Customer Reviews

The Highwayman

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book is actually a famous poem by the prolific poet Alfred Noyes. This particular poem is about the love between an American soldier and his bride-to-be in the Revolutionary era of the 1770's. It is a graphic and sad tale of the sacrifices that people will make for true love. The central theme of the story is the British soldiers taking hostage the love of the "Highwayman." The soldiers use her as bait to draw him out so that he could be murdered. Instead of submitting herself to this mission, though, she gives up her life by shooting herself with a gun, just in time to warn her love of the danger that he was being drawn to. The rest of the story deals with the decision between protecting the life that his love sacrificed for and honoring the life of the lover that he has lost.

The illustrations utilize dark colors, shadows, and details (and lack thereof) to bring the mood of the poem to life. The words themselves also do a great job of creating the atmosphere of a tragic love affair that is destined for an unhappy ending.

While this book is a "picture" book, the themes of death, suicide, and murder prove too much for a younger audience. This poem is typically one that it is read by High School and College students, not by young readers. The poem is difficult to understand if just read casually, as it must be considered and pondered about in great detail. I would recommend it to readers who are mature enough to handle the themes of this

Although I did not read the book "Highwayman", I have read the poem from a website on the internet. I am amazed that few people have reviewed this poem. The Highwayman is one of the best poems I have ever read and is truly remarkable in that it appeals to people of all agaes. Although it may well be considered a work for children, I believe that the full impact of Noyes's imagery and the subtle messages of the poem can only be fully appreciated my the mature mind. I recommend this poem to anyone interested in history and/or historical fiction.

I originaly read this poem in a book of collected childrens stories and poems (which I am still trying to find again; there in a series of red-bound books), and to see it resurface again, from both Loreena McKennitt's song to this book, is fantastic! A wonderfull poem that has so many sides to it. I am glad I found it again and I hope you enjoy this as much as I do.

I'm a freshman in highschool and this is definately one of the best poems i have read. A lot of people haven't read or even heard of it and this surprises me a lot. This poem is very deep and I think you have to read it a couple times to really appreciate the rhyme scheme and the "plot" of the poem. I would highly suggest reading it!

This is an example of a picture book that is great to use in middle schools and high schools but the subject matter is not at all suitable for those under fifth grade. Like many I first read the poem in my seventh grade literature textbook and remember being thrilled and a little shocked. For anyone not familiar with the story it involves tragic romance, graphic death and ghostly return of spirits. The dark illustrations do an excellent job of reinforcing the melancholy mood. I hope this poem continues to be enjoyed by new readers but not until they reach age eleven.

This poem never fails to thrill me - my mother used to read is to us as kids and I did it as the poem in my matric final.

I am now a grandmother and shall read it to my grandchildren and hope that they enjoy it as much as I did, although I doubt that they shall know what a highwayman is !!

It is a classic that will never die .

Cecelia Pestana Johannesburg South Africa

The dramatic story poem "The Highwayman" has long been a favorite in narrative poetry, and justifiably so - it's exciting and memorable. The haunting illustrations in this picture book version of the poem are a perfect complement to the text - I've seen several illustrated versions, and this is definitely my favorite!

Admittedly the illustrations are interesting, dark and well done; they are just completely out of place with the original tale told by this poem.
There is no need to reinterpret the historical references in this poem into a gangster story set in New York. Cops and robbers are not King George's men, an urban landscape is NOT an inn and purple moors.
I think your own imagination does a better job conjuring up the images described in this poem. There is no need for a comic book version just because it appeals more to the mass market. The trend towards grabbing the attention of young people by shoving this kind of story out to the public in the marketplace and libraries ranks right up there to me with Shakespeare done as a graphic novel. It is an insult to their intelligence. Of course if you set low standards, students will always reach them. It is high time we raised ours.

Interesting visual interpretation of a classic. I remember being introduced to this poem in junior high (over 20 years ago!) as an example of the "anti-hero". Readers may also be interested in Loreena McKennitt's musical version of this poem on her "Book of Secrets" CD.

Noyes' famous poem, first published in 1913, tells the love story of a notorious highway robber and Rose, the beautiful daughter of an innkeeper. The time is before or during the American Revolution. The highwayman promises to come for Rose "by moonlight" after his next big robbery, but neither one knows that the half-witted stable man Tim is eavesdropping. Tim, hopelessly in love with Rose himself, betrays her to the British soldiers-"King George's men"-and they use Rose as bait to catch their quarry. They tie a musket to Rose and stand her at her window, but she works a finger just loose enough to touch the trigger of the gun. As her lover approaches on horseback, she pulls the trigger to warn him off, but sacrifices herself in doing so. When the highwayman hears of Rose's death the following morning, he commits what we would today call "suicide by cop": he charges into town brandishing his rapier and is shot "down like a dog on the highway."

Keeping's monochromatic illustrations are extremely evocative. The waves of Rose's hair are echoed in the ripples of the horse's tail and mane, the highwayman's own dark waves, and the grains of wood framing the casement window where Rose meets her lover. Through subtle shading, Keeping manages to depict "the dawning," noon, and "the tawny sunset" as seen from the window. The faces of the British soldiers are spotted and unpleasant, and the portrait of "Tim the ostler" is a study in madness and hideous jealousy. The most horrific scenes, though, are the ones that feature blood: blood and sweat pouring from Rose's arm as she struggles against her bonds to find the trigger; her death, tied upright to the bedpost, blood staining her white dress; and the death of the highwayman, lying "in his blood on the highway." Keeping's use of spatters and runs is particularly effective, and the illustrations are surprisingly gory in spite of their lack of color. After the lovers die, Keeping repeats early illustrations from the story as photographic negatives, giving the highwayman and Rose a ghostly effect in keeping with the poem. The spectral images are quite eerie indeed.