Customer Reviews

The Swiss Family Robinson

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

 

 

The Swiss Family Robinson became a favorite after I read it for the first time when I was thirteen. A Swiss family is shipwrecked on their way to help begin a new colony. Everyone else being lost, they manage to escape to the neaby shore, returning to collect all the useful supplies from the ship. The father's ingenuity seems to make nearly everything possible. The story culminates with the possibility of returning to Europe, and the family deciding that their colony, New Switzerland, as they call it, is their home.

Written by a pastor, throughout the book thanks are given to God for their blessings, and His help is implored in times of danger. He is remembered in devotions and family prayer every morning, and Sundays are set apart from the rest of the week.

I enjoyed the British accent of the narrator, and will certainly listen to the CDs many times.

I played this audio book in the car for my five and eight year olds. They begged me to stop after the first chapter. The narrator uses a monotone that drones on and on (yes, he does have an English accent). The plot was potentially exciting but the presentation was very poor.

An excellent reading of the original classic. The regular pauses make it easy to stop and pick up again later.

I would agree that this audio book is not necessarily suitable for 4-8 year olds. In the first place, unless one's first language is British English, the "reader" is going to have trouble with not only the pronounced British accent but also with the arcane vocabulary. My 13-yr-old said that he loves the story but "hates the vocabulary." That hardly concerns me, as his American teenager vocabulary is barely more advanced than that of the monkeys at the zoo. :-)

I, being in my 40s, find this reading delightful. While the accent and dated vocabulary makes it a tiny bit hard to keep up with the story at times, I enjoy the brain exercise. The story - as always - is amazing. I purposefully picked this story because I am trying to subtly teach my son the values of our family heritage.

I could tell him to be inventive instead of whiney and discontent. I could tell him to thank God and look for hidden adventure and opportunities in every situation that God places him in. I could tell him that hard work, cooperation, and kindness will always win the day.

But why bother boring him with a lecture? I just turn on the CD, and he gets to "see" these values being modeled in an incredible adventure by characters of all ages. If we replaced our TV's and video games with quality life-changing stories like this one, our young people would be much happier, productive citizens.