H. de Vere Stacpoole (1863–1951)

I have read many of the classic “ship wrecked on a desert isle” books including Swiss Family Robinson and The Coral Island but somehow I had missed The Blue Lagoon by Henry de Vere Stacpoole. I had the idea that this book was written more as a salacious look at two young people discovering sex, but in actuality, I found this to be a fascinating story of survival.

Two young cousins, Dick and Emmeline are stranded on a remote South Pacific Island. They are cared for by an elderly Irish sailor, Paddy Button, who teaches them the art of survival. Paddy dies after two years on the island when the children are about thirteen. Distraught and uncertain, they carry on without him, living well on fruits they gather and fish they catch. Another few years pass and during this time the children mature and, yes, do discover each other sexually. This is handled very discreetly and Emmeline goes on to have a baby. Meanwhile Dick’s father has never given up hope that the children are alive and continues his search for them.

Originally published in 1908, this is a short book with a lot of story packed into it. The author himself had spent time at sea in the South Pacific so his descriptions were accurate and his writing lyrical. Parts of the story were quite dated and parts required the reader the stretch his imagination (I am thinking of Emmeline giving birth), but I particularly loved the ambiguous ending. The Blue Lagoon was a very good read and deserves a place of honor on my Desert Island shelf.… (more)

If I didn’t know beforehand that this was first published in 1898, I would’ve guessed it was penned no earlier than the 1950s. Although it doesn’t feel like a modern novel, it feels ahead of its time owing to the way it’s written.

The author creates a vivid picture of what’s going on without being over-descriptive. For most of the time, we see life from the lead female character’s viewpoint, who is in no way one-dimensional.

This story is not likely to leave any reader scared out of their wits, but the tone is notably eerie for much of the time. The supernatural element involves a long-standing curse and two of the characters having flashbacks of themselves as different people living about 200 years earlier. The author manages to convey all this very well.

The first half or more of the book gripped me, and although the last few chapters were engaging, they didn’t hold me in the same way, which is why I've rated it four stars instead of five.… (more)