Audiobook1 hour
Robinson Crusoe
Written by Daniel Defoe and Diane Mowat
Narrated by Multiple Narrators
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
3.5/5
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About this audiobook
'I often walked along the shore, and one day I saw something in the sand. I went over to look at it more carefully ...It was a footprint - the footprint of a man!' In 1659 Robinson Crusoe was shipwrecked on a small island off the coast of South America. After fifteen years alone, he suddenly learns that there is another person on the island. But will this man be a friend - or an enemy?
Author
Daniel Defoe
Daniel Defoe was born at the beginning of a period of history known as the English Restoration, so-named because it was when King Charles II restored the monarchy to England following the English Civil War and the brief dictatorship of Oliver Cromwell. Defoe’s contemporaries included Isaac Newton and Samuel Pepys.
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Reviews for Robinson Crusoe
Rating: 3.564385759779095 out of 5 stars
3.5/5
3,712 ratings126 reviews
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5This should have been a book I really liked, but the overbearing narrative voice ruined it. And I say this as someone who has been reading and enjoying a lot of books with opinionated narrators lately.
Generally, when I read a novel I expect it to have a degree of personal growth (unless a lack of growth is the point of the story) and narrative tension. And this story *should* have had both of those. Certainly, the protagonist finds God and humility over the course of the novel, but the narration spends the entire book lamenting that he didn't trust to providence, etc., etc. (at length, every few pages, so you don't miss it...) that the personality he had at the beginning is totally absent, overridden by who he becomes by the end. And the way it's written it just seams so *easy* for him to survive--certainly, he must have had problems, but those are mostly glossed over, he has a whole ship full of stuff, and he routinely points out how something he did early on would be useful later, so when the problem does come up you already know it's solved.
And if the protagonist barely has a personality, no one else has any personality at all. And you might think, well, yeah, he spends the whole book alone on an island--but no! Quite a bit of the book isn't on the island, or otherwise there are other people around. But they just waft on and off-stage with no real effect. Friday is more of a person than anyone else, but he's such a caricature that I feel like he hardly counts. Oh, and the narrator mentions that he got married and had three kids and his wife died, all in one sentence, and goes on with the narration like nothing remarkable happened, and did these people mean nothing to you?
Ugh. And even though he keeps belaboring the religious lesson over and over, it isn't even a good sermon, because good rhetoric has roots in good story and personal development.
Anyway, I think what I'm saying here is you'd be better off spending your time reading a wilderness survival manual while singing Amazing Grace over and over again. - Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5What I learned from this book is that not every book that is called a classic earns that title.If this hadn't been on my Feb bookshelf then I wouldn't have finished it.
I know this is regarded as the first english language novel but that doesn't excuse the fact that it is badly written.
Robinson Crusoe is a complete and utter idiot, he never learns from his mistakes and never takes advice from anybody. Maybe it's just me but if the very first ship you are on sinks perhaps you should take it as a sign, but not him off he goes again and ends up as a slave. He escapes and is rescued by a too good to be true captain and makes a good life for himself in Brazil, but even then that is not enough. So when some of his friends decide they want more slaves he is selected to make the trip to buy them and of course being Robinson the ship is struck by a hurricane while in the Carribean. Sounds bad so far doesn't it and it only gets worse.
I know that I shouldn't complain about the attitude towards slavery in the book as it was a different time period and it is historically accurate but I just found it really hard to stomach, in fact it made me wish that Friday had been a cannibal.
I have read this book before but I was about ten and you don't really pick up on the racism and all the other things that are wrong with this book at that age. Then you just think about the adventure of being on a desert island. The reason I read this again is because a few weeks ago I was having dinner with my Mum and she was watching what I thought was I very bad adaptation. Turns out it was the source material that was the problem and based on that there was no way you could ever make a good version. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5My absolute favourite as a child
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Read another copy as a child - loved it - played games for a year based on this shipwrecked, lonely chap & Man Friday (younger sister in reality): Defoe's story is a timeless classic of imagination mixed with the reality of a seafaring mishap all too familiar to the era - amazingly his first novel when aged 60, & a masterpiece of its kind. Still love its vivid ruggedness, today.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5There's probably nothing I can say about this that hasn't already been said. my thoughts on the matter as as follows. I'm not sure this was what I was expecting. Having thought of it as something you tend to read in school, I wasn't expecting the depth that is to be found in here. In a sense it is a morality play, in that the young Crusoe sins (by leaving to seek adventure), suffers (shipwreck and being stranded on the island) seeks redemption (finds God) and finally is brought safe home. The redemption passage was a little bit wearing, that's really not my thing, but the notes helped put this into some context of the time and nature of religion when this was written. There's an element of you know what happens in outline, so the first part of the book is spent wondering how he's going to get shipwrecked. Once he's on the island, you're waiting for Friday to appear and the pair of them to get off the island again. That is, I think, to do it a disservice. The manner by which Crusoe is able to set up his life is interesting, it makes you wonder how you'd cope if suddenly you were responsible for your own survival - how would you cope? (frankly, I probably wouldn't!). The passage about the savages was, to me, totally unexpected. How did I miss a major plot point like that?! It was dramatic and startling, but could have done with a little less angst about it all. The end all felt a little bit rushed and not necessarily thought through. He sends an emissary to the Spaniards on the mainland and then leaves the island in the hands of some good for nothings and just disappears off home. It didn't seem terribly consistent behaviour. It's certainly a book I am glad I have finally read, but I'm not sure it is one I will return to repeatedly.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5I tried to read this when I was getting my Masters in English. Truly, I did. It was on a list of maybe a hundred books that I was supposed to read outside of classes and be prepared to talk about in an oral exam... and it was the only one I began, and simply couldn't finish. I got to page 26 before I gave up.This year, I decided to try it again. After all, back when I tried it the first time, I was stressed and rushed, and surely some book or another would test my patience, so it had to be better than I'd thought back then. Right? Well, um, yeah... not really.I understand this is a classic, and I even understand why. I'm glad to be able to say that I finally finished it. But that's about all I can say. This was a dry read, and one that I had a hard time getting through. Sprinkles of action didn't make up for the non-action or the style of the book, and although I rather like the idea of the story and wanted to enjoy this, I just couldn't. Unless you have to read it, I probably wouldn't recommend it.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This was a classic that I'd missed reading for over five decades but determined to attempt this year. It was an enjoyable read, believable, and kept my interest throughout the tale.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Zeer onderhoudend, zelfs na 3 eeuwen. Verrassende spirituele link: vergelijking met Job (beschouwingen over de voorzienigheid). Uniek thema: de nobele wilde, zelfs de kannibalen.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I heard a lot of negative things about the story of Robinson Crusoe, so when I decided to pick up the book I had my doubts. I have to say, I found the book engaging and the story thoroughly interesting. I loved everything about the book right up until the ending. I felt as though Defoe rushed the end and took away everything we enjoyed from the Robinson's island adventure.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Timeless classic!
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5I have vague memories of reading a Classics Illustrated or other adapted version of this as a child. Whatever version that was, it was more entertaining. Beyond that value, this is one of the best examples I've encountered of what criticism of the canon is all about, viz., having a dismissive, patronizing attitude of anything not English or reflective of Defoe's values.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Zeer onderhoudend, zelfs na 3 eeuwen. Verrassende spirituele link: vergelijking met Job (beschouwingen over de voorzienigheid). Uniek thema: de nobele wilde, zelfs de kannibalen.
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5I don't think I've ever disliked a book more in my life.
Robinson Crusoe is basically the literary equivalent of stale bread. IT'S SO DAMN DULL, and PAAAINFULLY BORING (at least stale bread still has some nutritional value). I hated it. I hated it with the fiery passion of a thousand suns.
I never want to hear of this book ever again. - Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5After the main character in THE MOONSTONE mentioned this as his Bible so frequently, I decided to re-read itsince little remained in my memory except the title. While it may be a "Classic," it is mostly that only in the telling of surviving against great odds.When Robinson ends up being the only survivor of a shipwreck (whose direction he insisted onand for which he feels no guilt), readers are drawn into his methods.The moral dilemma is that he is an unrepentant slave owner who was "...bound to the coast of Guinea, for negroes."Thus, while his ideas are ingenious, we keep hoping that the tons of Bible reading and spiritual conversions he drones on about willbring an awareness or compassion for his fellow humans. This never happens despite the eventual master/servant friendship with darker skinned Friday and that Robinson spent two yearshimself as a slave of the Moors.His senseless killing of many wild animals not for food also makes this less than compelling reading for anyone who cares about animals.And, what happened to Friday's dad?
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I think if someone cleared this of about 95% of the religious/"moral" drivel, it would be a decent story. As it is, much of it is bogged down by his droning on about that. But the story itself was fairly interesting. Not really recommended unless you're simply a fan of the old classics, and/or like having that sort of thing shoved endlessly down your throat.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5When I started this book, I was expecting a story about survival. I expected to hear about wild adventures and man vs. nature. I got a little of that. But, mostly I got a whiny narrator who complained bitterly about how lonely he was and how he wanted a companion. Turns out, he really just wanted a servant. I couldn't get into the story at all, I didn't like the main character (not even enough to feel a little sorry for him) and I really wasn't impressed by the ending. This was a slight disappointment for me.
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5To say I hated this book is probably the understatement of the century. In fact, I'm only halfway through the book after six years! I just can't seem to bring myself to buckle down and finish it mainly because the main character is a whiny pompous ass who is just plain dislikeable. I should probably donate this book, but there is still this little part of me that insists on finishing it, although that will most likely never happen.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The legend of Robinson Crusoe and his Man Friday are elaborated in the novel and one can understand the appeal. The audiobook is also nicely done.
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Terrible classic. Don't bother.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5One of the best young adult books ever written. Deserted islands and shipwrecks started with Dafoe.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5My childhood library included an abridged version of Robinson Crusoe. It was one of my favorites, and I read it several times. When this unabridged version arrived from the Easton Press, I happily settled in to enjoy it again. I don't know what changed - my level of understanding, or the additional material not included in the version I had previously read - but I found the religious material to be slow going.
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5A man with wanderlust encounters a series of escalating misfortunes.1/4 (Bad).I gave up after 40 pages. I haven't even gotten to the really racist stuff yet (I suspect), but already the attitude towards slavery is too much. The style is readable but uniformly void of personality, and it's pretty clear how the story is going to unfold, so I'm confident that I'm not missing anything.(Aug. 2022)
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Unreadable prose (37 semicolons in a single sentence!) and a self-satisfied narrator make for a very unlikeable book. Defoe was a sexist, racist, colonialist pig, and this book reflects little more than his own crazed view of the world. It's a useful historical document, of course.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5It's a classic; how could I not give it 5 stars. I was delighted to discover how very readable the book is despite the language of early 1700s. Also surprised that the two main themes of the book are mechanical and spiritual. Mechanical, in the sense that there is a lot of practical detail about how Crusoe creates a living from the bits and pieces he rescues from the wrecked ship. And spiritual, in his struggles to come to terms with life alone (until near the end) on an island (not desert, btw) and how considers his relationship with God under the circumstances. Doubtless one of today's editors would have asked for a rewrite to reduce the book in half, but the rambling detail is part of its classic charm. Read slowly and it's easy to be with Crusoe for a LONG time.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Robinson Crusoe starts off whiney. And moany. And oh-woe-is-me, and why did I do that?
This is spoiler-ish.
Then he spends 20-odd years alone on a not-desert island. He learns to be alone--except for pets, and a parrot who he teaches to talk, and God. Because of course he finds God and starts studying the bible. It was all downhill from here.
From whiney guy he becomes the King. Because of course a native man will be his servant! And of course his servan'ts father and the random Spanish guy will serve him too! And then he becomes the Governor, because of course those who survive a mutiny on their ship will want Robinson to be their boss! And hey, he'll just eave the Spanish behind!
I was going to recommend this for a friend's 5th grade daughter--she reads like crazy, and would love the way he builds his life on the island. But then the servant bossy governor bits come in. Meh. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sure, it's not for everyone, but what book is? I've read it many times. It's a great book, especially after a tough week or month surrounded by traffic, computers, and smog. Then I just want to be Robinson on my own private island, building, inventing, and slowly going happily mad!
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Started out quite interesting - then made the mistake of reading the historical basis for the story before finishing (Selkirk's Island). With the illusion shattered, I couldn't get back to the adventure with any gusto. :(
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5i so longed for my own deserted island after reading this
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Four stars on the strength of it's historical/classical significance...I read an abbreviated version as a young boy....enjoyed it much then...I thank I liked the adventure story of a very competent person...in this reading Defoe's religious themes were more in site...took a long time to get through.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Its account of a man's industry and occasionally outright boredom in the face of trying circumstances is inspiring and classic.Honestly, if you dig too deep, there are a lot of uncomfortable themes about race, gender, and religion that might tarnish any fond childhood memories you have (I recommend the excellent essay "Robinson Crusoe and the Ethnic Sidekick").To summarize, it's about a man who uses and possesses everything and everyone he sees. You can draw a lot of conclusions about sexism, white supremacy, and capitalism and you really wouldn't be too far off base.While it's good to keep this in mind, you should also keep in mind that it's over three hundred years old. Not that this makes any of the enclosed sentiments any less awful, but the prevailing ideas of the time should at least be taken into account.