Book Review of "Kidnapped" by Robert Louis Stevenson

This classic book by Robert Louis Stevenson begins with young David Balfour setting out to seek  his fortune. He has heard that he has rich relatives but when he arrives at the Balfour estate he finds only his miserly uncle. His uncle wants the family fortune that rightfully belongs to Davie. Unbeknownst to Davie he arranges for his nephew’s kidnapping. David soon finds himself tied hand and foot in the bottom of a ship bound for distant shores where they plan to sell David into slavery. However, when the crew allows on board a man named Alan Breck Stewart,  David’s future swiftly takes another turn. A battle, a shipwreck, and  the famous Appin murder; this is what you will find in the book’s following pages. David and Alan Breck are wrongfully accused of the murder and must “take to the heather” to escape from the hands of the King’s soldiers. Dogged by those who seek his life, will David ever gain his inheritance?

Written by the author of “Treasure Island,” this book is a must-read! Almost as soon as I started it I found it impossible to put down. Set in Scotland, this stunning piece of historical fiction weaves fact with fiction, imaginary characters with real people. For instance, while David Balfour is fictional,  Alan Breck truly lived. I think the question you must ask yourself when writing historical fiction is “What if?” What if the real Alan Breck met a boy named David Balfour? What if they were both accused of the same crime? What if….? This is how a story begins!

Inspirations 4 Writing

Settle on a favorite time-period. Research people who lived in the past and whom you admire. Now, write a story that involves these actual people and also ones that you create yourself. Write about events that really occurred and couple them with ones that exist only in your imagination. Let the fun began!