Reviews for Kidnapped, Level 2, Vol. 2

The average rating for Kidnapped, Level 2, Vol. 2 based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2018-04-08 00:00:00 Michael Johnston You are seventeen Mr. David Balfour, alone in the world of 1751, in troubled Scotland, a futile bloody revolt was crushed a few years ago, by England, the parents are no more, father never spoke about his family, or the distant past , the poor, quiet introvert, a widowed school master, of the lowlands, has left his good, loving son a... Mysterious letter, (both of them had deep secrets) for you. Go from your birthplace , a small village, the only one you know, and take the message to a lawyer Mr. Rankeillor, in the frightening, huge, cosmopolitan city of Edinburgh; by foot you must travel, a two day walk. Meeting strangers good or bad on the roads...who can tell? Should you turn back, it would be so easy; or follow your late father's wishes and risk the unknown dangers. But first he arrives at the home of his Uncle Ebenezer, a person he never knew existed, that name alone for most people would give them a clue about this gentleman's character. His father's brother is a great miser, so cheap he lives like a pauper in his big mansion, uncompleted, the reason, obviously he can't spend any money, will not light a fire but in one fireplace, eats porridge and drinks a little beer the cheapest he can find. Paranoid in the extreme, his sick mind hates anybody that threatens him even if it is not true. After an unsuccessful plot to eliminate his naive nephew in the dark tower, a better one bears fruit. A sea captain named Elias Hoseason, agrees to kidnap the boy, for a nice fee, and sell him in the colonies of the Carolinas in America , they need slaves for the cotton plantations...However, plans are plans and you can not tell what the future brings, storms, reefs, fogs and the unexpected, anything is possible on a liquid surface. Alan Breck Stewart, with a sack of money is wanted by the Crown as a Scottish rebel, the only survivor of a shipwreck off the coast of Britain, caused by the less than honorable captain, picked up in a thick fog. Nevertheless, greed wins out and the crew desires the valuable coins, killing a man doesn't bother them. Mr. David, is appalled, helps the fugitive escape and he too, later in the best section of the classic novel... A long grueling crossing , the highlands of Scotland, trying to avoid capture by the Red Coats and the hangman's rope, a murder has just occurred. And Alan blamed...Such splendid adventures follow, as the two new friends flee on the rugged terrain of the north country's hills, valleys, rivers and bays, always moving, never resting, hiding in woods, the tall grass, on top of rocks, in caves, anywhere available, getting assistance from loyal relatives of Alan and his clan. A wonderful book for the young at heart, indubitably.

Review # 2 was written on 2016-11-14 00:00:00 William Davies "I have seen wicked men and fools, a great many of both, and I believe they both get paid in the end, but the fools first." We find ourselves in Bonny old Scotland - circa June 1751 - King George and the red-coats rule this empire. Following on from the Jacobite Revolution; we are introduced to an innocent teenage gentleman known as David Balfour. To initiate the narrative; David and the minister, Mr. Campbell discuss the necessity for a journey that our young hero should take following the untimely death of both his parents. He is entrusted with a letter that was written from his father's very own hand which cannot be opened until it is delivered to a certain individual = his conniving uncle who happens to be, of course; a close family member of Young Balfour. His uncle represents the Scottish House "Shaw" - the destination of the aforementioned is close to Edinburgh and so David treks as a young 18-year-old person would. Maybe even skipping across the glen in bonnie pretty spirits ay lad? Is everyone in fiction who is called Ebeneezer a scumbag? David journeys for a few days across the lowlands of Scotland including Cramond, Colinton until the sight of the Glasgow Road is in his peripheral vision. At this point, he knew he was close to the presented described destination. After these travels to start his (what would turn out to be) journey, he meets his uncle. I will not say too much but upon their meeting, after slight consideration, David realises his uncle is a slimy, sinister snake who has stolen his inheritance. After that Ebeneezer undermines David's intelligence after failing in a notorious plot to kill him - David; only because of his (soon to be but present in this tale) heroic wit - that is already bubbling below the surface - the mean uncle arranges for him to be "K1dnapped"! (Some book title on GR you have to spell wrong or it deletes them and makes reviewers look like a sausage!) This book was so amazing - that if I was to truly analyse it. I would probably write more pages than Mr. Stevenson did. I will not divulge too much into the intricacies of the story but essentially David's mean uncle sells him out - literally. David is a lord by name and paper but Ebeneezer pays pirates money to send David to Carolina to become a slave worker. On his journey on said pirate ship they impale a boat and a gentleman called Alan Breck joins the fray. That is all I will say story wise so don't worry. The journey continues. It is David's voyage away from and journey back to his rightful estate that is the "lions share" of the novel. My father is a Scottish History lecturer - so every time I mentioned a character in this book as I was reading - he would tell me how legitimate they were at being presented by Stevenson in this era as the majority were real characters/ people in this amazingly interesting but dark age. E.g. Alan Breck, James of the Glens, Red Fox, Robin Oig (Rob Roys' Son). If you read this book - your mind will flow in a Scottish accent 100%. As a non-Scottish reader - do you know what these words mean that are prevalent? If I wasn't half Scottish I may have struggled... didnae, auld, dram, ay, keek, lassie, ken, kenned, gliff, whigh etc... Following this colloquial language. It cannot get more Scottish than one amazing scene. Two gents challenge each other for a dual, but instead of deadly combat with pistols and ten steps etc... they settle on a bagpipe showdown!! There is a huge divide between the "hielands" and the lowlands. England analysed Scotland as one country at this stage but all of the Clan's saw many different countries in Scotland. In the highlands - people mostly only speak Gaelic which alienates David in their presence. The closer the south of Scotland you were... the more English you were.. does that play a part perhaps? To me, I would probably give this 3.75 stars. Not as much happens in this as Treasure Island. However; I enjoyed losing myself in the world of my forefathers. I am named after Scottish kings y'know. I will check out the film later. Love as always- James www.youandibooks.wordpress.com