The Swiss Family Robinson (1812)

Copied from the 'description' page regarding this book: "Swept off course by a raging storm, a Swiss pastor, his wife, and their four young sons are shipwrecked on an uncharted tropical island. Thus begins the classic story of survival and adventure that has fired the imaginations of readers since it first appeared in 1812. With optimism and boundless enthusiasm, the Robinson family undertakes the extraordinary task of constructing a home for themselves and exploring the primitive island filled with strange and beautiful creatures and exotic fruits and plants."

I liked the story line and the family, but at times the story dealt too much on the animals, their origin, the plants and their uses, etc.. Although the movie I watched of this story did not stick very close to this book, I liked it better. ( )

Good over all story but the book drags in places and children have trouble relating to the characters. ( )

Misogynistic drivel.

Father knows all. About everything. Animals, plants, trees; how to build, cook, grow, and make things he remembers reading about in some book some time ago. Mother cooks, and cleans, and is incredibly strong and clever for someone who needs so much protection. Boys are clever and kill everything in sight.

When I was a kid my brother had a beautiful illustrated edition of this book. (I had Pinocchio.) I read mine, and I wanted to read his books soooo badly. These editions were beautiful, full color, thick paper. And he would not let me. And my parents backed him up, it was his book. I was willing to let him read Pinocchio. He didn't want to. He didn't read his volume either. It just sat there, making me angry. I loved the Little House books, I so wanted to read this beautiful book about the stranded family! Why didn't my mother just tell me it was drivel?

(Read on Serial Reader.) ( )

My memories of this story came from the Disney movie. So I noticed the differences. Disney reduce the number of sons to three. In the book they have 4 sons. The later half is quite different from the movie.

I was surprised by how violent the boys were toward the animals they met. How they would "punish" an animal. The father really disliked his son Ernest. Ernest was a thinker and more serious not as inclined to physical action, so the father dismissed him as lazy. It made me uncomfortable how the mother wanted then to stay with her. She dreaded her son's going off and having their own lives. ( )

I read this book when I was 8 years old and loved it. It fueled my imagination to the point that I wanted a tree house for years. Not a little wooden platform in a tree, but a real house in a tree like in this book. Upon reading it again, I was amazed to discover there were multiple living quarters for the Swiss family who are shipwrecked on an island apparently somewhere in fantasy land. I say this because of the multitude of animals they encounter on this island. Lions and tigers and bears! Oh my! And penguins, ostriches, bears, a huge boa constrictor, monkeys, baboons, onagers, kangaroos, walrus, hyenas, elephants, tapirs, jackals, gazelles, wild boars, whales, and a variety of birds including the heron, eagle, toucan, albatross, swan, cormorant...you get the idea. Hard to believe a place exists that would be home to all those species. As I read the book, I started to think it was a good thing the father in particular was shipwrecked. He's the sort of man who knows EVERYTHING about absolutely everything (the Cliff Clavin of Switzerland) and would have no doubt glazed the eyes of many unsuspecting folk of "good society". In short...I went from 5 stars to 3 stars, crushing my childhood memory. You really can't go home again. ( )