The Beach of Falesa [Paperback]

Robert Louis Stevenson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2006 | ISBN-10: 1598187643 | ISBN-13: 978-1598187649

"What did he die of?" I inquired.

"Some kind of sickness," says the captain. "It appears it took him sudden. Seems he got up in the night, and filled up on Pain Killer and Kennedy's Discovery. No go -- he was booked beyond Kennedy. Then he had tried to open a case of gin. No go again -- not strong enough. Then he must have turned to and run out on the veranda, and capsized over the rail. When they found him, the next day, he was clean crazy -- carried on all the time about somebody watering his copra. Poor John!"

"Was it thought to be the island?" I asked.

"Well, it was thought to be the island, or the trouble, or something," he replied. . . .

Editorial Reviews

Review

Long story by Robert Louis Stevenson, first published as "Uma" in 1892 and collected in Island Nights' Entertainments (1893). An adventure romance fused with realism, it depicts a man's struggle to maintain his decency in the face of uncivilized hostility. John Wiltshire, the story's narrator and protagonist, is a white trader on the exotic island of Falesa in the South Seas. He is befriended by Case, a fellow trader who persuades him to marry the native Uma. When Wiltshire does so, the natives ostracize the couple. Gradually Wiltshire learns that Case has subdued the natives by manipulating their fears of the supernatural. Wiltshire exposes Case as a fraud and kills him in self-defense. -- The Merriam-Webster Encylopedia of Literature --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

British, essayist, novelist and poet Stevenson sparkled for his novels of exploration and exciting journeys. He contributed many essays, tales and fantasies to various journals and magazines. All his works show consistency of style that is assiduously graceful. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 108 pages
• Publisher: Aegypan (February 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1598187643
• ISBN-13: 978-1598187649
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,031,630 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #85 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( S ) > Stevenson, Robert Louis

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunningly brilliant portrail of Island Life & Prejudice., March 26, 1999

By 

Paul F. Watson ([e-mail]) (Rota in the Marianas Islands) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Beach of Falesa (Sp 194) (Paperback)

Probably Robert Luis Stevenson's most brillient work. A sensitive probeing of race relations in a turn of the century setting involving an English Trader and a beautiful island girl.

An interesting story, a sensitive love story and an exploration of what is best and what is worst in humanity. This piercing examination is as important today as when Stevenson wrote it.

One can easily understand why he did not want it published in his lifetime.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stevenson's lesser known classic of imperialism in the South Pacific, March 29, 2008

By 

Chris Greenwood "Tree" (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Beach of Falesa (Sp 194) (Paperback)

In this little known story by Robert Louis Stevenson, a trader gets stationed on a small island in the South Pacific, but he immediately has trouble establishing himself as a taboo has been placed on him by the natives. The story brilliantly portrays how any foreigner be he white, black, or Asian holds superiority over the natives. Such relations between races on an isolated island were normal during imperialism but are shocking now. For example, the main character has free choice of any native girl to be his wife. Stevenson honestly portrays imperialism's influence on the island while also exploring the beliefs of the natives and how they can be easily manipulated. This was a great page-turner, one of those rare ones that left me thinking about it months later.