Kidnapped

Robert Louis Stevenson

"Kidnapped: Being Memoirs of the Adventures of David Balfour in the Year 1751: How he was Kidnapped and Cast away; his Sufferings in a Desert Isle; his Journey in the Wild Highlands; his acquaintance with Alan Breck Stewart and other notorious Highland Jacobites; with all that he Suffered at the hands of his Uncle, Ebenezer Balfour of Shaws, falsely so-called: Written by Himself and now set forth by Robert Louis Stevenson."

                                                       

The plot, though predictable by the name itself,still had me expecting some deep mystery and thrill in the course of my reading but what I found out was that the story was meant to be quite simple with no dark secrets to be given away when you reach its end. None the less it was an adventurous tale revolving around the selfless friendship of two young, brave men. It had elements such as shipwreck, murder, escape...which are described in such a way as if they are happening there and then, in front of your eyes.

The book is a first person narration by the protagonist David Balfour, a young lad in his late teens.It is easy to identify with him and appreciate his self-righteousness because he shines out as man of principles throughout.
The strong emotion of friendship between Alan and David is portrayed so well that you as a reader want them to never quarrel or part from each other.  

The best part about the book is the historical element it has to it, connected with the Jacobite Rising of 1745.

As is my habit of doing some research before putting up any review, I found out that some of the events in the book are real and were controversial at the time. I also discovered that some of the characters described are not fictional but existed in reality.
Thus I am more than convinced that the book is not a mere simple tale of adventure but also has a hint of reality attached to it, the history of which makes it all the more interesting than what pages of the book allow.

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