The Ebb Tide: R.L. Stevenson

[poliphilo]

Three beach bums are given charge of a ship which- for very good reasons- no-one-else wants;  they steal her, drink most of the cargo and wind up on a magical island presided over by a gun toting gentleman missionary.  Funny, insanely exciting, psychologically penetrating  (Stevenson is awfully good at the fluidity of human relationships)- with echoes of The Tempest and a final show-down between a man with a flask of vitriol and a man with a Winchester rifle that is worthy of Sergio Leone:  what more can you want from a book? You liked Long John Silver, you'll love the appalling Attwater!  Why this masterpiece by a classic author has been sidelined is beyond me. It's terrific. 

Comments

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

No, That's one I haven't read. I'll look into it.

[oakmouse]

It's fascinating: the story of a revolution in a tin-pot German principality, mostly from the viewpoint of the prince who's about to be deposed. His wife, the charismatic foreign-born cabinet minister whom everyone thinks is her lover, and the countess who is the minister's actual lover (and in love with the prince) are other important characters. RLS does a nice, careful little dance around the scandal of the Princess Caroline Matilda of Denmark, which is clearly the basis for the story.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

It seems a long way removed from Stevenson's usual concerns. Anyway, you've got me hooked. I'll go looking for it once I've finished The Wrecker.

[oakmouse]

It's very unlike anything else of his that I've read. The ending is a bit weak, but it's a fascinating little portrait of court intrigue, it is.