Treasure Island

by Robert Louis Stevenson
Available from Amazon
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I was expecting a little more depth after having read other of Stevenson's works. Jim Hawkins' parents keep an inn, to which the pirate who has possession of a treasure map comes to stay. He is found by his former companions who are greedy for his gold, and he dies of a heart attack soon after. Jim and his mother open the sea chest, taking the gold the pirate owed them for his stay, as well as the treasure map. With other friends, Jim sets out to recover the treasure, for no other reason than that the map is in his possession. Nothing seems too extraordinarily noble about that. Jim discovers that part of the crew have joined with the intention of stealing the gold for themselves, and they have little regard for the lives of others. However, this may not be considered stealing on their part, as Jim and his friends have as little right to the money as anyone else. Through many perils from very unsavory characters, Jim and the others make it back to England with a portion of the gold. He seems to have learned a lesson, however, for he states in the conclusion that nothing would tempt him back to collect the rest of the gold from Treasure Island.