Book World: Robert Louis Stevenson s adventure tale is a timely novel about politics and dissent
Michael Dirda, The Washington Post
Jan. 20, 2021
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Robert Louis Stevenson s Kidnapped appeared in 1886, the same year as The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and just three years after Treasure Island. According to The Oxford Companion to Children s Literature, it is one of the most brilliant adventure stories of all times - and that s no exaggeration. Yet Kidnapped is also more than just exciting and more than just a kids book; it s a thoughtful novel about politics and dissent, rich in moral complexity, and, for a reader in 2021, weirdly contemporary at times. It s also beautifully written, the occasional Scots word or phrase contributing to its peaty flavor.