ashore after escaping Treasure Island, young Jim Hawkins and his companion Natty find themselves stranded on the Gulf Coast of Texas. Their ship, the Nightingale, has been destroyed, and besides one other crew member, they are the only survivors. Before they can even grasp the full scope of their predicament, they realize they are not alone on the beach. When a band of Native Americans approaches the shore in a threatening fury, they brutally kill Jim and Natty’s last shipmate, rob their dead crew, and take the two desperate survivors hostage.
Suddenly, Jim and Natty are thrust into an adventure that takes them all across the unruly American South. Starting with a desperate escape from a violent chief who obsessively keeps close on their trail, they join up with a troupe of entertainers who take them to a thriving and dangerous New Orleans, and seek the closest port so they can set sail for home once again.
In magnificent, free-wheeling prose and in a high-flying style, Andrew Motion has spun a fantastic yarn that will win the hearts of adventure lovers everywhere.
Suddenly, Jim and Natty are thrust into an adventure that takes them all across the unruly American South. Starting with a desperate escape from a violent chief who obsessively keeps close on their trail, they join up with a troupe of entertainers who take them to a thriving and dangerous New Orleans, and seek the closest port so they can set sail for home once again.
In magnificent, free-wheeling prose and in a high-flying style, Andrew Motion has spun a fantastic yarn that will win the hearts of adventure lovers everywhere.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published October 9, 2014
12 people are currently reading
990 people want to read
About the author
Andrew Motion
111 books63 followersSir Andrew Motion, FRSL is an English poet, novelist and biographer, who presided as Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from 1999 to 2009.
Motion was appointed Poet Laureate on 1 May 1999, following the death of Ted Hughes, the previous incumbent. The Nobel Prize-winning Northern Irish poet and translator Seamus Heaney had ruled himself out for the post. Breaking with the tradition of the laureate retaining the post for life, Motion stipulated that he would stay for only ten years. The yearly stipend of £200 was increased to £5,000 and he received the customary butt of sack.
He wanted to write "poems about things in the news, and commissions from people or organisations involved with ordinary life," rather than be seen a 'courtier'. So, he wrote "for the TUC about liberty, about homelessness for the Salvation Army, about bullying for ChildLine, about the foot and mouth outbreak for the Today programme, about the Paddington rail disaster, the 11 September attacks and Harry Patch for the BBC, and more recently about shell shock for the charity Combat Stress, and climate change for the song cycle I've finished for Cambridge University with Peter Maxwell Davies." In 2003, Motion wrote Regime change, a poem in protest at Invasion of Iraq from the point of view of Death walking the streets during the conflict, and in 2005, Spring Wedding in honour of the wedding of the Prince of Wales to Camilla Parker Bowles. Commissioned to write in the honour of 109 year old Harry Patch, the last surviving 'Tommy' to have fought in World War I, Motion composed a five part poem, read and received by Patch at the Bishop's Palace in Wells in 2008. As laureate, he also founded the Poetry Archive an on-line library of historic and contemporary recordings of poets reciting their own work.
Motion remarked that he found some of the duties attendant to the post of poet laureate difficult and onerous and that the appointment had been "very, very damaging to [his] work". The appointment of Motion met with criticism from some quarters. As he prepared to stand down from the job, Motion published an article in The Guardian which concluded, "To have had 10 years working as laureate has been remarkable. Sometimes it's been remarkably difficult, the laureate has to take a lot of flak, one way or another. More often it has been remarkably fulfilling. I'm glad I did it, and I'm glad I'm giving it up – especially since I mean to continue working for poetry." Motion spent his last day as Poet Laureate holding a creative writing class at his alma mater, Radley College, before giving a poetry reading and thanking Peter Way, the man who taught him English at Radley, for making him who he was. Carol Ann Duffy succeeded him as Poet Laureate on 1 May 2009.
Andrew Motion nació en 1952. Estudió en el University College de Oxford y empezó su carrera enseñando inglés en la Universidad de Hull. También ha sido director de Poetry Review, director editorial de Chatto & Windus, y Poeta Laureado; asimismo, fue cofundador del Poetry Archive, y en 2009 se le concedió el título de Sir por su obra literaria. En la actualidad es profesor de escritura creativa en el Royal Holloway, de la Universidad de Londres. Es miembro de la Royal Society of Literature y vive en Londres. Con un elenco de nobles marineros y crueles piratas, y llena de historias de amor y de valentía, Regreso a la isla del tesoro es una trepidante continuación de La isla del tesoro, escrita con extraordinaria autenticidad y fuerza imaginativa por uno de los grandes escritores ingleses actuales.
Motion was appointed Poet Laureate on 1 May 1999, following the death of Ted Hughes, the previous incumbent. The Nobel Prize-winning Northern Irish poet and translator Seamus Heaney had ruled himself out for the post. Breaking with the tradition of the laureate retaining the post for life, Motion stipulated that he would stay for only ten years. The yearly stipend of £200 was increased to £5,000 and he received the customary butt of sack.
He wanted to write "poems about things in the news, and commissions from people or organisations involved with ordinary life," rather than be seen a 'courtier'. So, he wrote "for the TUC about liberty, about homelessness for the Salvation Army, about bullying for ChildLine, about the foot and mouth outbreak for the Today programme, about the Paddington rail disaster, the 11 September attacks and Harry Patch for the BBC, and more recently about shell shock for the charity Combat Stress, and climate change for the song cycle I've finished for Cambridge University with Peter Maxwell Davies." In 2003, Motion wrote Regime change, a poem in protest at Invasion of Iraq from the point of view of Death walking the streets during the conflict, and in 2005, Spring Wedding in honour of the wedding of the Prince of Wales to Camilla Parker Bowles. Commissioned to write in the honour of 109 year old Harry Patch, the last surviving 'Tommy' to have fought in World War I, Motion composed a five part poem, read and received by Patch at the Bishop's Palace in Wells in 2008. As laureate, he also founded the Poetry Archive an on-line library of historic and contemporary recordings of poets reciting their own work.
Motion remarked that he found some of the duties attendant to the post of poet laureate difficult and onerous and that the appointment had been "very, very damaging to [his] work". The appointment of Motion met with criticism from some quarters. As he prepared to stand down from the job, Motion published an article in The Guardian which concluded, "To have had 10 years working as laureate has been remarkable. Sometimes it's been remarkably difficult, the laureate has to take a lot of flak, one way or another. More often it has been remarkably fulfilling. I'm glad I did it, and I'm glad I'm giving it up – especially since I mean to continue working for poetry." Motion spent his last day as Poet Laureate holding a creative writing class at his alma mater, Radley College, before giving a poetry reading and thanking Peter Way, the man who taught him English at Radley, for making him who he was. Carol Ann Duffy succeeded him as Poet Laureate on 1 May 2009.
Andrew Motion nació en 1952. Estudió en el University College de Oxford y empezó su carrera enseñando inglés en la Universidad de Hull. También ha sido director de Poetry Review, director editorial de Chatto & Windus, y Poeta Laureado; asimismo, fue cofundador del Poetry Archive, y en 2009 se le concedió el título de Sir por su obra literaria. En la actualidad es profesor de escritura creativa en el Royal Holloway, de la Universidad de Londres. Es miembro de la Royal Society of Literature y vive en Londres. Con un elenco de nobles marineros y crueles piratas, y llena de historias de amor y de valentía, Regreso a la isla del tesoro es una trepidante continuación de La isla del tesoro, escrita con extraordinaria autenticidad y fuerza imaginativa por uno de los grandes escritores ingleses actuales.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
February 4, 2015
I received this book free for review from the author or publisher in exchange for an honest review. Despite the coolness of receiving a free book, I’m absolutely candid about it below because I believe authors and readers will benefit most from honest reviews rather than vacuous 5-star reviews.
The first thing to note is that this the second book in a series. Well, or third if you count the original Treasure Island from which it seems to take its setting. While reading either of the other two books is not strictly necessary, it might not be a bad idea to go pick up "Silver: Return to Treasure Island" for the purposes of context.
The nutshell view on this book is that it is essentially an old fashion swashbuckling romance. If you choose to, you can ignore just about everything with a deeper point to it in this book and focus on the action. It's blissfully reminiscent of Stevenson and Conrad and Melville in this regard. The plot is sometimes a bit on the cliche side but never dull and keeps you hopping quite excitedly from page to page.
In addition to the downright rootin'-tootin' winderness drama, there's a deep undercurrent of sadness and rage as we see the repercussions of the American genocide on the Native American peoples as they're squeezed out of their homelands. The more mundane narrative echoes this tragedy in a way as the same themes of injustice are played out on a smaller scale with the characters themselves. The twin stories are quite moving and apropos of just how horrible the settlement of the New World was for those who didn't come out on top of things.
In summary, this is one of those rare novels that works not only to entertain but also to move the reader emotionally and frame in stark and terrible contrast the tragedy that was the settlement of the New World.
PS: I hope my review was helpful. If it was not, then please let me know what I left out that you’d want to know. I always aim to improve.
The first thing to note is that this the second book in a series. Well, or third if you count the original Treasure Island from which it seems to take its setting. While reading either of the other two books is not strictly necessary, it might not be a bad idea to go pick up "Silver: Return to Treasure Island" for the purposes of context.
The nutshell view on this book is that it is essentially an old fashion swashbuckling romance. If you choose to, you can ignore just about everything with a deeper point to it in this book and focus on the action. It's blissfully reminiscent of Stevenson and Conrad and Melville in this regard. The plot is sometimes a bit on the cliche side but never dull and keeps you hopping quite excitedly from page to page.
In addition to the downright rootin'-tootin' winderness drama, there's a deep undercurrent of sadness and rage as we see the repercussions of the American genocide on the Native American peoples as they're squeezed out of their homelands. The more mundane narrative echoes this tragedy in a way as the same themes of injustice are played out on a smaller scale with the characters themselves. The twin stories are quite moving and apropos of just how horrible the settlement of the New World was for those who didn't come out on top of things.
In summary, this is one of those rare novels that works not only to entertain but also to move the reader emotionally and frame in stark and terrible contrast the tragedy that was the settlement of the New World.
PS: I hope my review was helpful. If it was not, then please let me know what I left out that you’d want to know. I always aim to improve.
September 18, 2015
Beautifully written, but the rambling nature of the coming of age story kind of derails it. I admit, I did not read the first in this series, and after reading this I am unlikely to pick it or any other additions up. Jim Hawkins (beloved Treasure Island character) and Natty (a young black girl and Jim's "romantic" interest/best friend) find themselves stranded in a strange land when their ship wrecks. They are taken hostage by some savage indians and right before they escape Jim makes the wise decision to steal Chief Black Storm's beloved necklace. It was then one long journey (over two years) through Indian territory, deserts, forests, rivers to escape the wrath of the wronged Chief. The story just did not tickle my fancy. The characters fell flat as did the plot. Good for kids perhaps, but not for me.
August 23, 2015
I was so excited to read this book since it's a secondary follow-up book to Treasure Island. I even bought the first book Silver so I could be prepared for this one. After 25 pages into Silver, which is a 400 page book, I gave up. I couldn't get into the writing style at all. So, I decided to just go ahead and jump into The New World and right away, I enjoyed the writing style much better than the first one. Although, the writing content was too drawn-out; most of the writing was lengthy, descriptive passages that could have been omitted and wouldn't have changed the storyline one bit. The characterization also wasn't what I would expect from a novel, but rather from a text book. The characters lacked depth and emotion throughout the entire book. I also didn't like how easily Jim was led around by Natty. He may have not liked the risks she took and things that she did, but he never once said anything to her about it. He just followed her around like a lost puppy. He was definitely a weak character. Natty was the stronger of the two but her attitude was one of indifference toward Jim. I did enjoy the story but felt that it could have been better with characters who showed and expressed their emotions better. Even the savages, who were portrayed as true vicious savages in the beginning of the novel, lacked that intense savagery throughout the rest of the book. Overall, this book fell flat for me and I thought it was just ok.
I received this book for free from LibraryThing's Early Reviewers Giveaway.
I received this book for free from LibraryThing's Early Reviewers Giveaway.
October 24, 2014
Conflicted...
At the end of Silver: Return to Treasure Island, Jim and Natty had been shipwrecked on the coast of Texas in the year 1803. We rejoin them at the start of this one as they are trying to recover the bodies of their companions, when suddenly they are discovered by a scavenging party of Indians from a local tribe. Taken prisoner, they are held captive and know that they are doomed to die. Granted an opportunity to escape, they take it – and also take something that doesn't belong to them; something so important that the leader of the tribe, Black Cloud, and his evil henchman will hunt them down to recover it...
Although this is a continuation of a continuation of Treasure Island, in fact, it has nothing to do with Robert Louis Stevenson's original except for Jim and Natty being the children of Jim Hawkins and Long John Silver respectively. Motion makes this fairly clear himself by metaphorically getting rid of Stevenson in the first chapter, along with the all-important silver from the original and the first follow-up. In one sense, this works, since I felt the tone of Silver was so far from the tone of Treasure Island anyway that it didn't truly feel like a continuation, so better to draw a clear divide than to invite comparison. In another sense, it doesn't quite work so well, because we are left with the same two rather unsatisfactory lead characters.
I'm completely conflicted about this book. Motion writes beautifully, as one would expect from a former Poet Laureate. When he's talking about nature in particular – the wide open landscape, the animals, the birds – his prose is wonderful. And even when he's writing action scenes, his technical skill shines through – his sudden changes of tense and shifts in style are incredibly effective at creating tension or drama. As Jim and Natty journey across the country, the various people they meet are very well drawn, many of them in a slightly caricatured way that reminded me a little of the secondary characters in a Dickens novel. His descriptions of the tragedy of the Native Americans following the arrival of the Europeans are moving without being overstated, as he shows the slow attrition of the tribes as they were driven from their lands and denied their traditional ways of life.
On the other hand, the plot moves so slowly and I'm afraid I find both Jim and Natty deeply annoying. At risk of being drummed out of the feminist sisterhood here, this is primarily because Jim is the world's foremost leading wimp and Natty has to perform the functions of the hero. Don't get me wrong, I don't want the woman to be a simpering miss, but then I don't want the man to be a simpering miss either. And Jim is. He's tortured by everything that happens to him and is completely passive throughout. He does nothing when it looks as if Natty might be going off with another man, and it never occurs to him to face up to Black Cloud rather than running and hiding. He leaves it to Natty to make all the big decisions, but then whinges when she does. And she - mean, moody, selfish, silent, but (of course) beautiful Natty - treats him appallingly at all times. Why does he love her? Why does she love him? Two books now, and I still don't know...
The thing is though, that despite everything that annoys me about these, I know I'll be just as keen to read the next one – and the ending makes it fairly clear that there is a next one in the pipeline. Personally, I feel Motion's writing style would be much better suited to a different kind of story – something much more traditionally 'literary'. He gets too moralistic and introspective about the rights and wrongs of the adventure aspects of the story – the tone just isn't quite suited to the action. But still, I love the way he uses language, and his secondary characters, and his descriptions of nature...and so I'll continue to put up with Jim and Natty if I must. See what I mean? Conflicted...
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Random House Vintage.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
At the end of Silver: Return to Treasure Island, Jim and Natty had been shipwrecked on the coast of Texas in the year 1803. We rejoin them at the start of this one as they are trying to recover the bodies of their companions, when suddenly they are discovered by a scavenging party of Indians from a local tribe. Taken prisoner, they are held captive and know that they are doomed to die. Granted an opportunity to escape, they take it – and also take something that doesn't belong to them; something so important that the leader of the tribe, Black Cloud, and his evil henchman will hunt them down to recover it...
Although this is a continuation of a continuation of Treasure Island, in fact, it has nothing to do with Robert Louis Stevenson's original except for Jim and Natty being the children of Jim Hawkins and Long John Silver respectively. Motion makes this fairly clear himself by metaphorically getting rid of Stevenson in the first chapter, along with the all-important silver from the original and the first follow-up. In one sense, this works, since I felt the tone of Silver was so far from the tone of Treasure Island anyway that it didn't truly feel like a continuation, so better to draw a clear divide than to invite comparison. In another sense, it doesn't quite work so well, because we are left with the same two rather unsatisfactory lead characters.
I'm completely conflicted about this book. Motion writes beautifully, as one would expect from a former Poet Laureate. When he's talking about nature in particular – the wide open landscape, the animals, the birds – his prose is wonderful. And even when he's writing action scenes, his technical skill shines through – his sudden changes of tense and shifts in style are incredibly effective at creating tension or drama. As Jim and Natty journey across the country, the various people they meet are very well drawn, many of them in a slightly caricatured way that reminded me a little of the secondary characters in a Dickens novel. His descriptions of the tragedy of the Native Americans following the arrival of the Europeans are moving without being overstated, as he shows the slow attrition of the tribes as they were driven from their lands and denied their traditional ways of life.
I woke in the air – swept up by the angels of heaven all beating their wings together and singing. Then not singing but whispering. Whistling. Cooing. Gurgling. Crooning. Because they were not angels any more, they were pigeons, the same as last night, and now leaving with their mess drizzling beneath them in a continual white rain, first with laborious flusterings and squabblings, then twisting and looping and swaying and swerving until they had formed a gigantic letter S which held its shape . . . and held its shape . . . before it slackened and became a smoke-cloud blowing towards the horizon.
On the other hand, the plot moves so slowly and I'm afraid I find both Jim and Natty deeply annoying. At risk of being drummed out of the feminist sisterhood here, this is primarily because Jim is the world's foremost leading wimp and Natty has to perform the functions of the hero. Don't get me wrong, I don't want the woman to be a simpering miss, but then I don't want the man to be a simpering miss either. And Jim is. He's tortured by everything that happens to him and is completely passive throughout. He does nothing when it looks as if Natty might be going off with another man, and it never occurs to him to face up to Black Cloud rather than running and hiding. He leaves it to Natty to make all the big decisions, but then whinges when she does. And she - mean, moody, selfish, silent, but (of course) beautiful Natty - treats him appallingly at all times. Why does he love her? Why does she love him? Two books now, and I still don't know...
The thing is though, that despite everything that annoys me about these, I know I'll be just as keen to read the next one – and the ending makes it fairly clear that there is a next one in the pipeline. Personally, I feel Motion's writing style would be much better suited to a different kind of story – something much more traditionally 'literary'. He gets too moralistic and introspective about the rights and wrongs of the adventure aspects of the story – the tone just isn't quite suited to the action. But still, I love the way he uses language, and his secondary characters, and his descriptions of nature...and so I'll continue to put up with Jim and Natty if I must. See what I mean? Conflicted...
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Random House Vintage.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
May 24, 2021
DNF'd at page 110.
August 16, 2015
When you are a child, the thought of finding lost, buried or even new-to-you things is addicting. The thought of going on a mystery treasure or scavenger hunt is not unheard of but happens occasionally while playing with friends or siblings. Of course when I was growing up I loved the idea of finding a buried a treasure in a book store, you know that book in the very back of a bookcase or box in an old run down second hand shop for only $0.25. Those were my favorite treasures and nothing could beat them. One of my absolute favorites was Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. When I picked up this book I never knew how drawn into the book I would be, and certainly that I would not end up reading the book a couple dozen times in my life.
While browsing through the list of books on Blogging For Books last week I opened another tab to look at my new weeks book. I choose The New World By Andrew Motion and was so excited to find out that it is a continuation type of story from Treasure Island. I was not disappointed in the slightest with this story and i feel that Andrew Motion should do continuations of all of the Great American Classics. Now this book could definitely be read as a stand alone but I highly suggest that if you have read Treasure Island you run, type or call for a copy of this book! I'm almost positive that its books like these that will convert children and teens of this generation from smart phones and gaming consoles to print and e-books. Below, as usual, I will post the synopsis and buying link and don't forget; READ ON, MY LOVELIES!
Book Synopsis:
Washed ashore after escaping Treasure Island, young Jim Hawkins and his companion Natty find themselves stranded on the Gulf Coast of Texas. Their ship, the Nightingale, has been destroyed, and besides one other crew member, they are the only survivors. Before they can even grasp the full scope of their predicament, they realize they are not alone on the beach. When a band of Native Americans approaches the shore in a threatening fury, they brutally kill Jim and Natty’s last shipmate, rob their dead crew, and take the two desperate survivors hostage.
Suddenly, Jim and Natty are thrust into an adventure that takes them all across the unruly American South. Starting with a desperate escape from a violent chief who obsessively keeps close on their trail, they join up with a troupe of entertainers who take them to a thriving and dangerous New Orleans, and seek the closest port so they can set sail for home once again.
In magnificent, free-wheeling prose and in a high-flying style, Andrew Motion has spun a fantastic yarn that will win the hearts of adventure lovers everywhere.
Amazon Buying Link:
September 10, 2015
The New World is the sequel to Silver, the continuation of Treasure Island. And I'm conflicted about it.
On the one hand, it was an action/adventure much the same as Silver, with historical basis and the inclusion of a lot of First Nations presence.
On the other hand, the characters are esoteric and distant, and difficult to care about. Natty is so mercurial and kept throwing out little tidbits like "If you don't know it, Jim, you never will." I re-read passages trying to see whatever the undercurrent was that I missed, but it's just...nothing. She's vague and odd and it's never explained. And that bothered the heck out of me. Also, Jim is prone to narrative-interrupting daydreaming in which he's actually prescient. Which is odd.
Also, the story just never ended. That was charming at first, in an Odysseus kind of way. But by the end of the book, it was just annoying and felt too commercialized.
I can only recommend this to people who really loved Silver. Unless your thing is super mysterious characters and zero closure.
On the one hand, it was an action/adventure much the same as Silver, with historical basis and the inclusion of a lot of First Nations presence.
On the other hand, the characters are esoteric and distant, and difficult to care about. Natty is so mercurial and kept throwing out little tidbits like "If you don't know it, Jim, you never will." I re-read passages trying to see whatever the undercurrent was that I missed, but it's just...nothing. She's vague and odd and it's never explained. And that bothered the heck out of me. Also, Jim is prone to narrative-interrupting daydreaming in which he's actually prescient. Which is odd.
Also, the story just never ended. That was charming at first, in an Odysseus kind of way. But by the end of the book, it was just annoying and felt too commercialized.
I can only recommend this to people who really loved Silver. Unless your thing is super mysterious characters and zero closure.
May 29, 2015
I had a very hard time finishing this book that I won through a Goodreads giveaway. I found myself wanting to quit several times but I couldn't because no matter how hard of a read it is I like to see things through. I don't know if it was the author's style of writing or if it was just the storyline didn't particularly keep me interested. I hate to give a free ARC a bad review because this might be a perfect book for someone else.
February 22, 2021
What I appreciated most about this was that Andrew Motion is grappling with the legacy of American colonialism within the fictive early-19th-century Treasure Island universe, and still in the style of Stevenson's late-19th-century storytelling. At times it read like a YA Heart of Darkness; at other times it had a nightmarish feel that I remembered from reading Blood Meridian. Throughout, Motion is explicit about the violence, trauma and dispossession that white colonisation of the American continent visited upon its Indigenous people and the land itself.
I found myself pondering the tragedy and destruction of colonialism, and the way that 'pioneer' and 'explorer' narratives seek to recuperate it as triumphant or foundational. We have built nations on ashes and watered them with tears and blood.
Jim and Natty are shipwrecked on the coast of modern-day Texas and find themselves the prisoners of a Native tribe led by the fearsome Black Cloud. I'm sorry to say that my reading touchstone for life among the peri-colonial American First Nations is Diana Gabaldon's Outlander books; but the way Jim and Natty are subsequently welcomed into another tribe also reminded me of The Last Witchfinder, whose heroine is similarly adopted.
What energises this book is Jim's emotional and moral journey as he recognises what a wonderful life he had with his adoptive people, and similarly that his own birth nation is systematically destroying that life. He also struggles with his helpless – and only coolly and partially requited – love for Natty, and his jealousy when she seems romantically drawn to the Rider, their Native travelling companion.
Jim's theft of a marvellous silver necklace from Black Cloud, who pursues it – and Jim – with an oppressive and almost superhuman tenacity, is another interesting plot point. On one hand it's understandable that having lost his Treasure Island silver and so many stalwart companions in the shipwreck, Jim wants to salvage something from his ordeal. On the other, his decision to steal the necklace from Black Cloud, when he could have escaped so easily without it, is so deliberate and so clearly damning that it operates as an obvious symbol for white people's compulsion to pillage and possess new worlds rather than sharing them. The fact he can never enjoy the necklace in a pure way, knowing its tainted provenance, is a piquant way to describe how white people can never truly feel at home in the lands they steal.
As in the previous novel, Natty is somewhat of a cipher – she always seems wiser than Jim and less given to angst and equivocation. Because her mother is Black, she's the one who notices racism most and scolds Jim about his complacency. By the end of the book, she's made ruthless decisions that tender-hearted Jim shrinks from. He is still a boy in many ways, whereas she has become a woman.
The novel ends on another, quite bleak cliffhanger, which makes me wonder if Motion intends to keep this series going.
I found myself pondering the tragedy and destruction of colonialism, and the way that 'pioneer' and 'explorer' narratives seek to recuperate it as triumphant or foundational. We have built nations on ashes and watered them with tears and blood.
Jim and Natty are shipwrecked on the coast of modern-day Texas and find themselves the prisoners of a Native tribe led by the fearsome Black Cloud. I'm sorry to say that my reading touchstone for life among the peri-colonial American First Nations is Diana Gabaldon's Outlander books; but the way Jim and Natty are subsequently welcomed into another tribe also reminded me of The Last Witchfinder, whose heroine is similarly adopted.
What energises this book is Jim's emotional and moral journey as he recognises what a wonderful life he had with his adoptive people, and similarly that his own birth nation is systematically destroying that life. He also struggles with his helpless – and only coolly and partially requited – love for Natty, and his jealousy when she seems romantically drawn to the Rider, their Native travelling companion.
Jim's theft of a marvellous silver necklace from Black Cloud, who pursues it – and Jim – with an oppressive and almost superhuman tenacity, is another interesting plot point. On one hand it's understandable that having lost his Treasure Island silver and so many stalwart companions in the shipwreck, Jim wants to salvage something from his ordeal. On the other, his decision to steal the necklace from Black Cloud, when he could have escaped so easily without it, is so deliberate and so clearly damning that it operates as an obvious symbol for white people's compulsion to pillage and possess new worlds rather than sharing them. The fact he can never enjoy the necklace in a pure way, knowing its tainted provenance, is a piquant way to describe how white people can never truly feel at home in the lands they steal.
As in the previous novel, Natty is somewhat of a cipher – she always seems wiser than Jim and less given to angst and equivocation. Because her mother is Black, she's the one who notices racism most and scolds Jim about his complacency. By the end of the book, she's made ruthless decisions that tender-hearted Jim shrinks from. He is still a boy in many ways, whereas she has become a woman.
The novel ends on another, quite bleak cliffhanger, which makes me wonder if Motion intends to keep this series going.
July 27, 2024
I would never recommend, author, Andrew Motion's novel, "The New World" as a stand-alone read. This is the sequel to Motion's novel, "Silver", sequel of the 1883 smash, "Treasure Island", by Robert Louis Stevenson.
I read Motion's sequel, "Silver" with great interest and found it to be a great pleasure. However, it ended on a cliffhanger, hence I just HAD to read this book: "The New World" as it picks up right where the last one left off.
The style, writing, and narration, are quite the same as the last book. But instead of a treasure hunt that the previous books excelled at, this is a bit of an odyssey, in that the main characters are trying to find their way home, and constantly encountering other strange characters and having mini-adventures along the way.
I had a bit of trouble keeping up with the geography of exactly where they were in Texas and Louisiana along there journey. Set in 1803, many towns and roads were not yet established, so until they got to some bigger places, I found it tough to identify whereabouts they might be.
This book did not enthrall me as the previous one did. Overall, OK, but not the exciting conclusion to the great treasure hunt I was hoping for. I could type more, but will stop here, as to not reveal any more spoilers.
I read Motion's sequel, "Silver" with great interest and found it to be a great pleasure. However, it ended on a cliffhanger, hence I just HAD to read this book: "The New World" as it picks up right where the last one left off.
The style, writing, and narration, are quite the same as the last book. But instead of a treasure hunt that the previous books excelled at, this is a bit of an odyssey, in that the main characters are trying to find their way home, and constantly encountering other strange characters and having mini-adventures along the way.
I had a bit of trouble keeping up with the geography of exactly where they were in Texas and Louisiana along there journey. Set in 1803, many towns and roads were not yet established, so until they got to some bigger places, I found it tough to identify whereabouts they might be.
This book did not enthrall me as the previous one did. Overall, OK, but not the exciting conclusion to the great treasure hunt I was hoping for. I could type more, but will stop here, as to not reveal any more spoilers.
December 10, 2019
I found this book rather frustrating. Given that the main characters make an enemy early on, you would expect there to be some sense of urgency, but they spend *years* meandering about in areas of America that are so vaguely described that you never even find out which Native American tribes they encounter. It smacks of a lack of effort from the author to research the actual locations and cultures that were there in those days, even as he's trying to paint a sympathetic picture of the indigenous peoples being forced out from their homelands by colonists.
And the fact that the author insists on writing in a language and style intended to echo Robert Louis Stevenson means that he often uses terms for other races that are distinctly outdated - and considered offensive by many modern people.
Supporting characters feel cliched and simplistic and the ending, like that of the previous book, is both abrupt and clearly designed to set up another sequel. But if there is one, I don't think I'll be reading it. It just feels a bit pointless - like he's spinning the story out as long as he can to get extra books and money.
And the fact that the author insists on writing in a language and style intended to echo Robert Louis Stevenson means that he often uses terms for other races that are distinctly outdated - and considered offensive by many modern people.
Supporting characters feel cliched and simplistic and the ending, like that of the previous book, is both abrupt and clearly designed to set up another sequel. But if there is one, I don't think I'll be reading it. It just feels a bit pointless - like he's spinning the story out as long as he can to get extra books and money.
February 1, 2019
As someone who's not familiar with the original Treasure Island story, and who didn't read Silver, the prequel to this book, I still enjoyed it. I appreciated that the author wrote it so that it could be a stand-alone book. There were some references, mainly to the main characters fathers, when I wish I had read Silver so that I had all the background, but it definitely stands on it's own, even if you haven't read the others. The story itself is exciting - it follows two characters, Jim and Natty, from the time their boat shipwrecks and the rest of their crew is killed (in Texas) to the time that they finally return home to England. What makes it so exciting is that this is happening far in the past, when little to none of this land was developed. We endure with them as they're locked up by an Indian tribe, as they race through desolate desert, and as they meet many different types of people and encounter many different types of civilizations along the way. I had a hard time putting this book down, and thought it was a good read!
December 18, 2018
This ARC is book #2 in a series and I haven’t read #1. The series takes place after the end of Kidnapped. The main characters here are Jim and Natty who are shipwrecked on the Texas coast and discovered by Native Americans in 1802.
Rec’d 7/21/15 from Read It Forward and Crown. Read for Read Harder Challenge #9 Colonial/ Postcolonial.
Rec’d 7/21/15 from Read It Forward and Crown. Read for Read Harder Challenge #9 Colonial/ Postcolonial.
May 23, 2020
While Motion's prose is flawless, the disconcerted and often rambling nature of his narrative makes this book tedious to finish. Nonetheless, "The New World" succeeds in igniting a nostalgia for the original "Treasure Island" in the hearts and minds of its readers and if a book's success can be measured by the emotions it invokes- then "The New World" is that type of novel which truly opens the door to another realm.
Other than his narrative, Motion succeeds in entrancing his readers and building upon Stevenson's original work. Well worth a read if you hunger after simpler times where friend and foe fought side by side on the high-seas and crossed paths with the denizens of the New World in the American hinterlands.
Other than his narrative, Motion succeeds in entrancing his readers and building upon Stevenson's original work. Well worth a read if you hunger after simpler times where friend and foe fought side by side on the high-seas and crossed paths with the denizens of the New World in the American hinterlands.
November 5, 2021
Third book in the Stevenson/Motion Treasure Island Trilogy. Much more adult and graphic. Not quite the caliber of Silver: A Return to Treasure Island. Lots of action, lots of geography, a bit too long and exhausting but worth a read for Treasure Island fans. Author leaves an opening at the end for a Volume 4. Please don't!
August 20, 2018
I thought this would be an interesting book to read as it was a follow on to Treasure Island. But I found the writing difficult to read and hard to follow. I just didn't enjoy reading it and didn't like the characters.
I got this as a free ARC.
I got this as a free ARC.
April 6, 2019
This was the first book ever that I picked up at a hotel while on vacation and finished during my trip. There's not a lot of deep thoughts here, but it was an entertaining enough ride imagining what it would be like if young America were the treasure sought by the Stevenson's swash-buckling crew.
June 22, 2018
Not the most exciting book I have ever read, although I did like the references to Texas and the Mississippi and the Gulf Coast.
February 17, 2022
This was not nearly as good as Silver. It ended in a very abrupt manner and created more open-ended questions for the reader rather than giving us answers.
Want to read
April 8, 2023to-read
May 31, 2016
From Treasure Island to the Trail of Tears
Although this story can easily be read alone, I realize now that it is a sequel to Motion's Silver, which is itself a sequel to Treasure Island. In that first book, Jim Hawkins, the same-named son of Stevenson's hero, goes back with Long John Silver's mulatto daughter Natty to recover the pirates' silver treasure, which apparently they manage to do. However, their ship, the Nightingale, is caught in a hurricane and wrecked on the coast of Texas. This volume opens with Jim and Natty cast ashore as the sole survivors, and almost immediately being captured by a tribe of Indians. The year is 1802.
Although Sir Andrew Motion was for ten years the Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, there is nothing excessively literary about this adventure. Like Stevenson before him, Motion writes in an accessible style, not worrying too much about geography, but describing his imagined world with the brilliance of the poet that he is. I assume that he is aiming for young adult readers who can be drawn in by exciting action in exotic settings, yet who are mature enough to appreciate the deeper themes as they develop. A PG rating, perhaps. There is a death by torture early in the book that could give one nightmares, but the relationship between Jim and Natty, while very much loving, is appropriately chaste. In one respect, though, Sir Andrew departs from his predecessors in this genre: most often it is the girl, Natty, who tells Jim what to do, she who goes in for the kill, and she who takes the lead in the knowledge that he will follow. A big hurrah for feminism!
Jim and Natty manage to escape the bloodthirsty Indians who have captured them, in the process stealing a unique silver necklace belonging to the Chief, Black Cloud. At first, this seems merely part of the adventure; after all, the Indians had already taken all of the silver treasure they could salvage from the Nightingale. But it sets up a vengeance quest that will pursue them throughout the book, and raises significant moral issues that will not be fully settled even when the novel ends. For although the action precedes the Indian Removal Act in Andrew Jackson's presidency, the westward exodus has already begun. Natty and Jim spend a couple of years in a kind of paradise with a peaceful Indian tribe, but theirs is a borrowed Eden, a temporary respite on land not their own. Later, as they head eastwards once more, they will join up with an Indian man known only as the Rider, who is also trying to get back to his ancestral home. So let me end with Jim's thoughts as they reach the Mississippi and see their companion ride away. They are characteristic of Sir Andrew's fine writing and reflect the serious tone that has gradually settled over the novel, raising my estimate from a four-star young-adult adventure to a tragic elegy that comes close to five:
Although this story can easily be read alone, I realize now that it is a sequel to Motion's Silver, which is itself a sequel to Treasure Island. In that first book, Jim Hawkins, the same-named son of Stevenson's hero, goes back with Long John Silver's mulatto daughter Natty to recover the pirates' silver treasure, which apparently they manage to do. However, their ship, the Nightingale, is caught in a hurricane and wrecked on the coast of Texas. This volume opens with Jim and Natty cast ashore as the sole survivors, and almost immediately being captured by a tribe of Indians. The year is 1802.
Although Sir Andrew Motion was for ten years the Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, there is nothing excessively literary about this adventure. Like Stevenson before him, Motion writes in an accessible style, not worrying too much about geography, but describing his imagined world with the brilliance of the poet that he is. I assume that he is aiming for young adult readers who can be drawn in by exciting action in exotic settings, yet who are mature enough to appreciate the deeper themes as they develop. A PG rating, perhaps. There is a death by torture early in the book that could give one nightmares, but the relationship between Jim and Natty, while very much loving, is appropriately chaste. In one respect, though, Sir Andrew departs from his predecessors in this genre: most often it is the girl, Natty, who tells Jim what to do, she who goes in for the kill, and she who takes the lead in the knowledge that he will follow. A big hurrah for feminism!
Jim and Natty manage to escape the bloodthirsty Indians who have captured them, in the process stealing a unique silver necklace belonging to the Chief, Black Cloud. At first, this seems merely part of the adventure; after all, the Indians had already taken all of the silver treasure they could salvage from the Nightingale. But it sets up a vengeance quest that will pursue them throughout the book, and raises significant moral issues that will not be fully settled even when the novel ends. For although the action precedes the Indian Removal Act in Andrew Jackson's presidency, the westward exodus has already begun. Natty and Jim spend a couple of years in a kind of paradise with a peaceful Indian tribe, but theirs is a borrowed Eden, a temporary respite on land not their own. Later, as they head eastwards once more, they will join up with an Indian man known only as the Rider, who is also trying to get back to his ancestral home. So let me end with Jim's thoughts as they reach the Mississippi and see their companion ride away. They are characteristic of Sir Andrew's fine writing and reflect the serious tone that has gradually settled over the novel, raising my estimate from a four-star young-adult adventure to a tragic elegy that comes close to five:
I saw him with his eyes shining, his head cocked at a familiar angle, but of course traveling alone now. Riding on northward until the cane-brake ended and he came to a ferry and crossed the river, where he approached the country of his fathers. [...] As these scenes flashed through me I began to see other men trekking toward him, Indians like himself, some members of his own tribe, some from tribes who lived adjacent, and all passing him on their way west as he continued east. They came in ones and twos, in families and groups—the children and the older squaws with bundles in their arms, the warriors with their weapons trailing and dogs panting at their heels. They came in silence, and they came chanting in time to the beat of a drum. They came when the sun rose and when the sun set. They filled the pathways under the trees, and the dry trails that crossed the scrubland. They came with the dust billowing around them in muddy clouds, and they came under clear blue skies.The start of the Trail of Tears.
November 28, 2015
In The New World, former British Poet Laureate Andrew Motion continues the tale begun by RL Stevenson in his novel Treasure Island, serialized in a children’s magazine between 1881 and 1882. Main characters Jim Hawkins and Natty Silver, daughter of pirate Long John Silver, wash ashore along the coast of Texas. Lone survivors following a shipwreck and subsequent attack by Indians, Jim and Natty are taken prisoner, force marched to an Indian settlement where they’re held for weeks, the threat of execution by evisceration hanging over their heads. Escaping with the mesmerizingly shiny silver necklace worn by Chief Black Cloud, the pair spend years on the run, meeting up with adventure upon adventure, each on the heels of the last.
Jim and Natty are given a romantic relationship, though one kept just shy of carnal consummation, fitting considering the period in which the original novel was written. Natty’s given a feisty nature, a strong mind of her own and characteristics worthy of her pirate ancestry. The two are strong leading characters made multi-dimensional via Motion’s vivid descriptions of their lives spent in captivity, during the months in which they feared for their lives.
For fans of adventure tales, Motion’s sequel is a great read, paced well. The characters are well developed, both the main and supporting cast. The chapters are episodic, somewhat sing-song up and down, in nature and rhythm, reminiscent of both Stevenson’s original work as well as Twain’s Huckleberry Finn, a similar work in spirit, set in 19th Century America. Like the latter, the book has the feel of a road novel, a series of trials and tribulations experienced as the pair meet up with a widely diverse cast along the way from Texas to their eventual attempt to make it home to England by sea.
The book has a distinctly American feel, Motion capturing the spirit of the wild frontier perfectly as Natty and Jim make their way. Likewise, he balances the menacing Indian characters with more welcoming, kindly tribes, careful to present Native Americans in a fair light. More importantly, the balance isn’t forced but comes about naturally in the course of the story. Had he made political correctness his priority, the novel would have suffered for it. Fortnately, he doesn’t. Rather, he lets the story flow of its own course.
It could be considered a negative that the story’s quite predictable but that’s the nature of novels like these. You know the heroes will prevail, because they always do. To counteract this, Motion inserts a few twists in the relationship between Jim and Natty, helping mix things up a bit. The course of true love does not always run smooth. If it did, how much less interesting the tale would be. Overall, it’s a great adventure tale, ending with the clear intent Motion will continue the series.
For me, the story was a bit too formulaic, not really my sort of novel at all. I chose it to review out of curiosity, to find out how well a poet laureate could write a continuation of an iconic RL Stevenson novel. Turns out he does it quite well, more than equaling the task. It’s no strike against him this just isn’t my sort of read. Thus, the minimal animation in this review.
He did a good job; for an episodic novel it works. If this is your cuppa, you’ll find it warm and flavorful.
Jim and Natty are given a romantic relationship, though one kept just shy of carnal consummation, fitting considering the period in which the original novel was written. Natty’s given a feisty nature, a strong mind of her own and characteristics worthy of her pirate ancestry. The two are strong leading characters made multi-dimensional via Motion’s vivid descriptions of their lives spent in captivity, during the months in which they feared for their lives.
For fans of adventure tales, Motion’s sequel is a great read, paced well. The characters are well developed, both the main and supporting cast. The chapters are episodic, somewhat sing-song up and down, in nature and rhythm, reminiscent of both Stevenson’s original work as well as Twain’s Huckleberry Finn, a similar work in spirit, set in 19th Century America. Like the latter, the book has the feel of a road novel, a series of trials and tribulations experienced as the pair meet up with a widely diverse cast along the way from Texas to their eventual attempt to make it home to England by sea.
The book has a distinctly American feel, Motion capturing the spirit of the wild frontier perfectly as Natty and Jim make their way. Likewise, he balances the menacing Indian characters with more welcoming, kindly tribes, careful to present Native Americans in a fair light. More importantly, the balance isn’t forced but comes about naturally in the course of the story. Had he made political correctness his priority, the novel would have suffered for it. Fortnately, he doesn’t. Rather, he lets the story flow of its own course.
It could be considered a negative that the story’s quite predictable but that’s the nature of novels like these. You know the heroes will prevail, because they always do. To counteract this, Motion inserts a few twists in the relationship between Jim and Natty, helping mix things up a bit. The course of true love does not always run smooth. If it did, how much less interesting the tale would be. Overall, it’s a great adventure tale, ending with the clear intent Motion will continue the series.
For me, the story was a bit too formulaic, not really my sort of novel at all. I chose it to review out of curiosity, to find out how well a poet laureate could write a continuation of an iconic RL Stevenson novel. Turns out he does it quite well, more than equaling the task. It’s no strike against him this just isn’t my sort of read. Thus, the minimal animation in this review.
He did a good job; for an episodic novel it works. If this is your cuppa, you’ll find it warm and flavorful.
May 5, 2021
Update: Have now finished. It is beautifully written and as well as an adventure is an evocation of the lost landscapes, tribes and culture and species of America. Even the passenger pigeon gets a mention in a spectacular scene as a flock settles on a small wood.
The ending is a bit inconclusive. Is Andrew Motion challenging others to continue the story of Jim Hawkins jr?
On my TBR. Excited, I have just picked this up from the library after reserving it. I listened to David Tennant reading Silver on Audible and I'm looking forward to reading the sequel. Just got a couple of other books to finish...
The ending is a bit inconclusive. Is Andrew Motion challenging others to continue the story of Jim Hawkins jr?
On my TBR. Excited, I have just picked this up from the library after reserving it. I listened to David Tennant reading Silver on Audible and I'm looking forward to reading the sequel. Just got a couple of other books to finish...
June 1, 2015
*I won this ARC through Goodreads’ First Reads in exchange for an honest review.*
Because of the author's many accolades, I expected this book to be great, and I was not disappointed. That is until I reached the final page and realized that there would be no resolution to some of the themes I had very much wanted to see resolved. I was greatly disappointed. However, as far as leaving this book's ending open for a sequel, Andrew Motion did a fantastic job. There is much more that can now be said in an additional book. If he writes a follow up, I'll be excited to read it.
Since this book was sent to me as an uncorrected proof, I have no need to mention grammatical errors and such, as it still will go through more proofreading before it is published for sale.
Mr. Motion's writing itself was superb. His descriptions of the people, the locations, the emotions, the dreams, the weather - everything - was so perfectly detailed that I was completely immersed in the characters' world. I was reading, yet the author painted such a clear, vivid picture of each moment in my mind, it was more like I was physically there with the characters instead of reading lines on a page. I did not want to stop reading this book. The first night, I fell asleep with it in my hands; well past midnight on the second, I forced myself to stay awake until I closed the completed novel.
I also greatly appreciated the author's detailed attention to his characters, and not just the prominent figures. Even the seemingly inconsequential people were given names, traits, detailed characteristics, and descriptions of them as human beings: their feelings, the expressions on their faces, their treatment by others, especially if they were anything other than Caucasian or presumed not to be so. This look into the lives of non-white people let us peer into what they had to additionally endure in an already difficult life in the New World. Or, in the case of the American Indians, the new troubles that came to pass when white people entered the country and forced them from their lands. I am glad that Mr. Motion did not ignore these tragedies and that he did put them in his book. If he had left out the sad truths from this historical fiction novel, he would have made this book far less worthy to be read.
This is a wonderful book, full of action, adventure, escapes, suspense, a hidden love, and several other exciting things. There are mysteries around every corner. I recommend this book, as long as you are prepared to wait for a sequel.
Because of the author's many accolades, I expected this book to be great, and I was not disappointed. That is until I reached the final page and realized that there would be no resolution to some of the themes I had very much wanted to see resolved. I was greatly disappointed. However, as far as leaving this book's ending open for a sequel, Andrew Motion did a fantastic job. There is much more that can now be said in an additional book. If he writes a follow up, I'll be excited to read it.
Since this book was sent to me as an uncorrected proof, I have no need to mention grammatical errors and such, as it still will go through more proofreading before it is published for sale.
Mr. Motion's writing itself was superb. His descriptions of the people, the locations, the emotions, the dreams, the weather - everything - was so perfectly detailed that I was completely immersed in the characters' world. I was reading, yet the author painted such a clear, vivid picture of each moment in my mind, it was more like I was physically there with the characters instead of reading lines on a page. I did not want to stop reading this book. The first night, I fell asleep with it in my hands; well past midnight on the second, I forced myself to stay awake until I closed the completed novel.
I also greatly appreciated the author's detailed attention to his characters, and not just the prominent figures. Even the seemingly inconsequential people were given names, traits, detailed characteristics, and descriptions of them as human beings: their feelings, the expressions on their faces, their treatment by others, especially if they were anything other than Caucasian or presumed not to be so. This look into the lives of non-white people let us peer into what they had to additionally endure in an already difficult life in the New World. Or, in the case of the American Indians, the new troubles that came to pass when white people entered the country and forced them from their lands. I am glad that Mr. Motion did not ignore these tragedies and that he did put them in his book. If he had left out the sad truths from this historical fiction novel, he would have made this book far less worthy to be read.
This is a wonderful book, full of action, adventure, escapes, suspense, a hidden love, and several other exciting things. There are mysteries around every corner. I recommend this book, as long as you are prepared to wait for a sequel.
August 21, 2015
Sir Andrew Motion, the former U.K. poet laureate, is moving to the US and, hopefully, will not encounter the hardships he describes in his current novel, “The New World.” The noted poet, novelist, and critic continues the adventures of Jim Hawkins and his companion, Natty, who he introduced in “Silver,” his acclaimed 2012 perpetuation of Robert Lewis Stevenson’s “Treasure Island.” Sir Andrew will be landing as professor of arts at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, not on the Gulf Coast of Texas at the start of the nineteenth century as did Jim and Natty.
The two young shipwreck survivors find themselves in a world of savages as they struggle to work their way back to England. They are captured, brutally treated, and finally escape into the wilderness after stealing a maniacal Native American chief’s prized silver necklace. As they flee in constant fear of being caught by the chief, Black Cloud, and his equally crazed sidekick, the Painted Man, they encounter many people and places in their flight east to New Orleans. They stay for two years with a friendly tribe of Indians, have a brief encounter with a weird troupe of roaming entertainers, travel down the Mississippi River on a keel boat, and finally reach New Orleans only to find the two trackers still hard on their heels, seeking deadly retribution. Their final meeting with the two wild men and the fate of the necklace will be left for the reader to uncover.
The writing is superb and the settings are wonderfully described. The characters are very well developed and their images are firmly inscribed on the readers mind. Jim is a brave, yet timid soul who has trouble making decisions. Natty, a beautiful black girl, is also brave and able to lead Jim by the nose when needed, using her feminine wiles to keep him in constant turmoil during their frantic flight. Although some plans don’t work very well, she seems to make the right decision most of the time. Black Cloud and the Painted Man are frightening apparitions that constantly turn up at every seeming safe haven that is reached by the two youngsters. It’s not safe even in the middle of the Mississippi.
Motion, a prolific writer and poet, is also a skilled storyteller. He lucidly creates the flight as a moving mix of terror, hardship, and moments of joy, a combination that keeps the reader fascinated and involved. This is a marvelous read, although it is somehow less intriguing than Stevenson's originals.
February 13, 2015
I received this from LibraryThing as a free advanced copy from the author or the publisher; I really don't remember which.
First, I should start by saying that it is listed as a sequel to Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island, when in fact it is the sequel to Silver: Return to Treasure Island. Luckily for me, and really anyone else who picks this up on a whim, other than a little bit of background on the relationship between Natty and Jim, you really don't need to worry and can get along just fine without reading the other book, though I'm sure it's wonderful.
That said, the book was a little bit of a contradiction for me. It was delightful, yet tedious. I quickly grew bored of Natty & Jim's relationship and how she toyed with him like one toys with a cat. You are stuck with the poor guy in a land you don't know (Texas, circa early 1800s) and you think toying with his emotions is a good idea? Horrible. Absolutely horrible, although Jim got just as annoying with his fits if insecurity and jealousy.
As for the delightful part, the descriptions of... well, everything were absolutely fantastic. In fact, that was probably the redeeming quality of this book. The details were beautiful, but not overdone and served to distract you from wanting to crack the two main character's heads together from time to time.
There were some good life lessons in here as well, although perhaps not. I may have just been seeing what I wanted to see since some parts of the book felt like they could be easily adapted into a modern situation or I felt connected to them in some way. Who knows? I haven't seen any other mention of it, so maybe I was just imagining things.
Also, I know I didn't get a final, edited copy, but the name of the ship was wrong, or perhaps explained wrong at the end of the book. If I'm not mistaken, Margo was the first ship and Antigone was the second, but the only ship that was really referenced in the final chapters was Margo. Hopefully that gets fixed before it gets published for real.
Finally, I do NOT like the ending. I won't tell you what it is, but I'm just not a fan. Cliffhangers in books like this annoy me to no end.
First, I should start by saying that it is listed as a sequel to Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island, when in fact it is the sequel to Silver: Return to Treasure Island. Luckily for me, and really anyone else who picks this up on a whim, other than a little bit of background on the relationship between Natty and Jim, you really don't need to worry and can get along just fine without reading the other book, though I'm sure it's wonderful.
That said, the book was a little bit of a contradiction for me. It was delightful, yet tedious. I quickly grew bored of Natty & Jim's relationship and how she toyed with him like one toys with a cat. You are stuck with the poor guy in a land you don't know (Texas, circa early 1800s) and you think toying with his emotions is a good idea? Horrible. Absolutely horrible, although Jim got just as annoying with his fits if insecurity and jealousy.
As for the delightful part, the descriptions of... well, everything were absolutely fantastic. In fact, that was probably the redeeming quality of this book. The details were beautiful, but not overdone and served to distract you from wanting to crack the two main character's heads together from time to time.
There were some good life lessons in here as well, although perhaps not. I may have just been seeing what I wanted to see since some parts of the book felt like they could be easily adapted into a modern situation or I felt connected to them in some way. Who knows? I haven't seen any other mention of it, so maybe I was just imagining things.
Also, I know I didn't get a final, edited copy, but the name of the ship was wrong, or perhaps explained wrong at the end of the book. If I'm not mistaken, Margo was the first ship and Antigone was the second, but the only ship that was really referenced in the final chapters was Margo. Hopefully that gets fixed before it gets published for real.
Finally, I do NOT like the ending. I won't tell you what it is, but I'm just not a fan. Cliffhangers in books like this annoy me to no end.
September 28, 2015
I won this book on a goodreads.com giveaway. This is not a face paced read; not because it is not good, but rather because it is an old-time tale, where details are important.
After having finally escaped Treasure Island, Londoner’s Jim Hawking and his companion Natty find them stranded in the New World (present day Texas) after their ship, the Nightingale is destroyed in a severe storm. As the couple scans the horizon for signs of life, they realize that Native Americans have joined them on the beach, just as the only other survivor stumbles onto the beach, clutching a bar of silver in his hands. Setting guards upon the couple, the natives first murder their friend, and then pull victims to shore, only to rob them while desecrating their bodies. Taken hostage and locked into a makeshift prison, Jim & Natty receive sparse meals while sneaking peeks through a hole in the door to watch fellow captives terrorized, traumatized and finally slaughter their fellow hostages. Realizing what fate holds in store for them once Chief Black Cloud returns to the village, the couple escapes with the help of a young girl; but not before stealing food, drink, ponies and the Chief’s sacred solid silver necklace.
This lead to Jim & Natty’s adventures, trying to find their way through the wilderness to New Orleans, where they will begin another journey back to London and the families that await them while trying to keep one step ahead of Black Cloud and his cohort the Painted Man. It is the story about the people they meet along the way, the lives they live and the lessons they learn. It is a wonderful historical tale, that everyone should take the time to read.
After having finally escaped Treasure Island, Londoner’s Jim Hawking and his companion Natty find them stranded in the New World (present day Texas) after their ship, the Nightingale is destroyed in a severe storm. As the couple scans the horizon for signs of life, they realize that Native Americans have joined them on the beach, just as the only other survivor stumbles onto the beach, clutching a bar of silver in his hands. Setting guards upon the couple, the natives first murder their friend, and then pull victims to shore, only to rob them while desecrating their bodies. Taken hostage and locked into a makeshift prison, Jim & Natty receive sparse meals while sneaking peeks through a hole in the door to watch fellow captives terrorized, traumatized and finally slaughter their fellow hostages. Realizing what fate holds in store for them once Chief Black Cloud returns to the village, the couple escapes with the help of a young girl; but not before stealing food, drink, ponies and the Chief’s sacred solid silver necklace.
This lead to Jim & Natty’s adventures, trying to find their way through the wilderness to New Orleans, where they will begin another journey back to London and the families that await them while trying to keep one step ahead of Black Cloud and his cohort the Painted Man. It is the story about the people they meet along the way, the lives they live and the lessons they learn. It is a wonderful historical tale, that everyone should take the time to read.
September 20, 2015
After washing ashore after what he was certain was his death, Jim Hawkins finds he has somehow survived--a fate almost everyone else onboard the Nightingale did not share. But his companion Natty has made it to shore with him, and they'll need to find their way. When they're intercepted by a tribe of natives and imprisoned, they know their choices are limited. When they find a moment to escape they expect they will never get again, they take the chance. But they soon learn it's not as easy as just getting out of the village, and the new American South is nothing like the home--a home they hope they will both get a chance to see again someday.
This is a sequel, but I don't think you need to have read the first book to follow the story. The adventure here is pretty self-contained, and any references to previous events are shared with enough context to understand what's going on.
If you're a fan of an epic adventure, you'll enjoy this. Jim and Natty are on the move from very early on in the book, and their pursuers are hot on their trail. There are twists and turns to keep you guessing as a reader, and it's never quite clear how it's all going to resolve until it gets there. I picked this up on a bit of a whim, to be honest, but I'm glad I did. It's a departure from everything else I've been reading lately, and a refreshing one at that.
[I received a copy of this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.]
This is a sequel, but I don't think you need to have read the first book to follow the story. The adventure here is pretty self-contained, and any references to previous events are shared with enough context to understand what's going on.
If you're a fan of an epic adventure, you'll enjoy this. Jim and Natty are on the move from very early on in the book, and their pursuers are hot on their trail. There are twists and turns to keep you guessing as a reader, and it's never quite clear how it's all going to resolve until it gets there. I picked this up on a bit of a whim, to be honest, but I'm glad I did. It's a departure from everything else I've been reading lately, and a refreshing one at that.
[I received a copy of this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.]
May 20, 2015
3.5-4 stars. The new world in Andrew Motion's beautifully written book is a vast wilderness populated by strange new citizens, displaced natives and a surreal loneliness. The New World is a sequel to Silver: Return to Treasure Island which is in turn a sequel of sorts to Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. While Silver follows Jim Hawkins son, also Jim, and Natty (Long John Silver's daughter) as they return to the island, this story picks up after a shipwreck leaves them stranded somewhere on the coast of Texas. The pair cross paths with Native warriors, peaceful Natives, a traveling show, and have numerous other interesting interactions. The descriptions of early America are really superb and the main reason that I continued to read this novel even when I was extremely frustrated with the main characters. Jim is extremely passive and just seems to float in whatever direction others lead him with limited personality. Natty is unlikable and not very well developed. I will say that I did not read Silver and that may affect my opinion of the characters and their growth during this book. Overall, I thought this novel was well-written and the plot interesting but I never really felt an attachment to the main characters. I received this book from a LibraryThing giveaway in exchange for an honest review.
June 30, 2015
Andrew Motion's latest foray into the literary world created by Robert Louis Stevenson in TREASURE ISLAND follows characters made famous in that classic story.
The previous novel SILVER, featured the infamous Long John Silver and his young companion Jim Hawkins. In THE NEW WORLD, we find Jim Hawkins and Natty Silver washed ashore after the shipwreck of the Nightingale where they appear to be the only survivors. The world they find is filled with native savages including a pair of ruthless Native Americans who capture them and refuse to give up on finding them once they make their escape.
This is a slow-moving novel that plays out like a Terrence Mallick film as we see Jim and Natty traverse the landscape jumping from group to group and both calm and dangerous situations in their desire to return to London. They are in the unruly American South and all their hopes of return to their mother country is by going through the port of New Orleans --- but it won't be easy. Well written but very dry. However, I did like the reference of a crewman on the Nightingale named Mr. Stevenson.
The previous novel SILVER, featured the infamous Long John Silver and his young companion Jim Hawkins. In THE NEW WORLD, we find Jim Hawkins and Natty Silver washed ashore after the shipwreck of the Nightingale where they appear to be the only survivors. The world they find is filled with native savages including a pair of ruthless Native Americans who capture them and refuse to give up on finding them once they make their escape.
This is a slow-moving novel that plays out like a Terrence Mallick film as we see Jim and Natty traverse the landscape jumping from group to group and both calm and dangerous situations in their desire to return to London. They are in the unruly American South and all their hopes of return to their mother country is by going through the port of New Orleans --- but it won't be easy. Well written but very dry. However, I did like the reference of a crewman on the Nightingale named Mr. Stevenson.
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