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Master of Ballantrae
Robert Louis Stevenson
Book Overview:
Heir to a noble Scottish house in the mid 18th century, the Master is a charming, clever, and resourceful villain whose daring but ill-advised schemes first alienate his patrimony and at last cost him his life. His younger brother, sweet-tempered and good but dull and unpopular, suffers at the Master's hands until his patience and courage win him limited ascendancy, but he is at last consumed with hatred and driven to madness and death by the strain of his many sufferings. The story is told from the point of view of a loyal servant with the occasional insertion of documents in the words of other eye-witnesses. The episodic plot, although exciting, serves mainly as a structure on which to hang superb character studies. The Master, whom one both admires and hates, bears comparison with Long John Silver, not to mention Milton's Satan, to whom the narrator explicitly likens him. The secondary characters—narrator, father, and wife—are deftly characterized, and (with the exception of the two children) even the minor characters are vivid and memorable.
Heir to a noble Scottish house in the mid 18th century, the Master is a charming, clever, and resourceful villain whose daring but ill-advised schemes first alienate his patrimony and at last cost him his life. His younger brother, sweet-tempered and good but dull and unpopular, suffers at the Master's hands until his patience and courage win him limited ascendancy, but he is at last consumed with hatred and driven to madness and death by the strain of his many sufferings. The story is told from the point of view of a loyal servant with the occasional insertion of documents in the words of other eye-witnesses. The episodic plot, although exciting, serves mainly as a structure on which to hang superb character studies. The Master, whom one both admires and hates, bears comparison with Long John Silver, not to mention Milton's Satan, to whom the narrator explicitly likens him. The secondary characters—narrator, father, and wife—are deftly characterized, and (with the exception of the two children) even the minor characters are vivid and memorable.
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I could not help laughing at this; though I still forewarned him what would come of it.
“The devil may come of it for what I care,” says the reckless fellow. “I have always done exactly as I felt inclined.”
As is well known, my prediction came true. The captain had no sooner heard the news than he cut his cable and to sea again; and before morning broke, we were in the Great Minch.
The ship was very old; and the skipper, although the most honest of men (and Irish too), was one of the least capable. The wind blew very boisterous, and the sea raged extremely. All that day we had little heart whether to eat or drink; went early to rest in some concern of mind; and (as if to give us a lesson) in the night the wind chopped suddenly into the north-ea. . . Read More
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Community Reviews
This is the second time I read the Master of Ballantrae, and I remembered not loving it the first time around; however, as we mature, things change. I am not disappointed that I read this novel. In fact, I’m quite happy at rediscovering this gem that I hope to revisit sometime in the future, includi
La storia di una feroce battaglia tra due fratelli, che dura tutta una vita.
Stevenson era davvero uno scrittore eccezionale: la lettura di questo romanzo è coinvolgente dall'inizio alla fine, sia nelle parti avventurose che in quelle relativamente più "calme" (in realtà, anche tra le mura domestiche
★★★½
James ed Henry sono due fratelli della casata dei Durie di Durrisdeer e Ballantrae, una potente famiglia della Scozia meridionale.
L’avvio della storia vera e propria si colloca nel 1745 quando Carlo Edoardo Stuart sbarca in Scozia e, con l’aiuto dei francesi, dà inizio alla ribellione giacobita
I approached my rereading of The Master of Ballantrae with some trepidation. It was a book I adored when I was very young, and it’s always a risky business revisiting bookish old flames (like old flames of any kind.)
I’m pleased to report that the novel stood up to revisitation quite triumphantly. I