Two more Scottish-based books under my belt.
Survey books like this are challenging in that each section was short enough to be digestible and not overwhelming with detail, but then I found myself wanting more info about each monarch and what was happening at the time. For example, the infamous Gunpowder Plot early in the reign of James VI/I (the VI refers to his Scottish title, and the I to his English one) is given one line. I know there is a wealth of info on this event out there, but I do believe it warrants more than a mere mention.
Also, I would have appreciated illustrations--the cover shows a passel of Stuarts but there was no info inside about who was who. I did like the family tree and referred to it often to keep straight the many people named James, Charles, Mary, or Anne.
I also reread the wonderful adventure story, Kidnapped, by Robert Louis Stevenson. Kidnapped is actually the first book in Stevenson's David Balfour series--the second is Catriona, which I have never read and probably should.
Even though this was either my second or third reading of this book, I hadn't read it in at least 40 years and so it truly made a lot more sense this time around. I vividly remembered the first part, where 16- year-old David Balfour, newly orphaned, hears that he has family and sets out to find them. He discovers he has a miserly old uncle who, when his attempt to murder David fails, arranges for a sea captain to kidnap him and take him to the American South and sell him into slavery.
On board the ship, David is befriended by Alan Breck Stewart, a Jacobite agent (time period is shortly after the failed 1745 rising) and together they fight off the wicked sea captain and his rogues, survive shipwreck, flee through the Highlands with the British army searching for them, nearly starve, and survive all manner of dangers as they make their way towards Edinburgh and the lawyer who will restore David to his rightful place as heir of the House of Shaws! Here is a map of David's journey.
Now that I have a better understanding of the politics of the time, as well as the religious conflicts, I actually enjoyed the story so much more than when I had read it without that context.
There have been a number of film versions (1917, 1938, 1948, 1960, 1971, 1986, and 2005), none of which I've seen. I'm learning towards the 1960 Disney version, starring James McArthur as David and David Finch as Alan Breck, with a cameo by Peter O'Toole (apparently his first film role). I had a massive of crush on James McArther when I saw him in Swiss Family Robinson, so it would be fun to see him as David.
Scottish History Podcast
I've been enjoying The Scottish History Podcast. Owen Innes is a former tour guide turned podcaster. He is currently doing a series on the Scottish monarchs named James--I just listened to his latest on James IV. For me, Owen's info is at the right level--enough detail for me to get the idea of what is going on, but not so detailed that I get lost in the weeds.
Read Kidnapped decades ago. Maybe time to return to the classics.
ReplyDeleteStevenson's books are definitely fun classics!
DeleteGreat post. This makes me want tob read Stevenson, it;s been decades! That's a blast from the past on the movie. My goodness, look how young McArthur and O'Toole were!
ReplyDeleteJames McCarthur certainly did a lot of Disney movies before Hawaii 5-0, which was the main reason I watched that show back in the day!
DeleteI read Dr Jekyl and Mr Hyde years ago. I didn't love it as much as I thought I would but I later learned that Stevenson's wife tore up his first version of the manuscript. A terrible thing to do which means that he had to recreate it from memory. And so I want to give Kidnapped a try to see how Stevenson writes without having to recreate the entire book.
ReplyDeleteI was also disappointed in Dr Jekyl and Mr Hyde. I thought it dragged quite a bit. I ended up comparing it to Picture of Dorian Gray and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Here's the post, if you're interested: https://janegs.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-strange-case-of-dr-jekyll-and-mr.html
DeleteI think my favorite Stevenson is still Treasure Island, although in my latest reading of it, I found echoes of Jekyl and Hyde.
I think I remember reading that Stevenson had to rewrite part of Jekyl and Hyde. That must have been excruciating!
All things Scotland this week! Love it. :D
ReplyDeleteScotland seems to be consuming me!
DeleteIt's hard when your uncle sells you into slavery! I last listened to the lively audio of Kidnapped in 2021 ... and followed Davy onto the rocks and across the heather. I'm glad for your deep-dive into Scottish history & books. Here is my review of Davy's misfortunes ... https://www.thecuecard.com/books/go-easy-on-me/
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link to you post about Kidnapped. And I quote, "Scottish smash-up of the tales of Oliver Twist, Robinson Crusoe, and the Count of Monte Cristo..." Nailed it!
DeleteThe Disney version of Kidnapped looks familiar. I'll bet I saw it as a kid (probably right around the time that I saw Swiss Family Robinson).
ReplyDeleteIf you want to explore the gunpowder plot, I liked Faith and Treason by Antonia Fraser: https://www.joyweesemoll.com/2014/11/05/remember-remember-the-fifth-of-november-bookreview/
I might have also seen Kidnapped as a child, but it wasn't as memorable at the time as SFR (the scene with the family riding the animals is permanently embedded in my brain).
DeleteThanks for the recommendation for Faith and Treason. As a Nov 5 baby, I really ought to know more about the Gunpowder Plot than the rhyme! I just ordered it from the library :)