"X" Marks the Spot: SILVER by Andrew Motion - GIVEAWAY!

Hi guys!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers...the place where we like to get CRAZY sometimes and cut loose....bookishly of course!  ^_^

This marks the second post of the day and the post that will more than likely occupy Sunday's place as well.  Why did I force it into commission today?  Simple!  The date worked wonders with the posts intent.  How so?  Oh, you'll see.  If you frequent the site, you know I love nothing better (okay, well it's high on my list at the very least) than to tie a post into a major holiday, random celebrated event, or historical factoid.  Today's giveaway is no different.

Thanks to Danielle over at Crown, Broadway, and Hogarth, part of the Random House, Inc collection, we are joining the celebration for a title I reviewed once upon a time that is now in paperback form.  It was a grand adventure on the high seas and starred some of the characters many of you will remember from the novel that inspired it all.  Curious?  Here...a bit to appease that bookish appetite....

Silver:  Return to Treasure Island

by

Andrew Motion

Almost forty years following the events of Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island, Jim Hawkins and Long John Silver have seemingly put their maritime adventures to rest. Jim has settled on the English coast with his son Jim, and Silver has returned to rural England with his daughter Natty. While their escapades may have ended, for Jim and Natty the adventure is only just beginning.     

      One night, Natty approaches young Jim with a proposition: return to Treasure Island and find the remaining treasure that their fathers left behind. As they set sail in their fathers' footsteps, Jim and Natty cannot imagine what awaits them. Murderous pirates, long-held grudges, noxious greed, and wily deception lurk wickedly in the high seas, and disembarking onto Treasure Island only proves more perilous. Their search for buried treasure leaves every last wit tested and ounce of courage spent. And the adventure doesn't end there, since they still have to make their way home...

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Sound good?

Oh but it was!

In fact, for a closer look, feel free to check out my review as seen right here on the site several moons ago.

--- waits for you to click, read and return ---

Done?

Good.

Let's continue our adventure....

Robert Louis Stevenson

According to Wikipedia (which may not always be right, but at least tries fairly hard), July 20th (today's date....whoa!) was actually an obscure part of the novel when trying to pin down exactly when things played out.  Here's the excerpt....

Stevenson's map of Treasure Island includes the annotations Treasure Island Aug 1 1750 J.F. and Given by above J.F. to Mr W. Bones Maste of ye Walrus Savannah this twenty July 1754 W B. The first of these two dates is likely the date at which Flint left his treasure at the island; the second, just prior to Flint's death. As Flint is reliably reported to have died at least three years before the events of the novel (the length of time that Ben Gunn was marooned), it cannot take place earlier than 1757 and still be consistent with the map.

.....see?

It's actually penned on the TREASURE MAP in the original story!

How cool.

Well, even MORE so in a second....

Thanks to the generosity of the folks over at Random House, Inc, YOU now have the chance to win a copy of this novel to call your own!  To enter, we're going to take you on a little treasure hunt of your own.

Author Andrew Motion has many credits to his name between his works of literature, his poetic endeavors and the many roles/titles he's held through his life.  One thing in his biography I found curious was that he was "knighted for his services to literature".  Your golden doubloon for entry?  Tell me what YEAR this happened.

SUBMIT YOUR ANSWER along with your contact info via the form below and you're in it to win it!  Of course, if you desire extra entries, who am I to stop you?  ^_^  Entries accepted through midnight CST, July 27, 2013.  Open to US Residents only, no PO Boxes please.

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Special thanks to Danielle for the chance to host this contest.  (THANKS!) For more information on this title as well as their full catalog, be sure to stop by their official site, pin them on Pinterest, like them on Facebook, friend them on Google+, or follow along on Twitter.  This title was released in paperback this past May, so be on the lookout for it on a bookstore shelf near you.

Until next time....GOOD LUCK...and happy reading!

Silver: Return to Treasure Island by Andrew Motion

Hi guys!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers…the place to be when you’re in the mood for food of the bookish variety.

We’ve have a small break due to my crazy schedule and though I intended to post this review yesterday, it simply wasn’t in the cards.  My apologies friends for leaving you without some type of fodder to appease your book loving appetite but I believe today’s post should help quench that thirst…though it may leave you longing for adventure.  That’s right…we’re setting sail on the high seas with none other than Silver and Hawkins, just not the exact personas that the names bring to mind (for any Treasure Island fans that is).  In honor of Mr. Robert Louis Stevenson’s birthday this past Tuesday and in celebration of its successful release stateside, I bring to you today’s book of choice…

Silver:

Return to Treasure Island

By

Andrew Motion

From the publisher…

It's almost forty years after the events of Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island:  Jim Hawkins now runs an inn called the Hispaniola on the English coast with his son, Jim, and Long John Silver has returned to England to live in obscurity with his daughter, Natty. Their lives are quiet and unremarkable; their adventures have seemingly ended.
 But for Jim and Natty, the adventure is just beginning. One night, Natty approaches young Jim with a proposition: return to Treasure Island and find the remaining treasure that their fathers left behind so many years before. As Jim and Natty set sail in their fathers' footsteps, they quickly learn that this journey will not be easy.  Immediately, they come up against murderous pirates, long-held grudges, and greed and deception lurking in every corner. And when they arrive on Treasure Island, they find terrible scenes awaiting them—difficulties which require all their wit as well as their courage.  Nor does the adventure end there, since they have to sail homeward again...

A story of the high seas with wit and whim, fancy and danger, shipwrecks and treasure…but somewhat lacking on the adventure.

Here’s where I get all hip-hop-style and do the break down dance on the book.  The story was good and the characters were certainly worthy of our attention but if you’re looking for a rollicking story that captures you by your whiskers such as the original…you might be put out like those three sailors marooned on the island.  That’s not to say the journey was un-enjoyable because honestly it was, it just lacked the ability to sparkle as brightly as the treasure first uncovered by the infamous pair.  However, it did make its mark in other ways if you’ll permit me a moment to explain…

We have a young Mr. Hawkins (though older than his father when he set out on that fateful voyage many of us have read previously) and a young Ms. Silver….that’s right, MISS; as in blow-me-down, Mr. Silver had kids and a girl no less!  Don’t go passing her a parasol though because she is her father’s daughter through and through and guff she will take from no one…NO ONE.  This pair are sent forth on a quest to retrieve the remaining silver and arms left behind on Treasure Island with a sea-worthy ship, a magnificent captain and a fairly decent crew….I say fairly decent because where there is treasure and old grudges to be had, trouble usually follows (and it does).  Yo ho yo ho and a few bottles of rum later and BOOM….LAND HO!  But wait, what’s this?  There’s movement on shore…and it seems as though it’s a much greater population than first marooned.  Seeing as how they were all gents left behind and barring the possibility of a Jurassic Park DNA change situation, something happened to create the mixed party spotted on shore…but what indeed.  Are they friend or foe?  What of the conniving fools left behind or better still, what of the silver?  So many questions, so few answers….but don’t worry, they may be slow in coming, but come they will…and that’s not even half the story.

You see, though the book is titled appropriately for a dashing daring swashbuckling treasure hunt, it actually focuses more on the human condition.  The relationship between father and son (or daughter), the deterioration of the human mind, body and soul (hello marooned pirates!), lives found and lost, the bonds that can form between those not related by blood but something at times even stronger (several noteworthy instances of this abound) and even a fleeting glimpse of young love.  All these things and more play out before us thereby making it more than simply a treasure hunt (though those are remarkably exciting too) but a journey towards revelations only discovered through life experience…albeit they are generally scattered over many a year as opposed to a few months time but they make their point nonetheless leaving Mr. Hawkins and Ms. Silver in a whole new light (and world…*mini spoiler*…~whistles~)

So you see, my seafaring friends, if you set out on this reading adventure with expectations of a repeat performance of the beloved original, you may be sadly mistaken.  Though there are references to and reminders of both in plain sight and in shadow, this story merely relies on its predecessor for its history, its relations if you will, but allows a new duo to emerge righting the wrongs of the world while seeking their fortunes of mixed values.  There are those to cheer for and those to leer at but in the end you‘ll discover an adventure with more than silver running through its veins; this time around there’s a healthy dose of heart.

Recommended read for teens through adult readers; the language is fine and the risqué situations are practically nonexistent however the cruelty of man against man makes me avoid suggesting it to a younger audience.  The world can be bad enough at times, no need to introduce it any earlier even in fiction format.  Review copy received courtesy of CrownPublishers / Random House Inc.  (THANKS!)  For more information about this title as well as their complete catalog, be sure to visit their official website, like them on Facebook, friend them on Google+, pin them on Pinterest, or follow along on Twitter.  This book was released earlier this year and should be available now on a bookstore shelf near you.

Until next time…I’m off on my own adventure (aka the Twilight movie marathon and midnight release of the final film, woo-hoo!) and wish you much happy reading!