Two very different books, but each with an entrancing tale to tell and a healthy dose of action. Kidnapped, the more famous of the two, chronicles David Balfour's adventures on sea and across Scotland as he tries to reclaim his inheritance from a treacherous uncle. The sequel, Catriona, sees David entangled in a corrupt Scottish legal system and falling in love with the daughter of a Highland scoundrel.These novels were very personal to Stevenson (one of his family names is Balfour), and in them he tried to pour all the art of his storytelling, plus all the authentic Scots dialogue he could muster. The Scots dialogue is what really hampers these stories and makes them inaccessible to all but the doggedly devoted. After awhile, it does start to get a little more natural, and a bit entrancing, but it takes work. Make sure your edition has a glossary in the back - muckle guid will't do ye.
Kidnapped is chock full of colorful characters and incidents - the aforementioned treacherous uncle, drunken slave traders, Scottish feuds, and the unlikely friendship between David and the bold Highland rebel Alan Breck Stewart. Set in the 1750s, shortly after the Scottish Jacobite rebellion, a lot of the action relates to (or is taken right out of) history, and Alan and David must flee from peril to peril through an oppressed and brutal country. Perhaps the best scene is David's sojourn on the tide island after the shipwreck - a grim survival story intertwines with philosophy to present a striking picture of the deadly trap ignorance can become.
As good as Kidnapped is, it suffers from an abrupt ending that leaves poor Alan hiding in the woods. Catriona picks up right where Kidnapped left off, but almost immediately marks itself as a different book entirely, more concerned with the dangers of civilized Edinburgh than the wild Highlands. As David seeks to help Alan escape to France and provide eyewitness testimony to clear the name of Alan's relative, he finds himself once again in danger, but this time from people (including the crown's officials) who would suppress his evidence. In the midst of all this, David meets Catriona, a beautiful Highland girl seeking her father's release. Their story is simple, honest, and refreshing, with the perfect balance of romantic tension, youthful misunderstandings, and moments of pure beauty that bloom into lifelong love. The second half of the book is one of the most perfectly written love stories around, in my opinion. Highly recommended.
Arbitrary rating: 4.5 out of 5 bold Highland rebels
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