Oh, Long John Silver is the quintessential pirate isn't he?! I *loved* the way that
Robert Louis Stevenson drew this character, and he has to be one of the greatest characters in literature, period. Alternately deceitful, honest, terrifying, charming, loyal, disloyal, selfish, selfless, good, and evil, Stevenson's John Silver is the chameleon that I would think a pirate would have to be in order to survive, let alone in order to conquer. Silver has ruined me for all other pirate characters--he's perfect.
There were so many points in Treasure Island that I thought were great, exciting, action-packed moments. And then there were moments that were deadly dull (although there weren't too many of these), and overall, I find myself wondering exactly how it is that I never read this book before now!
This particular audio book was narrated by
Alfred Molina and his reading was outstanding! His reading made this book come alive, and I really do wonder if I'd have enjoyed Treasure Island as much without Molina's narration. He just did an exquisite job! I've never found a narrator as outstanding as
Barbara Rosenblatt, but Molina is certainly right below her, in my opinon. Wonderful story, wonderful characters, wonderful narrator!