The Master of Ballantrae

A novel of adventure and action on one level; a novel of psychological terror on another. Stevenson structures his narrative around themes of family pride, rivalry between brothers, and psychotic dominance whose power eventually destroys everyone.
The story of the Durie family is "framed" in the discovery of a hundred-year old manuscript written by the narrator, Ephriam Mackellar. A feud between the two Durie brothers: James, the elder and the Master of Ballantrea, and Henry, the younger, his pawn, span the period of history of the Scottish rebellion and battle of Culloden to the early settlement in the New World. The Master, supporter of the losing side in the rebellion and reported killed,actually escapes. Henry, not aware that his show more brother still lives, succeeds to the title, the estate and his brother's betrothed, Alison Graeme. The Master returns, to the surprise of his family, and proceeds to squander all the money he can get from the estate.
A third level of the narrative twines within this action, through the discovery of papers written by a fellow soldier of the Master, who related their adventures after fleeing from Culloden
(captured by pirates and becomming pirates themselves, acquiring and hiding treasure, committing a series of murders evidently for gain as well as for the fun of it).
Meanwhile the psychological "cat and mouse" game between James and Henry reaches flash point when Henry realizes that the evil James is planning to corrupt Henry's son as well as seduce his wife. They fight a duel. James is killed but his body mysteriously disappears before the family can establish his actual death.
Eventually James reappears, alive and well, at Ballantrea and the family decides to flee secretly to America. James discovers their new home and follows them. Meanwhile there is a political attempt (though feeble) to reinstate James as true Master of Ballantrae in England which causes Henry to loose his reason. The eventual show-down between the two brothers results in one of the worst fates of an evil-doer in literature. Let me just say that the "cat and mouse" game intensifies, the hidden treasure (real or imaginary) spurs horrific consequences to the searchers and James pays the price.
Power and control over others through psychological intimidation winds throughout the narrative. Vital pieces of information are witheld at crucial points from crucial characters and there is uncertainty of the reliability of certain narrators. Stevenson places the reader in the delicious position of sorting out what exactly is happening and attemping to determine the how and why of James and Henry's actions. The Master of Ballantrae will keep you thinking long after you finish the novel. show less

I've been reading Joseph McElroy's massive, & I'm happy to say: quite substantial, "Women and Men" & I needed to take a break for something easier. Enter "The Master of Ballantrae". I read Stevenson's "Treasure Island", "Kidnapped", "A Child's Garden of Verses", &, probably, "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" when I was a kid. I reread "Jekyll" recently. SO, reading another Stevenson was like returning to my childhood somewhat for me.

I don't have the slightest idea what Stevenson's politics were so I'll try not to read any intentions of his into this beyond entertainment. Nonetheless, this story is rife w/ class implications - even if they weren't necessarily intended by the author.

p. 33:

"It has often been commented on, how much better show more gentlemen of birth endure fatique than persons of the rabble; so that walking officers, who must tramp in the dirt beside their men, shame them by their constancy. This was well to be observed in the present instance; for here were Ballantrae & I , two gentlemen of the highest breeding, on the one hand; and on the other, Grady, a common mariner and a man nearly a giant in physical strength. The case of Dutton is not in point, for I confess he did as well as any of us. But as for Grady, he began early to lament his case [..]"

Now this is being written from the perspective of one of the 'gentlemen'. Of course, both 'gentlemen' are unscrupulous murderers of the 1st order & such things as what food the 'gentlemen' eat & what the mariners eat, who had to do the most exhausting work & how often, etc, goes unexamined. It's hard to say whether Stevenson is making a wry commentary on classist justification for upper-class barbarism or not. Whatever the case, one of the 'gentlemen' murders Dutton on the next page.

Later, in the same 'gentleman''s acct, he credits the 'gentlemen''s success to be partially as a result of "Divine blessing on all our efforts." Apparently the 10 Commandments dictum of "Though Shalt Not Kill" matters not a whit. "Divine Rights" anyone?!

It was interesting to me to see certain terms used that still resonate today: "Free Traders" being smugglers in this historical context & NAFTA types in today's day & age. "Master" is used often both in a willingly subservient way & to refer to the title's character who's a thorough villain. "Desert" is used in a sense no longer exactly used today - viz: any area NOT 'DEVELOPED' by humans is a "desert". This is an historically accurate usage as I can attest: at the History Center where I work I've come across what's now Pittsburgh referred to as a "desert" by a conqueror & colonizer of the region. Today's euphemism & excuse for World Bank & IMF exploitation might be "underdeveloped nation". This latter is much trickier language.

All in all, I enjoyed this. It was a 'good yarn' as people once sd (& don't seem to say much anymore). Typical of 19th c. novels, the villain is nicely drawn & the reader is expected to both root for the protagonist & profit from the moral. I reckon I'll never get completely sick of this type of writing but I'm definitely far, far beyond it. show less

The Master of Ballantrae is not one of Stevenson's better novels but I knew that before going into it. It's been sometimes described as "masterly", and since I've rarely read any Stevenson I didn't like, I gave it a try. The psychological battle between two brothers is the sub-text of this Scott-like epic historical tale with elements of James Fenimore Cooper's Leatherstocking Tales, Treasure Island and Kidnapped. However unlike Scott and Cooper, who had nationalistic designs, Stevenson's is a darker more inward looking story of psychology. The overall effect is strange and a bit sensational (ala Woman in White). Not to my taste, but I understand Stevenson was influenced by Scott growing up and wanted ultimately to write a series of show more Scottish historical romances that would help with Scotland's independence movement. But instead he wrote Ballantrae in the middle of winter (thus "A Winter's Tale") in the Adirondack Mountains of New York on his way to the Pacific, far away from Scotland, to which he would never return. Rather than a national epic it is an odd sort of genre-bending thriller probably best read today for the psychological struggle between two brothers.

--Review by Stephen Balbach, via CoolReading (c) 2008 cc-by-nd show less

The Master of Ballantrae by Robert Louis Stevenson is a sweeping adventure story about the rivalry between two brothers that unfolds over many years and is set in Scotland and the early American wilderness. One brother is evil and one is good, but most people find the evil brother charming while the good one is solid and rather boring. When the favored son and heir, James joins Bonnie Prince Charlie at Culloden in 1745 he leaves behind his younger brother Henry, his father and his fiancee, Alison. When he is presumed dead after the defeat of the rebels, the younger brother becomes the Master of Ballantrae and marries the fiancee but is always second best with his father, his wife and his tenants. When the news is brought that the show more egotistical and abusive James is still alive the torment of the younger brother begins.

The author uses the themes of good and evil, life and death to spin a colorful tale of adventure, sorrow and revenge. This book was first published in 1889 and certainly stands the test of time as it is still a page turner. Although it can be a little over the top in terms of drama, there is plenty of action that keeps the story interesting and moving along. The Master of Ballantrae is a dark romanticized story of a divided family and the consequences of extreme hatred. show less

This is a dramatic account of a desperate rivalry between two brothers of the Scottish Durie family, James, the eponymous Master, and his younger sibling Henry. Their antipathy is sparked off when, during the 1745 rebellion of Bonnie Prince Charlie, their father decides to hedge his bets by having one son side with the rebellion and the other side with British King George II. James, despite being the eldest and the heir to his father's estates, gets to be the one to support the rebellion, but is more motivated by mischief making than political principle. He regularly returns to taunt his brother and father, considering himself abandoned when Henry inherits the title after he is believed to be dead. The struggle eventually costs their show more father his life, and the struggle transfers over the Atlantic to New York where it ends in double tragedy in the American wilderness. A good read, lacking the overall impact and colourful characters of Treasure Island, but probably a better structured novel. show less

In The Master of Ballantrae by Robert Louis Stevenson none of the characters are either appealing or likeable.

The Master is a black-hearted villain. The old Lord is weak and shows partiality to his villainous son. The youngest brother is portrayed as semi insane due to thinking he had killed his brother, whom he hated anyway. I found this madness and its cause unconvincing.

McKellor, the family servant, who narrates the story, is a self-righteous prig and an old mother hen.

The wife of the young Lord is a cipher, who marries him for convenience instead of remaining true to the Master.

The story is often confusing, as it discusses future events before apprising us, the reader, of what led up to them. Several times I had to check back to see show more if I had lost the plot, but I hadn’t. The information I needed to understand what was happening was narrated after the event. I didn’t like this style of narration.

Although the story is titled The Master of Ballantrae, he is off camera most of the story and it is rather about the effect he has on the younger brother, who, as a character is less interesting and a bit irritating. As is McKellor, his dour servant.

I have satisfied my curiosity, as I did with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Nothing I have read of Stevenson matches the incomparable Treasure Island.

Although, I dread reading it again, in case my memory has played me false and my youthful enthusiasm is betrayed by my mature critical faculties!

Perhaps I should allow the nostalgic glow to remain forever green in my memory.

The story of The Master of Ballantrae was interesting in parts and boring in parts, so three and a half shells. show less

I have lately become somewhat interested in Robert Louis Stevenson. We watched a movie called Antoinette Dans Les Cevennes (My Donkey, My Lover and I) which follows a French women trekking through the Cevennes National Park with a donkey hoping to meet up with her married lover. People do this multi-day trip because Robert Louis Stevenson wrote a book called Travels With a Donkey in the Cevennes. I haven't been able to read that book so I thought this one would do for the moment. It's also on the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die list so it counts as my first read from that list for 2022.

Supposedly this book is a memoir of the man who was the faithful steward to the Scottish family of the Duries who owned Durrisdeer and Ballantrae. In show more 1745 when Bonnie Prince Charlie returned to Scotland all of the Scottish clans were called to support him against the British. The Duries were somewhat equivocal about this call to arms as they knew if it failed the British would be merciless in punishing the families that supported the Prince. Since there were two sons, the elder, James, the Master of Ballantrae, and Henry, it was decided that one would go to ride with the Prince and one would stay home and pledge fealty to the British crown. A coin was tossed and it was James who went off with some of the estate's men to fight with Prince Charles. The final battle between the Scots and the British at Culloden was a disaster for the Prince's followers. Only one man from the estate made it home and he said that James had been killed in the battle. James was supposed to wed the old Lord's ward, Miss Alison Graeme, who was the heiress to a considerable fortune. Alison was in love with James so this match was greatly to her liking. So she was extremely grieved when word came of his death. Henry (and his father) were determined that he would marry Alison. On Henry's part he genuinely loved Alison but certainly her fortune would not go amiss. Eventually he won her assent and they were married. Shortly after an Irishman, Colonel Francis Burke, arrived at the estate, lately having been in France, where he had been in the company of James. (In fact he and James had been at Culloden and escaped together to have many adventures together, including piracy.) Burke had come to get money from the family for James who dared not set foot in Scotland himself. Over the years James demanded more funds, causing the estate to institute severe privations on the family remaining. It isn't much of a surprise that there were ill feelings on both sides and several clashes between the brothers. At last the two end up in the wilds of upper New York state for a final confrontation.

Stevenson wrote this book in that same area where the book ends. He, his wife, his mother and a stepson were there so Stevenson could be treated by a doctor who specialized in tuberculosis. The Afterward details how the Stevensons lived at Saranac Lake and their subsequent adventures which took them to the South Pacific. For a man as ill as Stevenson was he certainly managed to pack a lot into his relatively short life. show less