Silver

By: Andrew Motion

Narrated by: David Tennant

Length: 11 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's Summary

In the eastern reaches of the Thames lies the Hispaniola, an inn kept by Jim Hawkins and his son. Late one night, a mysterious girl named Natty arrives on the river with a request for Jim from her father - Long John Silver. Aged and weak, but still possessing a strange power, the pirate proposes Jim and Natty sail to Treasure Island in search of Captain Flint's hidden bounty. But the thrill of the ocean odyssey gives way to terror as the Nightingale reaches its destination, for it seems Treasure Island is not as uninhabited as it once was....

Silver is a worthy sequel to Treasure Island and a work of extraordinary authenticity and imaginative power from one of England's greatest writers.

©2012 Andrew Motion (P)2012 Dreamscape Media, LLC

Critic Reviews

"...rich and thrilling narrative which so ingeniously complements [Treasure Island]." (The Independent)

"Motion writes beautifully...a darker world than Stevenson's with real evil and genuine loss in it - and a tentative but credible burgeoning love story. Considered as a sequel, Silver more than holds its own as an adventure story." (Irish Independent)

"...a splendid adventure story in its own right." (The Guardian)

An Enchanting Idea

This book is so beautifully conceived and beautifully written -- astonishing imagery coupled with shrewd insight -- that I ran out and bought a HARDBOUND copy for my sister! The son of Jim Hawkins and the daughter of Long John Silver set off for treasure, just as their fathers did, and, like their fathers, end up in the land of mature experience, a treasure in itself. If there is a fault, it is that it devolves into mere action adventure at the very end (keeping an eye on a Disney franchise?). But on the way it delivers some very thoughtful entertainment.

Special praise goes to the narrator, David Tennant, for providing excellent characterizations for a large cast -- not too broad, not too dry.

33 of 33 people found this review helpful

Wait... it's over?

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I really enjoyed it because David Tennant. The book's well-written and entertaining, but I was nonplussed by the abrupt ending and had to look to make sure there wasn't supposed to be another part to the audiobook.

Would you be willing to try another book from Andrew Motion? Why or why not?

I suppose I will have to read the sequel to this because I need to know what happens next... which shows that Mr. Motion got me hooked enough to want to carry on.

What does David Tennant bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He's a remarkable actor who brings all the characters to life. It's always easy to tell who's talking because he doesn't just read the book, he really acts all the parts and makes them vivid and unique. I've listened to a lot of Tennant's audiobooks and I think this is one of his best.

Could you see Silver being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

I could see this being a movie.

22 of 23 people found this review helpful

Tennant exalts while Motion's story collapses.

Would you try another book from Andrew Motion and/or David Tennant?

David Tennant is an excellent narrator. Motion raised me up and shot me down with a morbid ending.

Would you recommend Silver to your friends? Why or why not?

I couldn't recommend a story, with an ending thats like a fatal bus crash, after a winning trip to Atlantic City.

What about David Tennant’s performance did you like?

Spirited and emotionally entertaining storyteller. Can always recommend Mr Tennant.

Do you think Silver needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

It obviously was written with the author expecting to write a follow up. He could easily have wrapped things up neatly in another 3 chapters. The ending of this has soured me to his intents.

Any additional comments?

If not for the narration of David Tennant, this would have been the only audio book, I have gotten, that I would have returned.

41 of 46 people found this review helpful

Overly Simplistic

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

More in depth writing and realistic character development, reactions, and thought processes.

Would you ever listen to anything by Andrew Motion again?

Not likely. The writing style was very simplistic, the characters were two dimensional, and I got very tired of hearing how the main character knew another character "so well" after they had know each other for a few hours or weeks.

Did David Tennant do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

He did very well differentiating the voices, I had no difficulty telling who was speaking. I wish there had been more emotion portrayed, but that was due in large part to the writing.

What character would you cut from Silver?

Nat

Any additional comments?

Save your money and time and look elsewhere.

it was a good story

it was kind of hard to get into, but overall a good book to read

Great read

Quite a well written story, every bit as exciting as Treasure Island. Good character development. David Tennant oils read a telephone directory and make it exciting, he is an accomplished narrator. I hope there
is a "Part 3".

Small buildup leading to a big letdown.

This story took me three tries to get halfway through it before I got interested enough to finish it. It caught my attention then, and I was glad that I had stuck with it until it ended so abruptly that I thought that I had to have missed something. I listened to the last ten minutes again, and I had not missed anything. There was really no ending at all - it just ended.

Fun Sequel to a Classic

I read the Stevenson original, Treasure Island, countless times as a youngster. Stevenson created indelible characters in Israel Hands, Jim Hawkins, Squire Trelawney, and of course, Long John Silver. So I was happy to find this audiobook but I assumed it would be a pale imitation of the original. Well, yes, there is a lot of the original in this book but it features the descendants of the original as a twist. I thought having similar plot structure might make it tedious but I thought this was instead a lovely little homage. Fine line between being derivative and an homage, right?

So, no, it doesn't veer too wildly from the core idea of the original which made it so fun. Pirates, treasure, villains, betrayal, but added to this one is a nice little love story. This is not great literature but it is one heck of a fun book. Enjoy it as a nice piece of nostalgia and just let yourself forget all the cliches that Stevenson inspired.

If you loved Treaure island you will like this

Would you try another book from Andrew Motion and/or David Tennant?

The best thing about this book as the authors ability to write like R.L. Stevenson. This book did not seem like much of a break from Treaure Island. That being said, I was not a huge fan of either book. Not much happens at a very slow pace.

Would you recommend Silver to your friends? Why or why not?

It is safe enough for most, no sex, blood or blatant violence.

Do you think Silver needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

For those who loved this book another book would be appropriate as it kinda quits with many details being left off.

A bit too long

I enjoyed Silver more than Treasure Island, and until the last 4 chapters I was intending to rate the story a 4 but the ending was unnecessarily long and I had to force myself to plow through. I thought the writing was better, the narration was EXCELLENT and story interesting, I wish he would have condensed the ending.