Cart
Your cart is empty
“Three hundred years later, does Robinson Crusoe hold up as a classic? A classic is a book that generations have found worth returning to and arguing with. Vividly written, replete with paradoxes and troubling cultural attitudes, revealing a deep strain of supernaturalism beneath its realist surface, Robinson Crusoe is just such a classic and far more than a simple adventure story for kids.”
Washington Post
Shipwrecked and cast ashore on an uninhabited island, Robinson Crusoe ingeniously carves out a solitary, primitive existence for twenty-four years. Eventually, he meets a young native whom he saves from death at the hands of cannibals. He calls him Friday and makes him his companion and servant. Crusoe and Friday share in a variety of adventures, including a fierce battle with cannibals that culminates in the heroes recapturing a mutinous ship and returning to England.
Based partly on the real-life experiences of Scottish sailor Alexander Selkirk, Defoe’s novel of human endurance in an exotic, faraway land exerts a timeless appeal and has taken its rightful place among the great works of Western civilization.
100% of listeners recommend it of readers recommend it
No one has rated or reviewed Robinson Crusoe yet. Listened to it? Would you recommend it? No one has rated or reviewed Robinson Crusoe yet. Read it? Would you recommend it?
Rate and review this book, just like in the Downpour app.
Listened to this one? Read this one?
Share what you thought and help others decide.
Sign in to write a reviewYour account can't post reviews right now.
Excellent choice of reader, John Lee brings the characters to life. The plot is easily followed, the balance of detail is superb (no rambling). The story truly is a classic with so many thought provoking concepts that listening more than once will just increase the appreciation. If there were more stories like this people wouldn't bother with television.
A wonderful literary experience, perfectly dramatized. Robin comes vividly to life through his origin, his adventures, his pragmatism, his philosophy. It's no surprise that this novel has captivated readers for some three centuries. Casaletto's dramatization of it is spot-on: forthright, unadorned, straight from the shoulder!
A lot of things have changed since 1719 and the publishing of Robinson Crusoe. Sure we can all see the immediate changes in language, technology, and connotations of racism. But this book is also the first fictional piece of work in literary context and is surprising in a lot of ways. It is extremely detailed in the minutia of daily life, much more than any fictional novel I have ever read. It is often time long winded and recounts events in a very mater of fact sort of way. There is also a long passage about God, religion, and why savages are ignorant (it is because they don't believe in the one true god guys, just in case you were wondering). It take hours to get going, but once it does feel more like a diary entry than anything else. Lucky for us the actual story is stellar and the character of RC is probably the most believable I have ever come across. It really is a great tale and is completely original both of its time, but in fiction following. The narration is top, top, top notch here and I found myself angry at the racist undertones portrayed because I truly believed John Lee was RC. "How could he believe that?!" I would fume, only to realize this is a book. And an old book at that. This is a wonderful audiobook and definitely the version to get. I don't think I would have finished it if I was reading it, but listening to it was a real treat!
3 listeners have rated this audiobook, but no one has written about it yet. Tell others what you thought.
Sign in to write a review