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72 of 73 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Original translation, May 21, 2008
This review is from: The Swiss Family Robinson (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)
The Swiss Family Robinson was initially written in German by Swiss author Johann Wyss in 1812, and then soon after an accurate English translation was completed by William Godwin in 1816. The Godwin translation remained the standard in English for a generation or two, but by the mid-19th century the number and variety of English translations began to multiply - there were no enforceable copyright laws and translators freely added episodes, changed names (and even genders) of some of the characters and cut portions of the text to conform to changing views on education and aesthetic tastes. There are probably over a dozen such variations and most who read the novel today are not reading the original (the 2007 Penguin Classics edition, edited by John Seelye, is the 1816 Godwin translation, which is the closest to the original). I have now read two: William Kingston's 1879 adaptation (one of the more common adaptations) and Godwin, and I believe the original translation of Wyss by Godwin is better. It's not abridged like most later versions so certain scenes just make more sense - for example some of the characters are more dynamic, like Ernest shows himself to be a capable bloodthirsty killer like his brothers (a scene cut from later editions to maintain his "bookish" nature) - and the theories on education are classic Rousseauian (he is mentioned twice in the narrative).
This isn't your childhood Swiss family. Godwin's 1816 translation has rarely been in print until recently - most versions floating around are some variation of Isabelle de Montolieu's 1824 French adaptation ( William H. G. Kingston's 1879 English translation of Montolieu's French adaption is probably the most common). In Montolieu/Kingston's version, the original ~400 page that Wyss wrote has been abridged to about 150 pages, with an additional 150 pages or so of new material added to the end (with an entirely different ending, new characters, etc). So if you've read Swiss family as a child, and are looking for an "unabridged" version, you may find Godwin's 1816 translation missing a lot of material - simply because Wyss never wrote it in the first place.
What version to read? I would say Montolieu/Kingston's version (and others) are more "kid friendly" mainly because the Godwin translation is from 1816 and as such uses some language that is dated and has passages that would probably be boring or not make sense without historical context. So in a way there is no "right" version since most readers for the past 150 years have not been reading the "original" anyway. I would probably recommend the Montolieu/Kingston version for juvenile readers and the Godwin version for adults - or even better, read all of Godwin plus the second half of Montolieu/Kingston which is all new material, the first half just being an abridged version of Godwin.
In the end I enjoyed the novel for what it is - a great adventure and inspiring family story. Many classic stories are challenging and interesting but not always "fun" - this one is just a great story and fun to read. It's even more fun knowing there are is a whole world of alternative versions available, with more adventures and different endings, but I'm glad to have read the original as it was written by Wyss (and his sons).
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4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Family Book!, July 1, 2010
This review is from: The Swiss Family Robinson (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)
This book is a great family book. It's about a family that has to work together to survive. Read my review about this awesome book.
This family is on a boat but there was a big storm and it drifted the boat to shore. They build a boat and loaded it with important stuff. The first thing they do was build a house. When they were hunting for food, a lobster attacked one of the kids. The dad then captured the lobster and ate it for dinner.
They found a tree that they can make a house out of. They built a bridge over lake and they traveled to the boat to pick up some animals, food, wood, and planks. They then found out that the tree was hollow and lived inside it. One day, a giant boa came and the donkey came out and got killed but one of the kids shot it.
When they were exploring to island, they found more animals and they found buffalo and they built a cage for them. But, one day they saw a english ship and then they started to row towards it.
This book I would recommned this book to anyone. This book was great. I couldn't stop reading it. If you have it, read it and if you dont have it, check it out or buy it.
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0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Eh..., July 24, 2011
This review is from: The Swiss Family Robinson (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)
This is one of those rare instances in which the movie based on the book is better than the book itself. I gave it three stars because it is a "classic" and was being nice. This book is BORING (and I typically love these "older" books). There are some parts that are interesting but for the most part it is just ridiculous. Nothing exciting happens whatsoever once they reach the island. Then on top of that we are expected to believe that some modest family that has led a relatively comfortable life manages to have such great luck once they reach a strange island? From easily hunting, gathering and growing their foods to taming even the wildest of beasts? I know this is just a story but come on! Everything was relatively easy for them. Yes, there were a "few" challenges but they weren't that exciting. It would have been much better if the author had thrown some more excitement in there.
Needless to say, I was rather disappointed.
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