Kidnapped

David Balfour #1

by Robert Louis Stevenson, Alasdair Gray, Donald McFarlan (Introduction)

Robert Louis Stevenson's Kidnapped is at once a rollicking adventure story and an earnest political allegory. This Penguin Classics edition is edited with an introduction and notes by Donald McFarlan and a foreword by Alasdair Gray.

Orphaned and penniless, David Balfour sets out to find his last living relative, miserly and reclusive Uncle Ebenezer. But Ebenezer is far from welcoming, and David narrowly escapes being murdered before he is kidnapped and imprisoned on a ship bound for the Carolinas. When the ship is wrecked, David, along with the fiery rebel Alan Breck, makes his way back across the treacherous Highland terrain on a quest for justice. Through his powerful depiction of the two very different central characters - the romantic Breck and the rational Whig David - Stevenson dramatized a conflict at the heart of Scottish culture in the aftermath of the Jacobite rebellion, as well as creating an unforgettable adventure story.

This new edition includes a foreword by Alasdair Gray discussing Stevenson's life and literary career and how he came to write Kidnapped. In his introduction, Donald McFarlan considers the novel's realism and a depiction of Scotland. This volume also includes a historical note, a map, notes, new further reading and a glossary.

Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) was born in Edinburgh, the son of a prosperous civil engineer. Although he began his career as an essayist and travel writer, the success of Treasure Island (1883) and Kidnapped (1886) established his reputation as a writer of tales of action and adventure. Stevenson's Calvinist upbringing lent him a preoccupation with predestination and a fascination with the presence of evil, themes he explored in The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886), and The Master of Ballantrae (1893).

If you enjoyed Kidnapped, you might like Jack London's The Call of the Wild, White Fang, and Other Stories, also available in Penguin Classics.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Adventure, Historical Fiction, Scotland, Young Adult, Literature

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1886

About the author

Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, and travel writer, and a leading representative of English literature. He was greatly admired by many authors, including Jorge Luis Borges, Ernest Hemingway, Rudyard Kipling and Vladimir Nabokov.

Most modernist writers dismissed him, however, because he was popular and did not write within their narrow definition of literature. It is only recently that critics have begun to look beyond Stevenson's popularity and allow him a place in the Western canon.

Reviews

[Henry Avila · Rating 5 out of 5]

You are seventeen Mr. David Balfour, alone in the world of 1751, in troubled Scotland, a futile bloody revolt was crushed a few years ago, by England, the parents are no more, father never spoke about his family, or the distant past , the poor, quiet introvert, a widowed school master, of the lowlands, has left his good, loving son a...

Mysterious letter, (vital information, which had deep secrets) for you. Go from your birthplace , a small village, the only one you know, and take the message to a lawyer Mr. Rankeillor, in the frightening, huge, cosmopolitan city of Edinburgh; by foot you must travel, a two day walk. Meeting strangers good or bad on the roads...who can tell? Should you turn back, it would be so easy; or follow your late father's wishes and risk the unknown dangers. But first he arrives at the home of his Uncle Ebenezer, a person he never knew existed, that name alone for most people would give them a clue about this gentleman's character. His father's brother is a great miser, so cheap he lives like a pauper in his big mansion, uncompleted, the reason, obviously he can't spend any money, will not light a fire but in one fireplace, eats porridge and drinks a little beer the cheapest he can find. Paranoid in the extreme, his sick mind hates anybody that threatens him even if it is not true. Soon after an unsuccessful plot to eliminate his naive nephew in the dark tower, a better one bears fruit. A sea captain named Elias Hoseason, agrees to kidnap the boy, for a nice fee, and sell him in the colonies of the Carolinas in America , they need slaves for the cotton plantations...However, plans are plans and you can not tell what the future brings, storms, reefs, fogs and the unexpected, anything is possible on a liquid surface.
Alan Breck Stewart, with a sack of money is wanted by the Crown as a Scottish rebel, the only survivor of a shipwreck off the coast of Britain, caused by the less than honorable captain, picked up in a thick fog. Nevertheless, greed wins out and the crew desires the valuable coins, killing a man doesn't bother them. Mr. David, is appalled, helps the fugitive escape and he too, later in the best section of the classic novel...
A long grueling crossing , the highlands of Scotland, trying to avoid capture by the Red Coats and the hangman's rope, a murder has just occurred. And Alan blamed...Such splendid adventures follow, as the two new friends flee on the rugged terrain of the north country's hills, valleys, rivers and bays, always moving, never resting, hiding in woods, the tall grass, on top of rocks, in caves, anywhere available, getting assistance from loyal relatives of Alan and his clan. A wonderful book for the young at heart, indubitably.

[James Tivendale · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I have seen wicked men and fools, a great many of both, and I believe they both get paid in the end, but the fools first."

We find ourselves in Bonny old Scotland - circa June 1751 - King George and the red-coats rule this empire. Following on from the Jacobite Revolution; we are introduced to an innocent teenage gentleman known as David Balfour. To initiate the narrative; David and the minister, Mr. Campbell discuss the necessity for a journey that our young hero should take following the untimely death of both his parents. He is entrusted with a letter that was written from his father's very own hand which cannot be opened until it is delivered to a certain individual = his conniving uncle who happens to be, of course; a close family member of Young Balfour. His uncle represents the Scottish House "Shaw" - the destination of the aforementioned is close to Edinburgh and so David treks as a young 18-year-old person would. Maybe even skipping across the glen in bonnie pretty spirits ay lad?

Is everyone in fiction who is called Ebeneezer a scumbag? David journeys for a few days across the lowlands of Scotland including Cramond, Colinton until the sight of the Glasgow Road is in his peripheral vision. At this point, he knew he was close to the presented described destination. After these travels to start his (what would turn out to be) journey, he meets his uncle. I will not say too much but upon their meeting, after slight consideration, David realises his uncle is a slimy, sinister snake who has stolen his inheritance. After that Ebeneezer undermines David's intelligence after failing in a notorious plot to kill him - David; only because of his (soon to be but present in this tale) heroic wit - that is already bubbling below the surface - the mean uncle arranges for him to be "K1dnapped"! (Some book title on GR you have to spell wrong or it deletes them and makes reviewers look like a sausage!)

This book was so amazing - that if I was to truly analyse it. I would probably write more pages than Mr. Stevenson did.

I will not divulge too much into the intricacies of the story but essentially David's mean uncle sells him out - literally. David is a lord by name and paper but Ebeneezer pays pirates money to send David to Carolina to become a slave worker. On his journey on said pirate ship they impale a boat and a gentleman called Alan Breck joins the fray. That is all I will say story wise so don't worry.

The journey continues. It is David's voyage away from and journey back to his rightful estate that is the "lions share" of the novel. My father is a Scottish History lecturer - so every time I mentioned a character in this book as I was reading - he would tell me how legitimate they were at being presented by Stevenson in this era as the majority were real characters/ people in this amazingly interesting but dark age. E.g. Alan Breck, James of the Glens, Red Fox, Robin Oig (Rob Roys' Son).

If you read this book - your mind will flow in a Scottish accent 100%.

As a non-Scottish reader - do you know what these words mean that are prevalent? If I wasn't half Scottish I may have struggled... didnae, auld, dram, ay, keek, lassie, ken, kenned, gliff, whigh etc...

Following this colloquial language. It cannot get more Scottish than one amazing scene. Two gents challenge each other for a dual, but instead of deadly combat with pistols and ten steps etc... they settle on a bagpipe showdown!! There is a huge divide between the "hielands" and the lowlands. England analysed Scotland as one country at this stage but all of the Clan's saw many different countries in Scotland. In the highlands - people mostly only speak Gaelic which alienates David in their presence. The closer the south of Scotland you were... the more English you were.. does that play a part perhaps?

To me, I would probably give this 3.75 stars. Not as much happens in this as Treasure Island. However; I enjoyed losing myself in the world of my forefathers. I am named after Scottish kings y'know.

I will check out the film later. Love as always- James www.youandibooks.wordpress.com

[Piyangie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kidnapped is a young adult adventure story. The protagonist, the young David Balfour, having become an orphan, takes on a journey to find his uncle seeking support and fortune. Little does he know of the adventure that he is to embark on, upon meeting his uncle.

David is a likable hero. Throughout his adventurous journey, David's courage, strength, and loyalty are tested, from which he emerges as a true winner. The supporting characters are chosen to suit the tone and pace of the story. Many, including the principal contributing character, David's Jacobite friend Alan Breck Stewart are real people which made the story interesting and all the more real.

David's adventurous journey takes the reader through the picturesque Scottish highlands acquainting the reader with its geography and a little of the culture of highlanders. The historical backdrop to the story is the aftermath of the Jacobite rising, where Jacobites were hunted, the Highland clans who supported the Jacobite movement were scattered - their powers surrendered, pride bruised, chiefs in exile. It is easy to comprehend that Stevenson was a sympathizer.

The story is well written with a mixture of English and Scottish Lowland dialog. And there was more warmth and feeling in the writing which was a pleasant contrast to the distant and detached writing I have so far observed in other Stevenson works.

Overall, coupled with true historical facts, picturesque highland setting, and beautiful writing, Kidnapped is a great adventure story. I enjoyed it very much. But young David's story does not end here. I would certainly read the sequel to learn the rest of his story.

[Paul Bryant · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is in the olden days when there wasn’t anything except boats and cows. No phones, no movies, nothing. Who would want to live there, right? But see some people did, and they had to or we wouldn't be here with all our stuff. They had to like go without so we could rock and roll.

That's deep.

So for entertainment they would play funny tricks on each other, like this guy’s uncle sells this guy into slavery even though this is a Scottish guy, so he gets coshed and wakes up on a boat to the US of A but then this guy and this other guy who is like the low tech James Bond of the total Highlands they take over the boat and then it gets wrecked, that part is okay, there is some good fighting, the sailors get melted.

But then there is way too much heather. Which they have to tramp through for days, no water, no entertainment except whistling, that seemed to be the thing they did instead of streaming. These days you would be having some trouble whistling modern music, like say Jeckyll and Hyde* by Five Finger Death Punch, go ahead, whistle that. So that was dull. Ouch this heather hurts. Oh dear, I am sleeping in some water. (Well then don’t, is what I thought.)

In the end it all comes right but I thought they should of hacked the uncle to death with a cow’s antler but they didn’t.



*course all you gr types know already that Jeckyll & Hide was written by the same guy that did Kidnapped which I don’t get as J&H is really intense anyway the graphic version

[Brett C · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read an illustrated and abridged version of this when I was a kid. Now reading the unabridged version as an adult I really liked it. The story is solid, the characters are meaningful and interact well, and the plot was good and comprehensible. There is nothing deep or subliminal about this. That's not to say the story is shallow but is good because everything is surface level.

Throughout the story I kept wondering if the main character David Balfour was resilient and mentally strong, or just lucky. Maybe I'm looking too deep into it.

I enjoyed this solid adventure story and would recommend Robert Louis Stevenson to anyone who likes a good story. I'll probably read it again. Thanks!

[Jeffrey Keeten · Rating 5 out of 5]

”The woman’s face lit up with a malignant anger. ‘That is the house of Shaw!’ she cried. ‘Blood built it; blood stopped the building of it; blood shall bring it down. See here!’ she cried again---’I spit upon the ground, and crack my thumb at it! Black be its fall!’”

David Balfour’s father has died, and he is on his way to his Uncle Ebenezer’s house when he meets the local peasant woman who gives him a taste of how the local people feel about his uncle. I love that line, “crack my thumb at it.” This is an obscure reference of displeasure that some feel RLS may have just made up, but with all the regionalisms across Scotland, I lean towards believing it is something he heard once and kept it tucked into his mind until he had a chance to use it. It becomes very obvious that his uncle is not well liked, and once David meets him, he knows why. Even his appearance seems to support his degenerate intentions.”He was a mean, stooping, narrow-shouldered, clay-faced creature; and his age might have been anything between fifty and seventy.”

The one scene that really stuck with me from first reading this story as a child was when his uncle convinces him to go up in the tower on the stairs without a bannister. David is torchless, and thinking about him ascending in the dark with nothing but open space before him and the cold stone of the wall behind him sent a shiver down my spine. I won’t tell you more, but needless to say, there is nefarious intent involved.

David is betrayed and finds himself on a ship called Covenant bound for the colonies. There, through a mishap at sea, he makes the acquaintance of Alan Breck Stewart. They become allies against the ship's crew, and there is this rousing description of the Battle of the Roundhouse. It reminds me of the scene from Treasure Island when Jim Hawkin’s and the brave few are in the stockade trying to hold off the murderous pirates. Stevenson is at his best when he is describing these desperate, hopeless circumstances.

Alan Breck Stewart was a real person. He was an exiled Jacobite, but was on his way back to Scotland to collect the dues owed to the cause by the clans when he had an unfortunate encounter with the Covenant. His head was worth a pretty penny to the English. The nickname Breck means spotted and refers to the smallpox scars on his face. He was accused of murdering the royal agent Colin Campbell, and though he was never apprehended for the crime, he was sentenced to death in absentia. The Appin Murder, as it was called, is part of the backdrop of this story, as David finds himself in the middle of it. The Campbells and the Stewarts have long been enemies, and the murder of Colin was the spark that set off another round of feuding between the families. I would say a Stewart might have murdered Colin, but there really wasn’t any evidence that put Alan Breck in the frame. I believe he was just a convenient scapegoat for the crime, given that the English already desired his head in a noose.

Alan Breck is a fierce fighter, certainly the right man for David to know in a tight spot, but the fact that he is a much wanted man puts David at more risk than if he were traveling across country by himself. Alan Breck has some faults as well. He likes to gamble at cards and dice and doesn’t seem to be very good at either, which frequently leads to the duo having to rely on the kindness of Alan Breck’s extended family for food and shelter.

David knows the House of Shaw is his birthright. His father was the eldest, and by primogentry rules, his uncle is a usurper. The whole time I’m reading the book, I’m waiting with anticipation for when Alan Breck’s steel meets Ebenezer’s blunderbuss. ”’Powder and your auld hands are but as the snail to the swallow against the bright steel in the hands of Alan.’ said the other. ‘Before your jottering finger could find the trigger, the hilt would dirl on your breast-bone.’” Jottering finger is just precious, isn’t it? I’m not really sure it was a word until Stevenson made it one, but it certainly paints a different picture than using trembling or shaking. Dirl means vibrate, but dirl certainly fits better with hilt.

There is a statue of Alan Breck Stewart and David Balfour in Edinburgh. They are much beloved characters by Stevenson fans, certainly as well loved as Jim Hawkins. I recently read the Stevenson/Barrie letters, and in one of the letters, Barrie mentions how much he thinks about Alan Breck Stewart and he does hope that Stevenson has left him alive and well. Stevenson wrote a second book called Catriona that picks up right where Kidnapped ends. The book was later published with the title David Balfour which probably helped induce further sales. I will be rereading that one as well very soon. Certainly readers wanted more of these characters, and who knows, maybe Stevenson would have written another book about them if he’d lived longer. He had several unfinished projects and many things percolating in his brain when he passed away at 44.

This book has been lauded by Henry James, Jorge Luis Borges, and Hilary Mantel. Those are very diverse writers who all found something to admire in this book intended for young readers. The edition I decided to read was the Charles Scribner’s and Sons publication from 1946. There is a fold out map and fourteen color plates from N.C. Wyeth. It has a paste down color print on the cover. I also have David Balfour and Black Arrow in these editions. I have Treasure Island as well, but a later edition with a dust jacket. They are readily available for a reasonable price on eBay and Abebooks and certainly make the reading experience more enjoyable.

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[Jason Koivu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why haven't I read more Stevenson? Perhaps because from what I can tell his writing feels as remote and cold as the Scottish Isles. It can be beautiful in its way, but you often forget it's there in favor of more popular destinations with more color and pizzazz.

In a way, Kidnapped feels a little like the Scottish version of Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo, which I was never overly fond of. Something about the story doesn't grab me. Although it should, as I just recently endured a similar situation where in my business was done out of a contract by someone essentially claiming to be me. Usurping my anticipated profits by saying they took over my business is more precise. A dastardly bastardly thing to do.

So, these sorts of stories should wring pity and 5 stars out of my bleeding heart, but they don't. Perhaps it's something to do with the writing style of the times. It's a little stiff, actions are a bit telegraphed. That's tough though, because I suppose all literature may very well suffer from such ravages of time, to be thrown upon the scrap one day because readers have moved on, sped up, and become jaded. Fuck, I'm getting melodramatic in my old age...

Anywho... SO glad I waited to read Kidnapped until now. If I'd read this in high school like I was supposed to I would have missed so much...hell, I wouldn't have understood even half of what was said! But now that I'm more familiar with UK history, Scottish accents and old timey slang, I can actually sit back and enjoy something like Kidnapped, rather than be mired under every time the brogue overtakes me.

[Paul Weiss · Rating 3 out of 5]

A classic adventure story set in 18th century Jacobite Rebellion Scotland

After the death of his father, David Balfour is sent to meet his Uncle Ebenezer for advice and guidance and perhaps some token assistance to set him on the road to adult life. But David’s discovery that his father was the elder of the two brothers means that he is the entailed legal beneficiary of the estate that Ebenezer means to hold onto, come what may. After a failed murder attempt, Ebenezer arranges to have David kidnapped and shipped to the USA for a probable future as a slave in the Carolinas. But he and his shipboard acquaintance, Alan Breck, are “fortunate” to escape as the result of a shipwreck off the coast of Scotland. And, of course, what kind of young adult adventure tale would KIDNAPPED be, if it didn’t stack one misfortune on another? Shortly after their narrow brush with death in a storm-tossed north Scotland ocean, Alan and David witness a political assassination. Authorities believe them to be the murderers and the manhunt is on!

No doubt about it! Like its companion tale, TREASURE ISLAND, KIDNAPPED is an exciting tale that will enthrall young people of all ages. In the bargain, it will provide teachable moments on themes of friendship, morality, loyalty, and, of course, bravery, selflessness, heroism and courage. In today’s uncertain world of hard-core partisan politics, KIDNAPPED even goes so far as to demonstrate that friendship can transcend and survive differences of political opinion that do not constitute differences in morality.

One caution that I might pass along to potential readers! It was my personal experience that the plot became somewhat difficult to follow at points because of my unfamiliarity with 18th century Scottish history, clan politics and Scotland’s relationship at the time with England. That problem never became a “deal-breaker” but it did hold a potential 4- or 5-star rating to a mere 3-star rating with a qualified “I enjoyed it” recommendation.

Paul Weiss

[Axl Oswaldo · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded down

I made a mistake. And no, I'm not talking about my personal life this time, but about this reading experience, that was not at all how I imagined it would be. I know Kidnapped should have been an entertaining and compelling adventure novel, that it was supposed to be easy to read and easy to follow, in short, a novel to have a good time. Besides, it was first published in the magazine Young Folks, a weekly children's literary magazine, that was, to my understanding, mainly for children, therefore—again—a straightforward story. Other novels by Stevenson were also published in this magazine, such as Treasure Island and The Black Arrow.

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.
I picked up this novel in this format for two reasons: it is an adventure novel—hence a compelling, gripping story—and a 'children' book. Well, I didn't notice anything wrong with the book at the very beginning, as I was enjoying the novel quite a bit, probably during the first 4-5 chapters everything was understandable and enjoyable, though I was struggling a little bit with some dialogues (never ignore those hints again), but overall everything seemed to be fine. By the way, the story depicts the adventures of David Balfour, a 17-year-old boy whose parents have recently passed away, and who must visit his uncle Ebenezer in Scotland, after receiving a letter that has to be delivered to him. Thus, after some terrible circumstances, David will live a series of adventures throughout Scotland, where will be friends with Alan Stewart at some point in the story, and will try to come back home.

So, what was my main problem with this book? I suppose you know the answer: that's right, the language. Once some sailors and a boat were introduced in the story, I knew some things might be a little hard to follow, though I guess I was so naïve: it was not only really hard to understand the nautical vocabulary, but also some parts of the book turned into a confusing and beyond-my-understanding story. As for the dialogues, they were literally incomprehensible—especially when Alan or the sailors said something—and even some expressions/words didn't sound like anything I had heard before, it was like a completely different language. It turns out that it was indeed a different language – I googled it and it is apparently something called Lowland Scots(?); so, in a nutshell, the reason why I couldn't make out the story from that moment on was very clear to me. Either way, I'm assuming this would not be a problem for a native English speaker (characters are speaking both English and this Scottish language, mixing both languages together while speaking), but clearly it was a problem for me—I'm neither a native English speaker nor a fluent English speaker (yet), so it is comprehensible—and I have to admit it was also frustrating to struggle with this situation at this point in the story.

Fortunately, David as a narrator is always speaking English, which was the reason why I was able to finish the book, and therefore, to understand his adventures, or at least, to figure out what was happening (sometimes I was missing something, yet I knew what was going on because of the context and the story as a whole). Also, if you asked me why I didn't give up on this one or why I didn't pick up another format, simply because I could actually understand the audiobook narrator and his accent—the narrator is American, and I'm really familiar with some American accents, though I know some people won't be happy listening to a novel by Stevenson in American accent—and besides, I didn't miss all the dialogues, but just some parts of them (especially when some characters didn't speak English, as you know), and finally because I'm kind of a perseverant person, I usually don't give up.

Finally, I would like to correct my first statement and to say the truth regarding this book: "I know Kidnapped is an entertaining and compelling adventure novel, that is easy to read and easy to follow, in short, a novel to have a good time." Now, if I had to describe this novel by saying just one word, that one would be friendship. Alan and David's friendship is one of the most beautiful things I have ever read, and Stevenson really knows how to portray a true, unconditional friendship. I truly loved these two characters, being essentially their friendship the cherry on top of the cake for this story.
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.

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.

I minded me of all Alan’s kindness and courage in the past, how he had helped and cheered and borne with me in our evil days; and then recalled my own insults, and saw that I had lost for ever that doughty friend.

[William2 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vast narrative pleasure. The adventure is set some time after the failed Jacobite Rising of 1745–46, which was the final and most famous attempt to restore the exiled Stuart dynasty to the British throne. I do not know how closely the narrative hews to history, but used as fictional propellent, it works quite wonderfully.

Our narrator, David Balfour, all of eighteen, must see his old uncle to claim his inheritance. This miserly uncle, however, has him kidnapped and sent to the Carolinas to be enslaved. But the ship wrecks west of Scotland, he makes it to shore, and must travel through the Highlands full of clan rivalries to return and claim his legacy.

All the characters jump vividly from the page, even those around for only a page or two. RLS is a deft hand with dialect so the reader doesn’t drown in arcane spellings. Occasionally a footnote is used to translate a Scots word, but this is unobtrusive. I can see why Jorge Luis Borges was wild about him.

[Cindy Rollins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thumping good read at any age! Not sure how many times I have read it. A family favorite especially of my oldest son.

[Salwa Marwan · Rating 3 out of 5]

شاب بيترمي في دوامة من الأحداث بعد ما عمّه يخدعه ويحاول يبيعه كعبد، من هنا تبدأ رحلة ديفيد اللي مليانة مطاردات، هروب، ومصاعب في أرض المرتفعات الاسكتلندية.
الجو بتاع الرواية عجيب، بياخدك لعالم القرن الـ18 بتفاصيله الجامدة، من المناظر الطبيعية لاسكتلندا للناس والصراعات السياسية اللي كانت موجودة.

[Jan-Maat]

Swashbuckling fun, but the problem I have with this rereading it as an adult is the same as reading The Black Arrow. Stevenson manages to be both engaging and silly - sometimes at the same moment, but luckily the human brain is capable of multi-tasking even in the middle of a paragraph.

Isn't the relationship between Alexander and Ebenezer Balfour which drives the narrative too ridiculous? The elder brother giving up his inheritance and becoming an out of luck village teacher is one thing and hard enough to believe (why not just split the inheritance or pay him off or set him up in a profession?) but such a story must have got all over the countryside. It is hard to believe that David, or at least the pastor, Mr Cameron would have been ignorant of it. At least Stevenson kept back that detail until the end, but still I wonder why he didn't think of a different way to drive the story – say Ebenezer tricking his brother in some way or framing him for a crime. More or less anything would have been more plausible than the story he does use.

On the plus side I liked the sense of the cultural differences between the lowlanders and the Highlanders which comes through strongly, although I was not sure how far the prejudices against the highlanders reflected Stevenson's own views or what he felt would be a reasonable reflection of those held by contemporary lowlanders. Alternatively this is a moment in a children's book in which the child's moral values and intellectual capabilities are shown to be superior to that of an adult.

That perhaps is the secret of Stevenson's success - it is there in Treasure Island and The Black Arrow too. The child can outwit the wicked uncle, the pirate, or the wicked uncle disguised as a leper (as they so frequently are). The child lost in an adult world triumphs through their own ability. And the characters and settings are sharp and vivid, Sandy's devotion to the memory of Alan Breck in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie seems more reasonable than the obsessions harboured by her teacher but to be fair, I'm not a fan of Mussolini.

Other parts of the story don't make much sense. Alan Breck apparently travels regularly between the Highlands and France but seems not to have a regular route or a trusted set of regular contacts (& if he was in a row-boat on his way to rendezvous with a French ship neither he nor the ship the Covenant could have been so far from Alan's stamping grounds as for narrative purposes they turn out to be. It should have been a simple matter to stick him in a row-boat and take him straight to shore. It's all an unnecessary contrivance.

Later I find it mystifying that when leaving the house of his kinsman Breck is given only a couple of pennies but two days later on the heather when he sends a message the same kinsman is able to come up with several guineas in a short order. OK I can understand the situation is stressed and hurried, but equally these are meant to be people living under a harsh regime and used to having Breck drift in and out secretly on clan business, as a reader I don't expect them to be quite so innocent. In narrative terms it serves only to demonstrate how Breck communicates and interacts with the clan network because the money is never used in practical economic exchange but is instead lost at cards at the first opportunity. But the general impression is that the Highlanders are inept and less morally developed than the child hero - particularly here I'm thinking of David's attitude towards the card playing of the Clan Chief.

That's by the by. Worse the trail of instructions left by Alan Breck for David to follow would have served to bring both friend and foe to the house of Alan's kinsman. Particularly as David doesn't speak Gaelic and has to discover the political lay of the land as he makes his journey. It doesn't suggest a particularly skilled conspirator, but then the Jacobites did loose I suppose, so maybe that's the point.

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?

Best hope the children don't ask too many questions. And if they do - tell them it's like a Scotch egg - you have to deal with the mince before you can get at the egg.

[Mónica Cordero Thomson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maravillosa novela de aventuras, que me ha recordado a la Isla del Tesoro (del mismo autor), son el añadido de tener un trasfondo histórico real y muchísimo sabor escocés. Deseando leer Catriona (la segunda parte).

[Duane Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know how the rest of young David Balfour's life turns out, but his early adventures where amazing. Set in 18th century Scotland during the Jacobite period, David, a loyalist to King George, and his friend Alan Stewart, a Jacobite, seemingly travel the entirety of the Scottish Highlands hiding in the rocks and heather from rival clans and the British Army. Character lessons abound, especially for young David. Just a fun book to read.

[Saranya ⋆☕︎ ˖ [hibernating] · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adventure, betrayal and bagpipes—what more could you want?

If you’ve ever thought your family was a bit shady, wait till you meet Ebenezer Balfour. Young David Balfour sets out to claim his inheritance and ends up sold into slavery by his own uncle.

A whirlwind of 18th-century Scottish drama, complete with shipwrecks, sword fights and political intrigue!! David’s journey from naive heir to hardened survivor was really a rollercoaster!!!

“I have seen wicked men and fools, a great many of both; and I believe they both get paid in the end; but the fools first.”

Alan Breck Stewart: Jacobite rebel, swagger incarnate and the kind of friend who’ll shoot first and never ask questions. Their bromance fills the story with banter, bullets and bagpipe-worthy bravado.

The historical backdrop adds a layer of gravitas to the fun. It’s a coming-of-age story wrapped in tartan and tied with a musket!!
XD

A rollicking ride through betrayal, bravery and broadswords!!!

Commentaries:

Alan at once held a pistol in his face.
‘Put that thing up!’ said the captain. ‘Have I not passed my word, sir? or do ye seek to affront me?’
‘Captain,’ says Alan, ‘I doubt your word is a breakable. Last night ye haggled and argle-bargled like an apple-wife; and then passed me your word, gave me your hand to back it; and ye ken very well what was the upshot. Be damned to your word!’ says he

LMAO

“Alan," cried I, "what makes ye so good to me? What makes ye care for such a thankless fellow?"
Deed, and I don't, know" said Alan. "For just precisely what I thought I liked about ye, was that ye never quarrelled:—and now I like ye better!”

OMG! Alan is such a great comic relief!!!

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Alan," cried I, "what makes ye so good to me? What makes ye care for such a thankless fellow?"

"'Deed and I don't know," said Alan. "For just precisely what I thought I liked about ye, was that ye never quarrelled--and now I like ye better!"

Historical fiction, an adventure story, but also a great "buddy story". The plot follows young David, who is cheated out of his inheritance by a greedy uncle, and kidnapped into servitude on a sailing ship. The ship hits a small boat during a fog and picks up Alan Breck Stewart, a renegade Highlander. Set in the period following the failed Scottish rebellion, a reader not well-versed in the history might have difficulty following the politics and the dialect of the Scots. It's a grand adventure story, though, with the friendship between the two quite different main characters providing light-hearted moments, narrow escapes, and a fitting, but bittersweet ending.

[Zoeb · Rating 5 out of 5]

If "Treasure Island" established the nearly-unrivalled standard for the "intelligent and morally realistic swashbuckling adventure", "Kidnapped", I think, was the novel with which Robert Louis Stevenson redefined the very meaning of the words "swashbuckling adventure" itself. The title is deceptive - the actual abduction, an act of insidious treachery, is only a very small part of the actual meat of the book's narrative and instead, it is what follows that single travesty that gives the novel not only its flawless efficiency and efficacy as an adventure brimming with superbly orchestrated action and peril, rich characterisation, whip-cracking dialogue and pitch-perfect pacing (all of which I will come to in due course in the review) but also a surprising (for the time) heft of political context and intrigue, in blending a real-life, sensational scandal unfolding in the Scottish highlands in the wake of the Jacobite rebellion and a cast of actual Highland chieftains and exiled rebels with the fictional story of its protagonist and his odyssey back home to claim justice.

This Stevenson accomplishes with such consummate skill and seemingly agile and flexible ease that it is almost something of a wonder that just how does "Kidnapped" in a length far shorter and brisker than most historical adventure novels of its time and even after that contain such a remarkable grasp on both the factual and fictional worlds without ever losing sight of its main objective - to lead us on a merry chase with very real stakes of life and death, honour and disgrace, of being imprisoned or escaping to blissful freedom. Indeed, most thrillers and pulp adventures that we read these days, including our highly touted bestsellers, all have a debt to owe to Stevenson and perhaps even they, despite their best efforts, cannot come even close to how he could write highly entertaining, compulsively readable and realistically sketched narratives with such surprising profundity that never feels tiresome or plodding; like just how his distant nephew (and my favourite storyteller of the twentieth century) would do less than fifty years after this novel was published.

I read this flawless novel from cover to cover, riveted by just how beautifully the dexterous storyteller grips the reader by setting the fundamentals of the story in the space of just a couple of chapters, mesmerised by his tight command of prose (the kind of precise, agile symmetry of action, thought, personal reflection and description that I can only find in the above mentioned writer), propelled to a height of tension, apprehension and even excitement by his superb, urgent direction of action and suspense and even driven to think and meditate by his moral realism. I would be hard-pressed to find any modern historical adventure novel that can boast of accomplishing so many things at the same time.

"Kidnapped" is also classic Stevenson in how it meshes a dark shade of grey morality with a real heart of genuine warmth and camaraderie. We never, for once, trust our and David Balfour's allegiances to the characters that we and he encounters, befriends and finds himself pitted against in the narrative and this is what makes Balfour easily one of the most intriguing and believable of all protagonists and narrators in fiction. His voice is not merely that of the writer's - lively, a little melancholic, wry and poignant in turns - but it is also our voice - honest, vulnerable, even tormented on the inside with his conflicting loyalties and even capable of thoughts of betrayal but most importantly a voice that summons up warmth, friendship and even kindness at will. We root for David Balfour to escape his woes, in the end, because Stevenson has made him an image of all that is flawed, naive yet noble in us.

The same praise would go to the other characters in the narrative - not just the romantic, perennially upbeat, raffishly charismatic Alan Breck Stewart but also the other outlaws on the run and exiled from their land but capable of great dignity, chivalry and even a generous display of warmth and fellow-feeling even to their sworn enemies, as evidenced by the excellent scene towards the end when two initially vengeful opponents encounter each other unexpectedly and then settle down instead in a duel of bagpipes, then conceding that each one of them is musically gifted and all their grudges vanish miraculously.

That is the magic of Stevenson. "Kidnapped" is as much about these mellow, wistful beats as much about the weary scramble through the harshest and bleakest regions of the Highlands for cover. It is as much a tender tale of friendship as much an exhilarating adventure.

[Werner · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the above description suggests, misleadingly, that all of protagonist David Balfour's adventures take place on the "high seas" (he only gets as far as the treacherous coastal waters of his native Scotland, and the great majority of the story takes place on land), the rest of it is pretty apt. This is Romantic historical adventure fiction at its finest (that is, fiction from the Romantic school, with its stress on appeal to emotions --here, excitement, fear, sympathy, moral indignation, admiration-- not small-r romance fiction; David doesn't get to fall in love in this book :-) ), from a master of the genre. Set a few years after Bonnie Prince Charlie's failed rebellion, it tells the tale of a orphaned heir, kidnapped at the behest of a scheming uncle. When the ship carrying him to indentured servitude in America is wrecked off the Highlands, the young man teams up with a Jacobite adventurer, and they set out on a dangerous trek across Scotland to confront the uncle.

This novel has the basic features of much of Stevenson's fiction: a well-realized historical setting, vivid characters, eventful plotting, a strong emphasis on wholesome male bonding and friendship, straightforward celebration of "masculine" virtues, and a clear-eyed distinction between good and evil. The author's diction, of course, is of the 19th-century sort, and compounded by his use of Scots dialect in some character's speech and a salting of 18th-century terms that are no longer in common use; the Scottish geographical references would also probably be Greek to most American readers without a good map. But if these weren't insuperable obstacles to me, reading it as a kid of ten or so, they won't be to many of you, either! Given the similar setting, this might have some appeal to fans of Gabaldon's Outlander (though of course it lacks a love story).

[Louie the Mustache Matos · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a classic adventure novel situated in history. Stevenson takes some creative license with some of the facts of the Rob Roy time period, in order to tell the story of a young man who loses his parents and in order to make a place for himself in the world seeks the help of his uncle. He hopes that his uncle will direct him to some prospect that will illuminate his destiny. The uncle realizes that David is the rightful heir to the Balfour fortune and authors a plot to have David abducted by pirates and sold into slavery in the New World. Interesting story, but a modern audience will find the language awkward and difficult to understand. The language and pacing are why I took away 2 stars. The characters are fascinating, and the setting is described well enough to make you feel as if you are standing in David Balfour's shoes, but the Scottish dialects sometimes impede understanding.

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I know I've read Treasure Island through the same pirate sea twice, I wasn't sure about the almost-as-famous Kidnapped. If I did read it once, the memory of it is gone, so let's say this was a first go-round.

My biggest observation is that is gets off to a roaring start, adventure-wise (which is what you want, nay DEMAND, of a Robert Louis Stevenson), because at first there's the mystery of young David Balfour's dead father and living uncle (his brother) and estate, and then there's the derring-do of Uncle Ebeneezer (I can't help but picture Dickens' character) hiring a captain to get the kid out of his hair via kidnapping. Young DB's destination: Carolina (where the weather may be finer, but after that, all down hill).

Anyway, once David teams up with his sidekick Alan Breck, there's lots of good adventure on the boat, but the boat gets storm-tossed and with it David and with him all the really good adventure. After that, the poor lad re-teams with Alan as they cross this part of Scotland and that as fugitives. Not a lot of action. Just a lot of grunt marching and hiding, really. Enough to toy with 3 stars, even, but for all that, I never lost interest, so I'm sticking to the high 3.5.

If you're Scottish, you should definitely read this. Man, the old Scottish words are ubiquitous here, some defined by footnotes in this 1908 edition, some not. Speaking of, what a pleasure to read an old library edition still holding up thanks to the thick paper and solid binding (no glue, thank you). The many water stains and yellowing effect of time (not to mention the library smell of old paper and ink) made it worth the page-turning itself.

What confuses me is "David Balfour #1" in parentheses after the title. I guess RLS wrote sequels using this character, much the way Twain ruined Tom Sawyer by writing books like Tom Sawyer, Detective (God spare us).

In any event, I won't be going there. I know a thing or two about sequels--none of them very good things, either!

[Erin *Proud Book Hoarder* · Rating 3 out of 5]

“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.”

I guess I’m just not going to be a big fan of Robert Louis Stevenson, which is a shame since he wrote classic adventure-filled maritime fiction. As with Treasure Island, the beginning promised more than what was delivered, although Kidnapped ended up being the better of the two because of the satisfying ending.

I liked the first half more than the second. The second dove too much into a confusing and jumbled marriage of politics of some weird kind with fleeing and travel and I sat there mainly, "who, what, when, why, ho....Zzzzzz."

I enjoyed the part leading up to the ship, and the ship, more than the rest of it. Stevenson probably won't have long-term chemistry with me since I dislike some of the rambling , but the writing overall is beautiful and the story held my interest at least half the time. I regret it started souring for me later.

Sad when a book is fine at first but keeps getting more boring as it chugs along. By the end I was ready to be put out of my misery. Due to the writing being colorful (besides the annoying dialogue), and the decent first half, I left it as a three star instead of a two. Barely.

[Raúl Omar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kidnapped became my default recommendation because of two reasons: 1. none of my friends has read it (not even heard of it) and 2. it is awesome. Let me be honest: I didn´t know this book existed, I acquired Kidnapped because it was on sale, it had a cool front cover design and I liked the back cover description which seemed just nice.
I wonder why this book is not as popular as other Robert Louis Stevenson’s work, I’m guessing it's because the novel is way too Scottish for any reader who happens to be, well... not Scottish. Scottishness aside, the novel is marvellous.
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.
What can I say about the characters but that I loved them? I really liked how they main characters interact with each other and with others, they are lovable and a little funny. There is something I truly enjoy when reading a book: to laugh now and then. Stevenson’s nails it again with his good humour, I had more than a couple of laughs while reading.
There should be more books like this. There are books that after reading them, the first thing you want to do is to grab a good book. After I read Kidnapped I didn’t even wanted to see my queue in fear my next reading wouldn’t be half as good as this one was.
After I recommend a book I’m always nervous and doubtful about if the reader will like it, and even worse, is the remorse of being the responsible for making someone read something that didn’t like (I hate when that happens to me). Yet, when I recommend this book I feel confident that if they don’t like it, is because they definitively don´t like either the sea or adventures or adventures in the sea or Stevenson's work or because they hate Scotland or... [insert as many other reasons as you want], but not because it is not a good book.

This review was also posted on my blog :)

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Young David Balfour begins and ends his harrowing adventure with evil Uncle Ebenezer (the old rat) with many mishaps in between. After being nearly murdered, then kidnapped and shipwrecked, Davie uses honesty and intelligence to his advantage while hoping to seek justice in the end. The inclusion of Scottish history throughout makes for an entertaining story, and the introduction gives an informative recap of significant dates in the life and literary career of RLS including how he came to write KIDNAPPED.

Enjoyed it!

[Sarah ~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

إنها قصة ديفيد الفتى الصغير من"اسبندين" الواقعة بـ ريف سكتلندا ..وتبدأ بعد وفاة والده بقليل .. عام 1751
عندها غادر قريته قاصدا "كراموند" بالقرب من أدنبرة حيث يقطن عمه وهناك تتسارع الأحداث عندما يصل إلى منزل العائلة الذي يسكنه العم حاليا ..
قصة مغامرات شيقة تدور في البر والبحر ..ومع أقارب وغرباء..
من مختلف أطياف المجتمع ومشاربهم ..بطلها هذا الفتى الذي ترك بلدته باحثا عن مستقبل مضمون..
وسعيا وراء حقِ مشروع .لكن الظروف الغريبة كانت له بالمرصاد..
والتي يتجاوزها بمساعدة كثير من الشرفاء ..

ستروقكمْ ..

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dashing classic adventure with loads of action to keep the story moving. It's got a very nasty villain and a mostly very good hero. The hero's friend is both good and bad together. Each main character is strongly drawn and memorable, though the story is focused more on action than on motivation by a long shot.

The action indeed is incessant and often heavy, from shipboard to progress across land.

This classic definitely has reason for being one and I'll be reading the sequel this year.

[Theo Logos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Packed full of thrills, Robert Louis Stevenson’s Kidnapped is everything an action adventure should be. From its opening when we first meet the protagonist, newly orphaned 17 year old David Balfour, the action comes at us thick and fast. A nefarious uncle attempts to trick him to his death to rob him of his inheritance. He is kidnapped by an unscrupulous ship’s captain to be transported to the Carolinas and sold into slavery. A swashbuckling castaway, the only survivor from a vessel run down by the ship, is menaced by the captain and crew, and young David allies with him in a pitched battle with the whole lot of them. He is lost overboard as the ship cracks up and sinks along the coast. He is stranded on a rocky, coastal island. And that’s all just the opening act before the book’s primary adventure begins.

The bulk of the story in Kidnapped is a buddy road adventure, as our clever protagonist David teams up with a fugitive Jacobite swashbuckler and the two furtively trek across much of the Scottish highlands in the chaotic wake of the failed 1745 Jacobite Uprising. The two make an odd pair. David, is a lowland Scott raised as a Whig. He’s clever, but an untried youth. His companion, Alan Breck Steward is a proud Highlander soldier who fought in the Jacobite uprising. Exiled to France after that doomed conflict, he is now a secret agent in service to the King of France and the exiled clan chief there. The chemistry between this mismatched pair is the heart of the story, as they attempt to navigate through the dangerous highlands back to the relative safety of Edinburgh where David can attempt to gain his inheritance.

But Kidnapped is more than just an excellent boy’s adventure. It’s also a fascinating historical fiction. Set in 1751 Scotland, the book accurately portrays the chaos and despair of the Scottish highlands after the failed 1745 uprising, during a time when the English Crown was attempting to break the spirit of the highland clans. Alan Breck Stewart, David’s companion, was an actual historical personage, as was James of the Glen and other characters the pair encounter during their highland trek. The assassination that the pair witness (and are accused of committing) was an actual event of some note, known as the Appin Murder. A statue of the real Allen Breck side by side with the fictional David Balfour now stands in Edinburgh, a testament to what powerful historical fiction Stevenson’s book is.

[Sasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my third Robert Louis Stevenson book, and they've all been five star reads for me. That makes him one of the most consistent authors I know of.

Kidnapped recently showed up on the Guardian's list of the 100 best English novels, and I guess I might have put Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde there instead; I still feel like it's a deeper book. But the Guardian chose this instead, mostly because of its Scottishness. It's a gripping adventure book first and foremost - dude gets kidnapped, headed for a life of slavery in the good old US of A, and then there's shipwrecks and fightin' and fleein' and it's all great fun - but it's also about the character of Scotland.

My Penguin edition seemed to think that justified tons of boring footnotes about historical details, none of which I understood because they assumed I had some degree of starting familiarity. Everything I know about Scottish history I learned from watching Braveheart fifty times, and pretty much all I got from that is that English people are dicks.

And that's really enough for this book, too. It was written in 1886, and takes place in 1751. Our narrator David Balfour, a "tendentious prig" according to the only fun sentence in the intro, is a Lowlander; his buddy Allan Breck, who was a real dude, is a Highlander. The events in the book - the killing of that one guy and its fallout - were real events, fairly depicted. I went and looked into all that history and crap and here's what I can tell you: skip the footnotes and trust Stevenson's narrative, because he's telling you all you need to know. The footnotes make it seem like there's a larger picture that you're not getting and should be getting - like there's something you're missing - but that's really not the case.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

No class of man is altogether bad, but each has its own faults and virtues.

Die Geschichte des jungen David Balfour war mir schon seit meiner Jugend bekannt: die vom bösen Onkel Ebenezer im Jahr 1751 veranlasste Entführung und seine anschließende Flucht zusammen mit dem unbezähmbaren, aber hochanständigen jakobinischen Outlaw Alan Steward durch die schottischen Highlands. Damals war sie in einer Miniserie im deutschen Fernsehen gezeigt worden.
Das Buch habe ich erst jetzt gelesen und gleich im englischen Original. Zwar erschwerten die mundartlichen Dialoge das Lesen, andererseits erhöhten sie die Authentizität, was letztlich überwog. Im wohlgesetzten Alter waren es nicht mehr die abenteuerlichen Szenen wie der Kampf auf dem Schiff, der Schiffbruch oder die Ermordung von Colin Campbell, die mich mit fiebern ließen. Vielmehr waren es die lebhaft dargestellten Entbehrungen der Flucht durch das unwirtliche Hochland und die Treffen mit anderen Abtrünnigen, die mich für den Roman einnahmen. Gerade die komischen Elemente der letzteren, der verzweifelte Versuch Clunys Vornehmheit in seinen Verstecken vorzugaukeln oder die Rivalität zwischen Alan und Robin Oig, die nur dank des Eingriffs ihres Gastgebers von einem Schwertkampf zu einem Wettkampf mit Dudelsäcken umgelenkt werden könnte.

Abschließend noch ein großes Plus und ein großes Minus des Romans. Negativ aufgestoßen ist mir, dass in ihm so gut wie keine Frauen vorkommen, oder nur als reine Staffage. Auf der positiven Waagschale liegt der Anstoß sich näher mit der Geschichte Schottlands, insbesondere den Jakobitenaufständen der Jahre 1715 und 1745 und deren Folgen auseinanderzusetzen. Mir scheint, dass ihre Kenntnis hilft, das Bestreben Schottlands nach Unabhängigkeit besser zu verstehen. 4½ Sterne, abgerundet zu 4 wegen des übereilten und nicht ganz glaubwürdigen Endes.

[Matthew Ted · Rating 4 out of 5]

18th book of 2024.

I finished this on the way to Bournemouth, where Stevenson wrote it. I was never that impressed with Treasure Island, having read it later in life, and didn't think that much of Jekyll and Hyde, either, which I studied at university. But, Kidnapped was considerably more enjoyable, mature and well-written. Stevenson evokes a dreary and mythical Scotland. David Balfour is a good protagonist that I felt for, an issue I had with Scott's Rob Roy: none of his characters were even likeable. So this one comes out on top from our neighbouring Scottish writers so far. I also loved that Stevenson blended fact and fiction with Alan Breck, Rob Roy and many other real historical characters. A good romp layered with Scotland's violent history.