Customer Reviews

The Swiss Family Robinson (Sterling Classics)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I read this classic long ago and it left enough of an impression on me, through multiple childhood readings, that I still remember some of the lines word for word. The only problem is... they're not in here.

Now, I understand are that there are multiple translations and recensions of this work, so this COULD be an "unabridged" version of something closer to the original than what I first read - but if it is, then the original is nowhere near as charming and riveting as the version I recall. Everything here moves too quickly and simply, without suspense or detail; entire conversations are missing... and, most telling, "jumps" occur in which you think, "How did we get HERE?" This last is what makes me suspect that the "un-" was either an editor's mistake or a blatant bit of false advertising... but again, I'm no expert and don't have an "original" version to consult, nor could I read it except in an English translation anyway. Another point that makes the "unabridged" tag suspect is that some of the "lessons" are missing (i.e. Fritz getting scolded for "lying" that he brought nothing home with him, when his hands were obviously hiding something behind his back), and my understanding is that the author originally wrote this thing as one big lesson. (I may not agree with all the lessons, but why remove any part of a classic text?) The language, at least, hasn't been "dumbed down" for children (what an insult to children when we do that!), but it still reads like a simplified version of the story.

So I now own a book which I have little interest in reading, and have had to order another one... THIS time I used the "search inside this book" feature to find the exact lines I recalled from my childhood reading - and yes, I DID remember them exactly, they ARE in there. If you're curious, I looked at the scenes with Ernest classifying the agouti - "... listen to the great professor lecturing! He is going to prove that a pig is not a pig!" - and Franz objecting that "I should not much like to taste glue soup" - both in chapter 1, easy to find, and in this version completely missing. If, like me, you recall a richer version of the tale, try ISBN 0440415942.

That said, it's a nice solid hardcover edition with a ribbon bookmark. 1 star for a nice physical presentation. Now maybe I can find someone to pawn it off on.

I bought three of the Classic Start books, Swiss Family Robinson being one. After reading all three (SFR, Treasure Island, and Tom Sawyer) with my young child (age 6) I was so disappointed at the lack of "meat" in the story, the prose so altered because so much of it was simply deleted that the stories -- in all three cases -- were very flat. I bought these books to read to my child because of the excellence in writing of the originals. In the "Retold" versions in the Classic Start Series, there is no breadth of vocabulary, it being so watered down that it left me sorry I had spent the money. To shorten the stories, so many details are left out that the stories just aren't the same and much of the meatier vocabulary is gone.

If your intent is to widen your child's vocabulary by exposing them to good writing and lyrical prose, do not opt for the "retold," condensed versions of these classic stories. Get the originals and read every word. They will get the meaning from the context and will be enriched. I cannot say the same for the Classic Start Series.

I suppose they serve a purpose and that because of the price point there will be children who will hear the stories that otherwise might not. For that point alone I gave the two stars.

Looking for the orginal and this is not it. I heard the original on a Librivox recording and absolutely loved it. In my opinion this is a poor substitute. There should be a law against calling this the unabridged version.

I got this book for my 10th birthday, and I loved it! I read it to my little sister, and she loved it too. now we are reading The Secret Garden from the same series. I don't care what other people think of this series I think it is good and all kids who love to read classics should try it.

Johann David Wyss's THE SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON apparently has had a checkered textual history, especially in English translation, and even in this inexpensive handsome volume produced for children, it shows. But it would help if the 18th-century story were more compelling to start with.

This is not your Disney Swiss Family. Yes, like the movie, the Robinsons are shipwrecked. And like the Disney version, this family has a (somewhat less cool) tree house. But beyond that, really, the similarities end.

The Robinsons, who were on their way to begin a new life perhaps somewhere in the South Seas, are marooned on an uncharted island after the crew of the ship they were on abandoned them during a storm. Apparently, everyone else dies. Miraculously, just as in "Gilligan's Island," much of the ship is left intact, at least those parts of the ship that hold everything the family needs to be comfortable. The family attributes their good fortune to Providence, and it quickly becomes apparent to the reader that this book is written as to epitomize the value of the Protestant work ethic: be self-reliant, work hard and pray harder and God will take care of the rest.

And does God deliver! The livestock on board the ship--cows, pigs, and sheep--survive and through the ingenuity of the father (who always knows best, finally!) and his sons are brought safely to shore, along with any number of useful implements, gunpowder, a veritable arsenal of weapons, food stocks and wine, and seeds, to name just a handful of things the family salvages. The father's vast talents--another point of the book is to underscore the value of a broad education--are realized in a variety of construction projects including gardens and various places of residence.

Remarkably, the island, which at times seems to be as large as New Zealand, contains cornucopia of edible or otherwise useful flora, including sugar cane, a vast array of fruits, flax, and rubber plants. Likewise, every animal known to humankind in the 18th century frolic on the island: jackals, lions, tigers, bears (oh my!), kangaroos, buffaloes (yes, buffaloes), antelope, giant iguanas, and so on. And like a kind of reverse Noah's Ark, at least a couple of every one of them is shot or killed in some way.

Whether it's to eat, or to protect themselves (rarely) or simply to see what kind of animal has bounded into view (often), the Robinson pater and boys shoot everything they see. As my daughter and I read this book aloud, we soon knew that any new animal that appeared on the scene would be killed. The only suspense, such as it was, was how. Fortunately, this aspect of the book provided us a small degree of, albeit unintentional, humor. (God *is* good.) Later, when a giant boa threatens the family, it seems the story is going to take an allegorical turn--the snake that will destroy their Garden of Eden--but in the end, it's just one more animal to kill. It's as if the NRA had commissioned the book.

It's not until towards the end, when the family make an important discovery, that the book gets interesting again. But, by that point, it's too late because the author wraps up the story.

As suggested above, there are textual errors in this edition. A tame jackal appears without explanation. Two names, Billy and Folb, appear two-thirds of the way through the book with no explanation (they turn out to be the names of a couple of heretofore unidentified dogs). Despite these sorts of textual errors and the problem of the story itself as outlined above, my ten-year old still enjoyed having it read to her. The vocabulary is a bit of a challenge, I think, for someone of her age to read comfortably on her own.

Bravo to Sterling for putting out this edition of children's books, most or all of which seem to have passed into the public domain. The editions are well produced, with good bindings, a ribbon for marking one's place, and reading questions at the end. The volumes are also priced well, another big plus. What's not to like? Okay, maybe not *this* story.

I agree with "Seeker's" review. This is not the same version I read as a child - I still have it. My son received this one for Christmas, and after reviewing it I returned it because it has been changed so much. Thanks to "Seeker" for the ISBN number!

This version was recommended to our family for the upper elementary age reader. The language of the unabridged version is excellent and interesting. If your child is unable to read the original themselves it would be worth your time and effort to read it to them. You would both increase your vocabulary and gain understanding of good sentence structure. With this Classic Starts edition the sentences are choppy and vastly different than the original. I don't pretend to know how to make the transition but I was very disappointed when I read the first few chapters. I would only recommend this book for the very early reader in the lower elementary grades and would venture to give an unabridged version to a strong reader age 10 or older and supply them with a dictionary and mom or dad to read along with them. The original is too good to miss. This book has a beautiful cover but the inside fails to match.

I am reading this to my daughters (ages 4 and 7). They LOVE it, and beg for one more chapter. I think this is an over-simplified version of the story. The text is dumbed-down with easier language, and it takes away from the story. The story seems very flat. I would personally give it 2 stars, but gave 3 since the kids love it.

Terrible. The moral lessons in this story have been omitted, leaving nothing but the plot outline. Why? This is supposed to be a story to share with your children as a teaching tool. This "retelling" is pointless.

My seven year-old son and I have read a number of the Classic Starts novels together, but Swiss Family Robinson is not one of the better ones in this series. The book is poorly edited, with a number of typographical errors and one mis-titled chapter, giving the impression that it was put together for publishing too hastily.

As other reviewers have noted, many of the conversations and moral lessons have been omitted. What's left is a rather boring and endless recounting of the family's exploits, with what seems to be a specific emphasis on their maltreatment and slaughter of animals for their own use and enjoyment. My son became bored with the repetitive and choppy narrative, and we both found it tedious to get through.