Kidnapped

By: Robert Louis Stevenson

Narrated by: Ralph Cosham

Length: 6 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

Young David Balfour is the rightful heir but his uncle has other plans. This story recounts Master Balfour's escape on the high seas and his adventures making his way back across Scottish Highlands.

©2001 Sound Room Publishers, Inc.

A little brisk, but ultimately satisfying

I've listened to Ralph Cosham with pleasure doing nonfiction, but this was my first venture with him as a reader of classic fiction. His narration takes a little getting used to. I'm not quite sure how to describe the distinctive quality of his voice; his reading is a little faster and a little more formal than I've experienced with other readers. Yet he is, as one person described him here, "quietly effective." A particular pleasure here is the wonderful Scots dialogue. Of the three versions of "Kidnapped" I tried (the others being Frederick Davidson and Michael Page), this is definitely my favorite.

Can't wait to get back in the car

This book would be difficult for me to read. With the Scottish Colloquialisms, and style, I wouldn't get past the first 30 pages. Fortunately for me I didn't have to read it. The story is outstanding, and well worth hearing. The realism of the situations, and the depth of characters is what make this worth reading (hearing).

If you like a good old fashioned story, very well told, get this one.

Still a great author

RLS has always been one of my favorite classic authors, because of his natural storytelling talent. This version of Kidnapped was very well read, and a story I still love. Even if you don't love the classics you should enjoy this story of mishaps and adventure.

I Love This Story!

Would you listen to Kidnapped again? Why?

Absolutely! I have loved this book since I was a kid. Full of adventure and fascinating characters and places, with an inexperienced but heroic main character.

What other book might you compare Kidnapped to and why?

I have recently read Lois McMaster Bujold's Miles Vorkosigan books, and for some reason they came to mind. Perhaps because of a young, well-intentioned but somewhat hapless young man plunging from one scrape into another.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Ralph Cosham is such a brilliant narrator - I loved his reading of Watership Down and all of the Louise Penny books, and I thought if anyone could handle all those Scottish accents it would be him. But the reading was a little disappointing. He does do a reasonable Scottish accent, but there's very little differentiation among characters, and a lot was in a kind of monotone. Clear, understandable and not hard to listen to - I just had kind of high expectations. I'm not sure when this recording was made, but he sounds younger.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes! Even having read it several times when I was younger.

Any additional comments?

Fun adventure story with an interesting and well-drawn friendship at its heart.

Not RLS's best yarn

The prose is magnificent. The premise (two brothers on opposite sides of a rebellion) was sound. The performance was very good. But the story disappointed. The elder brother failed in the credibility category. The abrupt flight in the middle of the night to NYC, the sudden trip up the Hudson, and the bizarre ending in the snowy woods of upstate NY made little sense. This one did not shiver my timbers.