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

[loxian.livejournal.com]

this sounds great - I'm ordering it for me and Lenny (if I can find it, that is). We loved treasure Island.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

It shouldn't be hard to find. I've been reading it in an Oxford World Classics edition, where it is collected with other stories under the title South Sea Tales.

[loxian.livejournal.com]

cool. off to Amazon now.

[loxian.livejournal.com]

ordered. thanks for recommendation.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Bravo!

[suzilem.livejournal.com]

it's available for free on Kindle. :-)

[moodywho.livejournal.com]

Oh! I will read this next. Stevenson is a hero of mine.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Of course, yes, it will be...

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Mine too.

[suzilem.livejournal.com]

The Ebb-Tide [Kindle Edition], Price: $ 0.00
Sold By: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.

:-)

Got it.

[oakmouse]

Sounds excellent! I'll have the DH hunt it up on his next trip to the college library, which has an amazing array of literature form Stevenson's era.

Reading Prince Otto right now, BTW. Wow, is that one interesting. Have you read it?

[sovay]

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.

Okay, that sounds ridiculously fun. Evidently I've never heard of it, but I don't know why.

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

Sounds great! I'll have to check it out!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

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

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I really don't know why it's not better known- or why it's never been filmed. Sometimes I think literary reputation is a lottery.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

You'll not regret 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.