Robinson Crusoe - Daniel Defoe

A surprisingly dull book. Published in 1719, it is perhaps viewed best as some kind of historical document on novel-writing, since it doesn't hold the attention as a novel. Rather rambling, it only really picks up towards the end. Is it deliberately trying to get across the tedium of living on a deserted island for a number of decades? Who knows, but the fact that it took me most of a year, on and off, to finish this must say something.

Posted 2005-10-03.