The Coral Island (Penguin Popular Classics) -

R. M. Ballantyne

Penguin Books

1995

384 páginas

12h 48m

ISBN-10: 0140621520

Ralph sets sail on the Arrow, but as it approaches Coral Island in the Pacific, a fearful storm wrecks the ship. Only Ralph and his two friends Jack and Peterkin escape and are washed ashore with nothing more than a telescope and a broken penknife between them. At first thier survival skills serve them well: they build a shelter, hunt and fish, and gather the plentiful fruits from the trees. Then into their Paradise arrives a party of cannibals that tests their courage to the full, and after their departure, there follows a pirate ship whose captain is Bloody Bill, the biggest cut-throat of them all...
Ballantyne's enduring popular story of adventure on distant lands and seas was based to a large extent on his own experience for he was a great traveller and reserached his books thoroughly. Written during a time when society was at its most restrictive the freedom from the social constraints that the characters enjoy gives the book much of its general appeal.