Robert Louis Stevenson

Kidnapped Robert Louis Stevenson

The full title of the book gives away major parts of the plot and creates the false impression that the novel is autobiographical. It is Kidnapped: Being Memoirs of the Adventures of David Balfour in the Year 1751: How he was Kidnapped and Cast away; his Sufferings in a Desert Isle; his Journey in the Wild Highlands; his acquaintance with Alan Breck Stewart and other notorious Highland Jacobites; with all that he Suffered at the hands of his Uncle, Ebenezer Balfour of Shaws, falsely so-called: Written by Himself and now set forth by Robert Louis Stevenson. "Kidnapped" is a wonderful historical fiction, fascinating study of the Scottish character, 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. 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. 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. 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. David is a honest 17-year-old who heads out on his own after his father dies. His mother had died earlier. David is unaware that he is heir to an estate, the House of Shaws. Although David is a Lowland Scot, he could be any boy anywhere embarking on a journey from youth to manhood. David 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.