The Coral Island

This book was one of the first children's books for boys -- you can definitely see it setting the tradition of Treasure Island, and drawing on those from Gulliver's Travels. It was fast-paced and engaging and there were some lovely descriptions of their island. Also a striking focus on rationalising......more

Living in post-Brexit Britain, the incredible smugness of this story was hard to take. One could have laughed it off if it had not come back to haunt us. Rule Britannia! And thank goodness the gods are on our side and wear our type of clothing!......more

It's always tricky assessing Victorian youth fiction in the light of our current postcolonial period, and all of the necessary revaluations that has entailed. The Coral Island: A Tale of the Pacific does have some horrendously condescending views upon the age-old moral dichotomy of 'savagery v. civi......more

I don't tend to reread very many books, but this was one that I loved when I read it (as a pre-teen). I decided to try reading it to my son in chapters. First half was great. Classic adventure story with three teenaged boys shipwrecked on the iconic deserted island in the South Pacific. Their story o......more

I still remember the glow i felt as an eleven year old boy while i sat mesmerized reading this tale of wonderful adventure. A Classic!......more