The Coral Island

An easy read, to but the characters are rather stereotype. Grand adventurous young English men. Fearsome pirates and bloodthirsty natives along with missionaries to show them the error of their ways. The whole book is rather contrived and I was left a little disappointed. It is said that "Lord of the flies" is the anti type of "The Coral Island". Personally I found "Lord of the flies" to be a much better book. If you love a gung ho adventure, then this is for you, but it was only an average 3 stars for me.

Here is a good old-fashioned tale of three boys shipwrecked on a coral island in the south seas, with only the barest minimum of materials and equipment. It recounts their adventures and how they survived. A sort of Robinson Cruso light, and full of the good old British spirit that bulit the empire.I remember this book was in my father's book case when I was a child. Now in my late 60's I have finally got round to reading it, and yes, it was worth the wait.This is a tale of innocent activity; except for the pirates and cannibals, who are baaaaad. But in the traditional fashion of the time, the baddies meet their just deserts and the cannibals are converted to Christianity and stop eating people. So it all works out well in the end. This is a book of the genre that was given, in the past, as a Sunday School prize for good attendance, but I still found it an interesting read.One of the few faults I found is I am pretty sure there are no penquins native to the Coral Sea (where presumeably the Coral Island is situated), yet according to the book the island neoighbouring the boys' was inhabited by penguins. I do know there are penquins to be found as far north as the Galapagos Island, which is furhter north than the Coral Sea, so I might be subject to correction here, but reading it, it felt like an author running out of unusual ideas to put forward to make the book more interesting, and who was prepared to throw anything in that came to mind that he though would make the story more fantastical. All that was missing was a sea monster. A minor criticism of a book that is otherwise a right good read.

This is a classic, but a book very much 'of its time'. It is worth reading for anyone interested in Golding's 'Lord of the Flies' which is based on this earlier work. However, there are other marked differences, and one primary one being that only three boys are marooned on Coral Island, rather than the large group in 'Lord of the Flies'. Thus I think it is fair to say that three may well have worked better together than a large crowd. The Coral Island, being of its time, contains some race-related language and comments that are deemed offensive in our time, and this should be borne in mind. The latter part of the book, after they have left Coral Island, becomes much of a treatise on Christianity and its supposed ability to 'tame the savage' almost instantly. The lack of realism and a failure to acknowledge the fragility of 'civilisation' are the weaknesses Golding tries to address in the later 'Lord of the Flies'.

This is a great story, well told. Unfortunately it would not be today considered "Politically Correct" because of its patronising attitude to the peoples of the South Seas, and its overtly Christian message. Nevertheless it is a gripping story of three boys cast adrift on an island, and it includes a wealth of details about life and death - including cannibalism - on those distant shores. The best bits are when they are exploring their island; towards the end the plot seems a bit contrived to promote the virtues of Christian missionaries. The island is rather a fantasy world, and issues such as those raised by Lord of the Flies are avoided; but boys of 10 - 14 for whom the book is intended will not mind that.This book was very popular in the early 20th Century and one can understand why. It is still definitely worth reading, if only to see how the Victorians viewed the South Sea Islanders and their relationships with the white man.

The old world style of writing takes a little while to get into but once you are attuned to it it is surprising how interesting,informative and accurate in detail it is considering how long ago it was written .It has a bit of "school boy hero"about it but despite this is a fascinating and thoroughly enjoyable read.

I've waited all my life to read this book. What a disappointment. I found it preachy beyond words, It could almost have been written as an evangelistic tract. 'The world is bad and only Christianity can save it' is the constant theme. Strangely enough, it's also unpleasantly bloodthirsty but I suppose that was a device to show what a miraculously calming effect Christianity has on savages.

I read this as a child and was mesmerised. Sadly reading it as an older wiser person(73 years) I see it is totally unbelievable, racist, and quite boring.

A nostalgia read as I haven't read it for fifty years. Language rather archaic but still a very enjoyable read. Descriptions of the island are wonderful. The three boys have very different characters and their friendship is clearly drawn. Lots of excitement, i would recommend it.