There's a strange feeling when you're reading classics like this that you've read it all before. So much culture is based on being marooned on a treasure island. ( )

A fictional autobiography of Robinson Crusoe, who is stranded on a deserted island for 28 years, telling his tale of encountering cannibals, Native Americans, captives and other foreigners before his rescue. It gives you a false reality that this man was real. Further digging shows it may have been influenced by the life of Alexander Selkirk who lived four years on island near Chile.

After watching the premiere of Lost after almost a year, it was interesting finishing up this story about a castaway since all the members of Lost are on an island waiting to be saved.

I really enjoyed this story. Defoe does an amazing job of keeping he readers attention despite the fact that most of the story has no dialogue. Which then reminds me of Castaway.

Robinson Crusoe is the original 'deserted on an island' story. It has everything you could hope for, except perhaps the beautiful island princess. Crusoe seems from the start to be doomed for misfortune. He says it himself, that after his first disaster at sea when his ship sinks in a storm, that he should have headed straight back to his parent's home and perused another way of life.

But something drove Crusoe to the sea. His misadventures had only begun with the sinking of his first ship. HE finds himself taken captive and serves several years as a slave. When he finally escapes it seems that Crusoe's troubles are over. He sails to Brazil with his savoir of a captain. The captain takes Crusoe under his wing and helps Crusoe establish himself and learn the ways of trade and life in the Brazils. Crusoe is able to build a life for himself and amasses a fine amount of land and wealth.

He is unable, however, to resist the opportunity to make even more money in the slave trade. It is on this expedition that Crusoe is famously ship wrecked and begins his 27 year stay on the island. The majority of the story tells of his industrious life on the island, making caves and groves of trees respectable habitations, as well as many adventures in exploring island. It is on one of these explorations that after 20 years on the island Crusoe discovers he is not the only human to use the island. In fact, the island is used by none other than cannibals from the mainland! Many adventures ensue from this discovery.

Ultimately, through a delightful twist of fate, Crusoe is able to save a captain's life (just a captain had saved his so many years ago) and return to his old way of life. Though there is not much in the way of dialogue, this book keeps a pleasant pace and engages the imagination of the reader. ( )

This novel is so good and such a bulwark of the proverbial canon that this series' editor's choice to modernize the language and syntax falls a bit flat. A good version for the un-initiated, though it pales in comparison to the experience of the original novel. ( )

Managed to avoid reading this before now, and I read this one round-robin style with a 12 yr old. The 12 yo's vocabulary jumped to the stratosphere reading it... and I can see why they don't teach it in high schools anymore (aside from the difficulty)--tons of religious fervor and winding timelines. Still, classic for a reason. Certainly an early novel and without what we accept as conventions associated with that genre. A good read if only to examine the evolution of the novel form. The dragged out ending was quite unexpected. ( )