Silver: Return to Treasure Island

I really enjoyed David Tennant's reading of this audiobook, he injected a real sense of adventure,and wonderful characterisation. The cameo from Long John Silver is a welcome addition, and ties this sequel to it's predecessor, promising similar excitement. The main protagonist of the book, Jim, is not, in himself, terribly interesting, but it is his stories, and his relationships with others, particularly Natty, that makes you care about his journey, though perhaps their burgeoning romance is not totally necessary to enhance this story of rogues and treasure. The language of the novel, as one would expect from a former poet-laureate, is fluid and pleasing on the ear, especially from Tennant's tongue, and Motion's overall style is totally in-keeping with the 19th century fiction from which it comes, this might mean that the action doesn't come thick and fast enough for some, but I loved the time taken to conjure the atmosphere and paint a vivid picture.

The story started with great descriptive style. Having not read treasure island, I could imagine this would have been its style. The build up was fabulous, the story felt it was building and building. However the heart of the story was missing. Key characters died with whimpers. The end was dreadful, it made no point other than, life is cruel, unjust and pointless, give up and die before its too late. Of course David Tennant was an excellent narrator.

Several people have argued that Robert Lewis Stephenson always intended to continue the story of Treasure Island, and here Andrew Motion, previously the UK poet laureate, writes a gripping sequel to the classic tale. Although it is a continuation, beginning with Long John Silver proposing that Jim and Natty return to Treasure Island to recover the abandoned treasure, this is also very much a story in its own right and I actually enjoyed it more than the original. I should also note that David Tennant is, as always, a superb narrator, giving each character an individual voice and really bringing them to life.

I thoroughly enjoyed returning to Treasure Island. It is beautifully read by David Tennant. Recommended if you enjoyed the original.

Really good and east to listen to story. Fabulously read by David Tennant. Dogs had longer walks than normal ----- just had to keep listening!!