Found on the thrift shop bookshelf, this is a great adventure book for boys, written in Scotland in 1858. It’s a mix between Robinson Crusoe and Swiss Family Robinson. Three teenage boys are marooned on a South Pacific island where they encounter sharks, storms, pirates, and cannibals. 12-year-old Josh and I enjoyed reading this adventure story together. However, I wouldn’t recommend the book for younger children, because cannibals can be (and were) brutally violent. According to Wikipedia, “It was the inspiration for William Golding's dystopian novel Lord of the Flies (1954), which inverted the morality of The Coral Island; in Ballantyne's story the children encounter evil, but in Lord of the Flies evil is within them."I enjoyed the preachy quotes:"THERE is a power of endurance in human beings, both in their bodies and in their minds, which, I have often thought, seems to be wonderfully adapted and exactly proportioned to the circumstances in which individuals may happen to be placed—a power which, in most cases, is sufficient to carry a man through and over every obstacle that may happen to be thrown in his path through life, no matter how high or how steep the mountain may be, but which often forsakes him the moment the summit is gained, the point of difficulty passed, and leaves him prostrated, with energies gone, nerves unstrung, and a feeling of incapacity pervading the entire frame that renders the most trifling effort almost impossible." (chapter 27)"we were a very insufficient crew for such a vessel, and if any one had proposed to us to make such a voyage in it before we had been forced to go through so many hardships from necessity, we would have turned away with pity from the individual making such proposal as from a madman. I pondered this a good deal, and at last concluded that men do not know how much they are capable of doing till they try, and that we should never give way to despair in any undertaking, however difficult it may seem—always supposing, however, that our cause is a good one, and that we can ask the Divine blessing on it." (chapter 30)"I grant you that when we've once resolved to act, and have made up our minds what to do, we should think no more of danger. But before we have so resolved it behoves us to look it straight in the face, and examine into it, and walk round it; for if we flinch at a distant view, we're sure to run away when the danger is near." (chapter 30)
I give it 3.5 stars. I read this book as a child and liked it; i read it again a little older and i really like it. The characterisations of Ralph, Peterkin and Jack are lovely. It's wonderful how they all get along and are so innovative and energetic, as young (?) boys are. I liked the first half of the book best, where they set up camp and show their enterprising skills. It reminds me a lot of the, alas, long-lost and long-loved Swiss Family Robinson. (I WILL buy it again someday) Frankly, it was really cool. All those dreams of being shipwrecked on a beautiful tropical island just come to life here.The second half of the book, dealing with natives and pirates, was a bit of a let down after the marvelous first half. No doubt it was exciting and more adventuresome in the traditional sense, but it lacked the fun and easy-going-ness of the first half. Perhaps if they had been combined somewhat instead of being rather ridiculously obviously separated, it would have been alright. It would probably have even gone well, since the first half tended to get just a little bit slow at times. As such, however, the contrast is slightly annoying and a bit jarring in fact.In the end, it was a nice book. If you don't enjoy this sort of genre (swashbuckling in a sense, though more of an almost-childish fantasy) then you might want to skip it.
Do You like book The Coral Island (2015)?
I went to primary school at four and a half, into Mrs. Whitcombe's class. Everything was miniature, including Mrs. Whitcombe who was a little person. We sat on our little chairs at our little desks and got out our little books. Janet and John. It was quite glorious except that I had read the whole year's Janet and John primers by morning break (a very little bottle of milk and a digestive biscuit). The only other books in the classroom were Treasure Island, Swiss Family Robinson and Coral Island. So for the rest of the term while all the other little children were learning to read, I was immersed in tales of the far away. Far, far away from the little Welsh village I lived in into a big, big world full of treasures and exploration. I was hooked on reading from then on.
—Petra X
Well, some aspects of the writing was interesting- very full of character. I was originally interested in this book because apparently, lord of the flies was based off of it and I can see that in some ways but the two are....not alike in any way that I found important. It's an adventure story, much more geared toward young men who dream of such things. I found it dry and unbelievable. I really don't believe that three teenaged english sailor boys could fight off a small tribe of full grown male islanders- i just don't.The story seems to go a thousand ways, starting off with the three being shipwrecked then exploring then discovering native islanders, being kidnapped by pirates then by said islanders, saving a lovely damsel in distress and ugh it just keeps going. Also, the portrayal of missionaries in the Pacific's was disgustingly pleasant though given the time it was written I know I can't expect anything less but glowing reviews. I don't know, if you REALLY like Treasure Island (the novel) give it a shot.
—Teresa
It’s interesting to read books that were written a long time ago; the writing style is so obviously different from what is produced today, that it’s no wonder people sometimes have a tough time getting into an older novel. While I didn’t have a hard time getting in to R.M. Ballantyne’s The Coral Island, the writing style was pretty different and a little preachy by the end.Ralph, Jack and Peterkin (yes, really) are ship’s boys on a British sailing vessel when they are marooned on an island in the South Pacific after a storm. Luckily for them, the island has pretty much everything they need to stay alive and things go well for them; they have several exciting adventures, including one where they meet penguins, and they have a grand time. But once a group of natives lands on their island, the whole story goes down hill. The natives fight each other, and then sail away again, and then there are pirates that come to the island, and Ralph is kidnapped and taken away, but he makes it back, and it feels kind of tacked-on and it’s not as much fun as the first part. The Coral Island is definitely a part of the long line of marooned-on-a-desert-island stories that include Robinson Crusoe and Treasure Island, and while it’s not as good as either of those, the first part of the story is a lot of fun and an interesting look at entertainment in the middle of the 19th century.
—Adrienne
